I put my hand under his shirt and felt. The
skin was stretched like parchment over the bones,
and the sensation produced was for all the world
like running one s hand over a washboard.

"Seven years o bliss I ad," he said. " A good
missus and three bonnie lassies. But they all died.
Scarlet fever took the girls inside a fortnight."

"After this, sir," said the Carter, indicating the
spread, and desiring to turn the conversation into
more cheerful channels; " after this, I wouldn t
be able to eat a workhouse breakfast in the
morning."

"Nor I," agreed the Carpenter, and they fell to
discussing belly delights and the fine dishes their
respective wives had cooked in the old days.

"I ve gone three days and never broke my fast,"
said the Carter.

"And I, five," his companion added, turning
gloomy with the memory of it. " Five days once,
with nothing on my stomach but a bit of orange
peel, an outraged nature wouldn t stand it, sir, an
I near died. Sometimes, walkin the streets at
night, I ve ben that desperate I ve made up my
mind to win the horse or lose the saddle. You
know what I mean, sir to commit some big
robbery. But when mornin come, there was I,
too weak from unger an cold to arm a mouse."

As their poor vitals warmed to the food, they

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p088 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p089w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p090

v?