Frontispiece.
LITTLE NELL AND HER GRANDFATHER.
CHARLES DICKENS'
Children Stories
RE-TOLD BY HIS GRANDDAUGHTER
AND OTHERS
WITH TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS
PHILADELPHIA
HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY
Copyright, 1900, by
HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY
TROTTY VECK AND HIS DAUGHTER MEG.
"TROTTY" seems a strange name for an old man, but it was given to TobyVeck because of his always going at a trot to do his errands; for he wasa porter, and carried letters and messages for people who were in toogreat a hurry to send them by the post. He did not earn very much, andhad to be out in all weathers and all day long. But Toby was of acheerful disposition, and looked on the bright side of everything. Hisgreatest joy was his dear daughter Meg, who loved him dearly.
One cold day Toby had been trotting up and down in his usual placebefore the church, when the bells chimed twelve o'clock, which made Tobythink of dinner.
"There's nothing," he remarked, "more regular in coming round thandinner-time, and nothing less regular in coming round than dinner.That's the great difference between 'em." He went on talking to himselfnever noticing who was coming near to him.
"Why, father, father," said a pleasant voice, and Toby turned to findhis daughter's sweet, bright eyes close to his.
"Why, pet," said he, kissing her, "what's-to-do? I didn't expect youto-day, Meg."
"Neither did I expect to come, father," said Meg, smiling. "But here Iam! And not alone, not alone!"
"Why, you don't mean to say," observed Trotty, looking curiously at thecovered basket she carried, "that you?——"
"Smell it, father dear," said Meg; "only smell it, and guess what itis."
Toby took the shortest possible sniff at the edge of the basket. "Why,it's hot," he said.
But to Meg's great delight he could not guess what it was that smelt sogood. At last he exclaimed in triumph, "Why, what am I a-thinking of?It's tripe!"
And it was.
[4]Just as Toby was about to sit down to his dinner on the doorsteps of abig house close by, the chimes rang out again, and Toby took off his hatand said, "Amen."
"Amen to the bells, father?"
"They broke in like a grace, my dear," said Trotty, "they'd say a goodone if they could, I'm sure. Many's the kind thing they say to me. Howoften have I heard them bells say, 'Toby Veck, Toby Veck, keep a goodheart, Toby!' A millions times? More!"
"Well, I never!" cried Meg.
While Toby ate his unexpected dinner with immense relish, Meg told himhow her lover Richard, a young blacksmith, had brought his dinner toshare with her, and had begged her to marry him on New Year's Day, "thebest and happiest day of the whole year."
"So," went on Meg, "I wanted to make this a sort of holiday to you, aswell as a dear and happy day to me, father, and I made a little treatand brought it to surprise you."
Just then, Richard himself came up to persuade