Nimrod may have been a mighty hunter in his day, but he was never anything to compare with Jared Pellet, who for twenty long years--that is to say, years of the ordinary length--had engaged in the chase of one savage, long-fanged, dire, snarling brute of a wolf, a hungry grinning wretch, grey and grim, and ever licking his thin gums. Old and lank he was, but a very giant in endurance; and very often circumstances were reversed, the hunter becoming the hunted, when it took all Jared's strength and courage to keep the wolf at bay. That wolf had lain down his long, lean, hungry form at Jared's door when he married, and, on and off, he had been there ever since. What were Nimrod's feats to hunting or keeping at bay a wolf for twenty long years? Jared Pellet had done all this, and was ready to keep up the struggle with the wolf Poverty so long as he had breath left in his body. They were busy in Duplex Street as usual. Jared was wax-ending a cracked clarionet, pausing every now and then to apply the reed to his lips and breathe out such a wail as would have produced goose-skin upon a stranger. Here, though it had no effect upon Mrs Jared, who was stitching hard, nor upon Patty, bending over her work, there was another present who winced slightly, namely, Janet, who was paying one of her many visits to her friend; and as each wail arose, she drew in her breath between her set teeth and slightly knitted her brow. Then catching Patty's eye, the latter smiled and rose, and the two girls left the room to husband and wife. "Ah!" said Mrs Jared, as soon as they were alone, "I do wish poor Canau would leave that horrid place." "Used to it, and won't," said Jared, supplementing his speech with a dismal "too-hoo" from the clarionet. "I don't like to be unkind to poor Janet," said Mrs Jared; "but I'm always in dread of something happening when Patty goes there." "Too-hoo, too-roo, roo-roo," blew Jared from the half-cobbled instrument. "Hen's anxiety about her chicks!" "Chicks! yes;" said Mrs Jared with a sigh, her thought's current turned. "It is such a drawback having so many children, as well as the anxiety; what with the doctor and the nurse, and dear, dear, the extravagance of the old things, it is really dreadful; and when I'm up-stairs and can't help myself, I do so fidget about the expense. The tea that goes when Patty is not there is really infamous. I'm sure it's never used. And when you buy black at three shillings, and green at four, Mr Timson's best, it worries you terribly. If ever--you know what I mean--and I wanted one again poor Mrs Nimmer had promised to come, if I'd set her free on Saturdays for dusting, and, of course, on Sundays, and now she's ill." From the wail which now arose from the clarionet it might have been supposed that Mrs Nimmer had been dead, but Jared did not speak. "Oh, dear!" sighed Mrs Jared, "if we did not have so many children!"