CHAP. 3. SETS THE HOUSE ON FIRE. 11 



much too big for himself : nevertheless he put 

 it OD. 



His mother's feet were now heard on the stair. 

 Tom hid himself at the back of the door, so that 

 he might rush out as soon as she entered. The door 

 was opened, his mother rushed in screaming, and 

 Tom ran away. The table to which the rope had been 

 attached was on fire, and the house would soon have 

 been in a blaze. In quenching the flames of the rope 

 attached to the boy's leg, he had forgotten, in his 

 hurry, to quench the burning of the rope still attached 

 to the table. Hence the fire. But Tom was now at 

 liberty. He soon got rid of his shackles, and spent 

 a glorious day out of doors. He had a warm home- 

 coming at night, but the less said of that the better. 



In fact, the boy was found to be thoroughly in- 

 corrigible. He was self-willed, determined, and stub- 

 born. As he could not be kept at home, and would 

 not go a message, but was always running after his 

 " beasts," his father at last determined to take his 

 clothes from him altogether. So, one morning when 

 he went to work, he carried them with him. When 

 the boy got up, and found that he had nothing to 

 wear, he was in a state of great dismay. His 

 mother, having pinned a bit of an old petticoat round 

 his neck, said to him, " I am sure you'll be a prisoner 

 this day." But no ! His mother went downstairs 

 for milk, leaving him in the house. He had tied a 

 string round his middle, to render himself a little 



