wanting firewood and cutting down the copses without even taking
trouble to ask leave of their owners, I think that you will see
firewood very scarce in the city before long."

"Well, carry it in and pile it in the yard."

This was soon done, the poles were thrown on to the top of the
heap, and the boys went off along the street again.

"We have made half a crown for ourselves," Paolo laughed; "now we
must decide how we shall spend it."

"It would be a good plan to spend some money anyhow," Hector said.
"What kind of things would you be likely to buy for your family
in the country?"

"Well, I should say a cooking pan to begin with, and a few yards
of warm stuff for making my mother a skirt."

"Well, buy the cooking pan first and sling it across your shoulder,
and then as we wander about we can look in the shops and it will
seem as if we were on the search for articles that we had been told
to purchase; it would be better than sauntering about without any
apparent object. But first let us walk briskly towards the side
of the town facing the citadel. The Strada Vecchia is the one that
I want to examine first."

The knowledge that he had gained from the plan of the city enabled
Hector to find the street without their having to ask any questions.