acquaintance. He would do no more that night! He had money in his
pocket, and he wanted a drink!

"Look here, cubs!" he said; "if you 'ain't got nowhere to go to, I
don't mind if you sleep here. There ain't no bed but the bed of the
forge, nor no blankets but this leather apron: you may have them, for
you can't do them no sort of harm. I don't mind neither if you put a
shovelful of slack and a little water now and then on the fire; and if
you give it a blow or two with the bellows now and then, you won't be
stone-dead afore the mornin'!--Don't be too free with the coals, now,
and don't set the shed on fire, and take the bread out of my poor
innocent mouth. Mind what I tell you, and be good boys."

"Thank you, sir," said Clare. "I thought you would be kind to us! I've
one friend, a bull, that's very good to me. So is Jonathan. He's a
horse. The bull's name is Nimrod. He wants to gore always, but he's
never cross with me."

The blacksmith burst into a roar of laughter at the idiotic
speech. Then he covered the fire with coal, threw his apron over
Clare's head, and departed, locking the door of the smithy behind him.

The boys looked at each other. Neither spoke. Tommy turned to the
bellows, and began to blow.

"Ain't you warm yet?" said Clare, who had seen his mother careful over
the coals.

"No, I ain't. I want a blaze."