'All right?
Ah!' 'They haven't been misusing you with sticks, or pokers, or any other blunt instruments--have they, Johnny ?' asked Solomon, with a very anxious glance at Mr Willet's head.

'They didn't beat you, did they ?' John knitted his brow; looked downwards, as if he were mentally engaged in some arithmetical calculation; then upwards, as if the total would not come at his call; then at Solomon Daisy, from his eyebrow to his shoe-buckle; then very slowly round the bar.

And then a great, round, leaden-looking, and not at all transparent tear, came rolling out of each eye, and he said, as he shook his head: 'If they'd only had the goodness to murder me, I'd have thanked 'em kindly.' 'No, no, no, don't say that, Johnny,' whimpered his little friend.

'It's very, very bad, but not quite so bad as that.

No, no!' 'Look'ee here, sir!' cried John, turning his rueful eyes on Mr Haredale, who had dropped on one knee, and was hastily beginning to untie his bonds.