"You may be certain I shall not abandon the enterprise upon which you have come, so long as there appears any likelihood of success; but when one hits upon a stone wall it is wiser to go around, than to beat his head against the rocks. Therefore when it is shown that I can effect nothing, we will come to a stop; but until then trust in me." "Indeed we do, Master Lord, thanking you not only for the willingness to aid us, but for the work in behalf of the Cause which you have already done." I was so angry at hearing Hiram thus lay himself down at the feet of the man whom it surely seemed we had every reason to distrust, that I could have risen up against him, crying out all which was in my mind; but, fortunately, I checked the words which were on the tip of my tongue, and threw myself sulkily upon one of the beds, vowing mentally that never again would I put faith in any human being howsoever fair might be his speech. Then it was that Master Lord set about discussing plans for the future as if we were like to remain in that underground hiding-place many a long day, while Archie and Harvey listened to the conversation in seeming bewilderment, failing to understand, even as did I, this complete change in him whom we had come to look upon as the leader in our hazardous venture. I cannot set down all these two said, for the very good reason that I failed to charge myself with taking in the purport of the conversation; but this I do know, that when they had come apparently to understand each other, and were grown to be as thick as two thieves, Master Lord explained that in order we might remain more securely hidden from suspicion, and that none of the neighbors should come to fancy he had visitors in the building, we must prepare our own food, cooking it in the fire-place of the cellar. By such a course the house would remain open to whosoever might visit it, and unless the secret of our hiding-place was revealed by our haste, we were as safe in Boston town as in any other place, meaning, of course, in event of Job Lord's proving to be a true man as he claimed to be. To all of this Hiram agreed as if satisfied in every particular, and then claimed to be prodigiously hungry, which was another surprise on his part, for we had even then with us enough of provision to satisfy all our desires during the next four and twenty hours. However, Hiram clung to the assertion that he was nigh to being famished, and Master Lord went without delay to the floor above, as if to procure that which might be needed. No sooner had he ascended the ladder than I stole softly to Hiram's side, asking in an angry whisper: "What has come upon you so suddenly, that you fail to see anything suspicious in our being thus asked to lay here content with what that man may be able to do, never ourselves raising a hand in behalf of Silas?"