Page:Burnett - Two Little Pilgrims' Progress A Story of the City Beautiful.djvu/151

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CHAPTER XIII

EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD HAS SOMETHING TO GIVE.

YES, there were plenty of kind people in the world. And one of the best proofs of it was that in that busy, wonderful place, through which all the world seemed passing, and where on every side were a thousand things to attract attention and so fill eyes and mind that forgetfulness and carelessness of small things might not have been quite unnatural, these two small things, utterly insignificant and unknown to the crowds they threaded, met many a passing friend of the moment, and found themselves made happier by many a kindly helpful word or look. Officials were good-natured to them; guides were good-humoured. Motherly women and fatherly men protected them in awkward crowds. They always saw that those who noticed them glanced about for their chaperons, and again and again they were asked who was taking care of them; but Robin's straightforward, civil little