The boy watched
his eyes keenly, as if he thought it needful to his own defence,
not knowing what he might do next; and Redlaw could see well that
no change came over him.
"Where are they?" he inquired.
"The woman's out."
"I know she is. Where is the old man with the white hair, and his
son?"
"The woman's husband, d'ye mean?" inquired the boy.
"Ay. Where are those two?"
"Out. Something's the matter, somewhere. They were fetched out in
a hurry, and told me to stop here."
"Come with me," said the Chemist, "and I'll give you money."
"Come where? and how much will you give?"
"I'll give you more shillings than you ever saw, and bring you back
soon. Do you know your way to where you came from?"
"You let me go," returned the boy, suddenly twisting out of his
grasp. "I'm not a going to take you there. Let me be, or I'll
heave some fire at you!"
He was down before it, and ready, with his savage little hand, to
pluck the burning coals out.
What the Chemist had felt, in observing the effect of his charmed
influence stealing over those with whom he came in contact, was not
nearly equal to the cold vague terror with which he saw this baby-
monster put it at defiance. It chilled his blood to look on the
immovable impenetrable thing, in the likeness of a child, with its
sharp malignant face turned up to his, and its almost infant hand,
ready at the bars.
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