“Oh, Anna, Anna, time flying, and no facts learned yet—only conjectures! Let me talk to her myself. Pina, where were you when you missed little Lenny?” inquired Drusilla, distractedly. “Oh, ma’am! oh, missus, don’t take on so—don’t, and I will tell you! He was down on the Strand, a-looking in at a toy-shop—oh, dear! oh, me! oh, poor little Lenny!” “Oh, for the Lord’s sake, stop crying and tell me more! You were before a toy-shop you say?” said Drusilla, in extreme anxiety. “Yes, ma’am, a-looking in at the windows, at the wooden soldiers, and horses, and ships; and there comes along a man with an organ and a dancing-monkey. And little Lenny turned away from the window to look at the monkey. And a crowd collected. They were mostly children. And little Lenny is fond of children—and so—oh! oh, dear! oh, my heart will break!” “Compose yourself, and go on, Pina!” said Anna. “Yes, ma’am. Oh! oh, dear! Yes—well, little Lenny wanted to mix up with them; but they were mostly ragged and dirty street children, and I was afeard of fevers, and fleas, and sich, and so I kept him to myself, so I did. Oh, oh, me! I wish I had always kept him to myself, so I do,” sobbed Pina. “Go on,” said Anna. “And I saw two ill-looking men in the crowd. And indeed I didn’t think nothing of it at the time, because ill-looking men ain’t no rarity in no city, and that I knew of my own self. And these men, most of their ill-looks was in their dirty and ragged clothes, and bruised and firey faces. And while I was a-takin’ notice of them on the sly, one of ’em says to the other; “‘There—that’s the young ’un.’ “And the other says: “‘Which?’ “And the first one stoops and whispers to the other, so I couldn’t hear. And then they fell back out of the crowd a little ways, and began to look into the shop windows unconcerned-like. And indeed, indeed, I had no notion then as they had been talking about little Lenny, such wilyuns as they were, though I have thought so since! Oh, Lenny! oh, dear little Lenny! I wish somebody would knock my brains out, so I do! Oh, dear! oh, dear! oh——!” “Pina, stop howling and go on with this statement!” said Anna, authoritatively, while Drusilla clasped her hands, and listened in an agony of anxiety. “Well, ma’am, after the men turned away, little Lenny began to tease me for pennies to give to the dancing-monkey—and I gave him all I had, and he ran into the crowd to put them into the hat the monkey was holding out.” “You should not have let him do that,” said Anna. “Ma’am, you know how sudden and self-willed he is! he sprang away from me before I could stop him. And I ran after him to bring him out. But, just at that very moment, there came rushing down the sidewalk, and right through the crowd, a man with his head bare and bloody, followed by a running crowd, all yelling at the top of their voices: “‘Stop thief! stop thief!’