"I've a shake-down in the little loft over the ol' blacksmith shop on Water Street. There are cracks in the gable, an' the snow an' the wind blows in, an' the place is dark an' smells o' coal gas an' horses' feet, but Christmas an' I snug up together an' manage to live through the winter. In hot weather, we sleep under a tree in the ol' graveyard an' study astronomy. Sometimes, I wish I was there for good." "Wouldn't you like a bed in a comfortable house?" "No. I couldn't take the dog there an' I'd have to git up like other folks." "Would you think that a hardship?" "Well, ye see, sir, if ye're layin' down ye ain't hungry. Then, too, I likes to dilly-dally in bed." "What may that mean?" the minister asked. "I likes to lay an' think an' build air castles." "What kind of castles?" "Well, sir, I'm thinkin' often o' a time when I'll have a grand suit o' clothes, an' a shiny silk tile on my head, an' a roll o' bills in my pocket, big enough to choke a dog, an' I'll be goin' back to the town where I was brought up an' I'll hire a fine team an' take my ol' mother out for a ride. An' when we pass by, people will be sayin': 'That's Hiram Blenkinsop! Don't you remember him? Born on the top floor o' the ol' sash mill on the island. He's a multi-millionaire an' a great man. He gives a thousand to the poor every day. Sure, he does!'" "Blenkinsop, I'd like to help you to recover your lost Self and be a useful and respected citizen of this town," said Mr. Singleton. "You can do it if you will and I can tell you how." Tears began to stream down the cheeks of the unfortunate man, who now covered his eyes with a big, rough hand. "If you will make an honest effort, I'll stand by you. I'll be your friend through thick and thin," the minister added. "There's something good in you or you wouldn't be having a dream like that." "Nobody has ever talked to me this way," poor Blenkinsop sobbed. "Nobody but you has ever treated me as if I was human." "I know--I know. It's a hard old world, but at last you've found a man who is willing to be a brother to you if you really want one." The poor man rose from the table and went to the minister's side and held out his hand. "I do want a brother, sir, an' I'll do anything at all," he said in a broken voice. "Then come with me," the minister commanded. "First, I'm going to improve the outside of you." When they were ready to leave the house, Blenkinsop and his dog had had a bath and the former was shaved and in clean and respectable garments from top to toe. "You look like a new man," said Mr. Singleton. "Seems like, I felt more like a proper human bein'," Blenkinsop answered. Christmas was scampering up and down the hall as if he felt like a new dog. Suddenly he discovered the stag's head again and slunk into a dark corner growling.