"Did'st thee want me, lad?" he asked, in his gruff tones.

"I want you to take this fellow away from the engine before we're all
blown out of the building to pay for his carelessness," Larry answered.

Cuttle's one eye glared upon Steve Croly, and the latter retreated, with
a look of grim defiance.

"He's away from the engine, lad," said Joe; "and, noo, what else
would'st have me do wi' him? A'll frowd him oot, if thou'd give the
wud."

"If he will go out without help, all right; if not, you may boost him a
little, if you wish to, Joe," said Larry, who had resolved to get rid of
the dangerous loiterer, this time for good, if possible.

"Git owd wi' thee!" ordered the big fireman, making a sudden and furious
feint of seizing the intruder.

This was more than Steve Croly had bargained for. It was very well to
come in and attempt to defy a boy, of whom he was envious, but quite
another thing to face the powerful fireman, whose bare, brown arms and
single gleaming eye lent him a most formidable aspect.

And so, without waiting to see how Larry went to work to set the great
engine in motion, Steve hurried down the steps and across the
boiler-room, not even looking back while he heard the fireman's heavy
boots clumping along the stone floor.

Joe did not attempt to follow the other outside. He turned back, with a