CHAP. IIT. | Beggs Brutality. 71 
out a cause. “ Without a cause, you idle blackguard! sit- 
ting playing with some of your devils instead of doing my 
work!” “Thad no work; it was done three hours ago, 
and I was waiting to go to my dinner.” “It’s not near 
dinner-time yet.” “It’s four o’clock!” “I didn’t know 
it was so late: well, you may go.” 
Tom seized the opportunity of picking up his poor and 
innocent bird from the floor. He found it was still breath- 
ing. He put it tenderly in his bosom, and hastened home- 
ward. His mother was not surprised at his lateness, which 
was very usual, in consequence of the irregularity of his 
master’s hours. ‘But what’s the matter wi ye?” she said; 
“‘vour face is bleedin’, and ye hae been greetin’.”  ‘ Look,” 
said he, taking the haymless and now lifeless bird from his 
breast and holding it up, “that would gar ony body greet ;” 
and his tears fell on the mangled body of his little pet. 
“T wouldn’t have cared so much for myself,” he said, “if 
he had only spared my bird.” Then he told his mother 
all that had happened, and he added that if Begg struck 
him again without a cause he would c@rtainly run away. 
She strongly remonstrated against this; because, being 
bound apprentice for six years, he must serve out his time, 
come what would. 
On returning to the shoe-maker’s shop in the afternoon, 
Edward was met at the door by his master, who first. shook 
him, and then searched him ; but, finding there was noth- 
ing about him, he was allowed to go to his seat. And 
thus three years passed. The boy learned something of his 
trade. The man went on from bad to worse. In his drunk- 
en fits he often abused and thrashed his apprentice. At last 
the climax came. One day Edward brought three young 
moles to the shop. The moles were safely ensconced in his 
bonnet. When Begg found the moles, he killed them at 
once, knocked down Edward with a last, seized him by the 
neck and breast, dragged him to the door, and with a horri- 
ble imprecation threw him into the street. Edward was a 
