make you jump."

Just at that time Mr. Fitzwarren himself came home to dinner; and when
he saw a dirty ragged boy lying at the door, he said to him: "Why do
you lie there, my boy? You seem old enough to work; I am afraid you
are inclined to be lazy."

"No, indeed, sir," said Dick to him, "that is not the case, for I
would work with all my heart, but I do not know anybody, and I believe
I am very sick for the want of food."

"Poor fellow, get up; let me see what ails you." Dick now tried to
rise, but was obliged to lie down again, being too weak to stand, for
he had not eaten any food for three days, and was no longer able to
run about and beg a halfpenny of people in the street. So the kind
merchant ordered him to be taken into the house, and have a good
dinner given him, and be kept to do what work he was able to do for
the cook.

Little Dick would have lived very happy in this good family if it had
not been for the ill-natured cook. She used to say: "You are under me,
so look sharp; clean the spit and the dripping-pan, make the fires,
wind up the jack, and do all the scullery work nimbly, or--" and she
would shake the ladle at him. Besides, she was so fond of basting,
that when she had no meat to baste, she would baste poor Dick's head
and shoulders with a broom, or anything else that happened to fall in
her way. At last her ill-usage of him was told to Alice, Mr.
Fitzwarren's daughter, who told the cook she should be turned away if
she did not treat him kinder.