"This must be a way down to the landing," said Mr. George. So our two travellers began to descend; and, after turning several square corners in the staircase, they came out into the street which led along the margin of the river, at a level of twenty or thirty feet below the bridge. This street passed through under one of the _dry arches_ of the bridge, as they are called; that is, one built on the sloping margin of the shore, where no water flows. They passed across this street, and then entered a broad passage way which led down towards the floating platforms. There were a great many people coming and going. They stopped at the toll house on one of the little bridges to pay the fare. "How much is to pay?" said Mr. George to the tollman, taking out his purse. "Where do you wish to go?" said the tollman. "I don't know," said Mr. George, looking at Rollo; "about a mile or two up the river." "To Hungerford landing?" asked the tollman. "Yes," said Mr. George. "Or Westminster?" said the tollman. "Yes," said Mr. George, "we will go to Westminster." "Twopence each," said the tollman. So Mr. George and Rollo each laid down two pennies on the little counter in the window sill, and the man giving them each a little paper ticket, they passed on. "Now the question is," said Mr. George, "how to find out what boat we are to get into. Here is an orange woman on the platform; I will buy a couple of oranges of her, one for you and one for me, and then she will be glad to tell us which is the boat." "She will tell us without," said Rollo. "As a matter of favor?" asked Mr. George. "Yes," said Rollo. "I suppose she would," said Mr. George; "but I would rather that the obligation should be the other way." So Mr. George bought two oranges of the woman, and paid her a halfpenny over and above the price of them. She seemed very grateful for this kindness, and took great interest in showing him which of the boats he and Rollo must take to go to Westminster. "There's one thing that I particularly wish to go and see," said Rollo, "while we are in London." "What is that?" asked Mr. George. "One of the ragged schools," said Rollo. "What are they?" asked Mr. George. [Illustration: THE FIRST RAGGED SCHOOL.] "Why, they are schools for poor boys," replied Rollo. "I believe the boys that go to the schools are pretty much all ragged. These schools were begun by a cobbler. I read about it in a book. The cobbler used to call the ragged boys in that lived about his shop, and teach them. Afterwards other people established such schools; and now there are a great many of them, and some of them are very large." "We'll go and see some of them," said Mr. George. "I should like to go and see them very much." So saying Mr. George led the way to the boat that the orange woman had pointed out as the one for Westminster; and they stepped on board, together with a little crowd of other passengers who were going up the river like themselves. CHAPTER III.