asked Jem . ' I had one : he was called Jem , and would have been a tall sturdy lad of twenty by this time , and able to help me well . Why , when he was only twelve he was quite sharp and quick , and had learnt many little things , and a good-looking boy too , and pleasant , so that customers were taken by him . Well , well ! so goes the world ! ' ` But where is your son ? ' asked Jem , with a trembling voice . ` Heaven only knows ! ' replied the man ; ` seven years ago he was stolen from the market-place , and we have heard no more of him . ' ` SEVEN YEARS AGO ! ' cried Jem , with horror . ` Yes , indeed , seven years ago , though it seems but yesterday that my wife came back howling and crying , and saying the child had not come back all day . I always thought and said that something of the kind would happen . Jem was a beautiful boy , and everyone made much of him , and my wife was so proud of him , and liked him to carry the vegetables and things to grand folks ' houses , where he was petted and made much of . But I used to say , `` Take care -- the town is large , there are plenty of bad people in it -- keep a sharp eye on Jem . '' And so it happened ; for one day an old woman came and bought a lot of things -- more than she could carry ; so my wife , being a kindly soul , lent her the boy , and -- we have never seen him since . ' ` And that was seven years ago , you say ? ' ` Yes , seven years : we had him cried -- we went from house to house . Many knew the pretty boy , and were fond of him , but it was all in vain . No one seemed to know the old woman who bought the vegetables either ; only one old woman , who is ninety years old , said it might have been the fairy Herbaline , who came into the town once in every fifty years to buy things . '
As his father spoke , things grew clearer to Jem 's mind , and he saw now XXXXX he had not been dreaming , but had really served the old woman seven years in the shape of a squirrel .
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