"No, but it would have been a better rebuke if you had ordered him off quietly. No good ever comes of violence, Joe, and he's such a spiteful, vindictive man that he will never forgive you--perhaps he'll do you a mischief if he ever gets the chance." "I hope he will never get the chance," replied Joe. "I hope not, but I fear him," said Mary. "But tell me, Joe, how has the operation succeeded?" "First-rate, Molly. Ned and I are blood-relations now! I don't know how much they took out o' me, but it don't signify, for I am none the worse, an' poor Ned seems much the better." Here Joe entered into a minute detail of all that had been done--how a puncture had been made in one of the veins of his arm, and another in one of the veins of Ned's arm; and how the end of a small tube with a bulb in the middle of it had been inserted into _his_ puncture, and the other end into _Ned's_ puncture, and the blood pumped, as it were, from the full-blooded man into the injured man until it was supposed that he had had enough of it; and how Ned had already shown signs of revival while he, (Joe), didn't feel the loss at all, as was made abundantly evident by the energetic manner in which he had kicked Mr Sparks out of his house after the operation was over. To all this Mary listened with wide open eyes, and Fred Crashington listened with wider open eyes; and little Rosebud listened with eyes and mouth equally open--not that she understood anything of it, but because the others were in that condition. "Now, May, my pet," cried the fireman, catching up his little one and tossing her in the air, "Ned, that is so fond of you, is a blood-relation, so you may call him `uncle' next time he comes--uncle Ned!" "Unkil Ned," lisped the Rosebud. "And me cousin," chimed in Fred. "Iss--cuzn," responded May. "Just so," cried Joe, seizing Fred round the waist and tossing him on his right shoulder--Rosebud being already on his left--"come, I'll carry you down the fire-escape now; hurrah! down we go." How long Joe would have gone on playing with the children we cannot say, for he was interrupted by the entrance of Bob and David Clazie. "Come along, Joe," said the latter, "it's your turn to go along with us to drill." "It's 'ard work to 'ave to go playin' at fires doorin' the day, an' puttin' of 'em out doorin' the night, Joe; ain't it?" said Bob Clazie. "So 'tis Bob, but it must be done, you know. Duty first, pleasure afterwards," replied Joe, with a laugh. "Besides, the green hands could never learn how to do it if they hadn't some of the old uns to show 'em the way." "Hall right," replied Bob; "come along." They left the room with a hearty "good-day" to Mrs Dashwood, and a nod to the children.