"Here! here! you lazy rascals! Into the house! into the house, else you
don't get any quarter!

"Well I came along, child,--well I came along. They'd ha' left it right
out doors here. Cheats! People are all cheats, cheats, cheats," he
exclaimed.

Into the house, without a pause, without a knock, into poor bewildered
Mrs. Carr's presence he strode, the men following fast on his steps, and
Mercy unable to pass them.

"Where'll you have it? Where'll you have it, child? Bless my soul! where's
that girl!" he exclaimed, looking back at Mercy, who stood on the front
doorstep, vainly trying to hurry in to explain the strange scene to her
mother. Mrs. Carr was, as usual, knitting. She rose up suddenly, confused
at the strange apparitions before her, and let her knitting fall on the
floor. The ball rolled swiftly towards Mr. Wheeler, and tangled the yarn
around his feet. He jumped up and down, all the while brandishing his
cane, and muttering, "Pshaw! pshaw! Damn knitting! Always did hate the
sight on't." But, kicking out to the right and the left vigorously, he
soon snapped the yarn, and stood free.

"Mother! mother!" called Mercy from behind, "this is the gentleman I told
you of,--Mr. Wheeler. He has very kindly given us this beautiful clock,
almost exactly like ours."

The sound of Mercy's voice reassured the poor bewildered old woman, and,
dropping her old-fashioned courtesy, she said timidly,--