"What's your lay, after breakfast?" he asked, as they came to the
last log together.

"Lay?" repeated Lemuel.

"What you goin' to do?"

"I don't know; I can't tell yet."

"You know," said the other, "you can come back here, and get your
dinner, if you want to saw wood for it from ten till twelve, and you
get your supper if you'll saw from five to six."

"Are you going to do that?" asked Lemuel cautiously.

"No, sir," said the other; "I can't spare the time. I'm goin' to
fill up for all day, at breakfast, and then I'm goin' up to lay
round on the Common till it's time to go to the Police Court; and
when that's over I'm goin' back to the Common ag'in, and lay round
the rest of the day. I hain't got any leisure for no such nonsense
as wood-sawin'. I don't mind the work, but I hate to waste the time.
It's the way with most o' the pardners, unless it's the green hands.
That so, pards?"

Some of them had already gone in to breakfast; the smell of the stew
came out to the wood-yard through the open door. Lemuel and his
friend finished their last stick at the same time, and went in
together, and found places side by side at the table in the waiting-
room. The attendant within its oblong was serving the men with heavy
quart bowls of the steaming broth. He brought half a loaf of light,