to the present one, or to take lessons on graining and
letter-painting from Owen.

'I'm going to have a party next Monday--after Christmas,' remarked
Frankie. 'Mother told me I might ask you if you'll come?'

'All right,' said Bert; 'and I'll bring my Pandoramer.'

'What is it? Is it alive?' asked Frankie with a puzzled look.

'Alive! No, of course not,' replied Bert with a superior air. 'It's a
show, like they have at the Hippodrome or the Circus.'

'How big is it?'

'Not very big: it's made out of a sugar-box. I made it myself. It's
not quite finished yet, but I shall get it done this week. There's a
band as well, you know. I do that part with this.'

'This' was a large mouth organ which he produced from the inner pocket
of his coat.

'Play something now.'

Bert accordingly played, and Frankie sang at the top of his voice a
selection of popular songs, including 'The Old Bull and Bush', 'Has
Anyone seen a German Band?', 'Waiting at the Church' and
finally--possibly as a dirge for the individual whose coffin-plate Owen
was writing--'Goodbye, Mignonette' and 'I wouldn't leave my little
wooden hut for you'.

'You don't know what's in that,' said Frankie, referring to a large
earthenware bread-pan which Nora had just asked Owen to help her to
lift from the floor on to one of the chairs. The vessel in question
was covered with a clean white cloth.

'Christmas pudding,' replied Bert, promptly.

'Guessed right first time!' cried Frankie. 'We got the things out of
the Christmas Club on Saturday. We've been paying in ever since last
Christmas. We're going to mix it now, and you can have a stir too if
you like, for luck.'

Whilst they were stirring the pudding, Frankie several times requested
the others to feel his muscle: he said he felt sure that he would soon
be strong enough to go out to work, and he explained to Bert that the
extraordinary strength he possessed was to be attributed to the fact
that he lived almost exclusively on porridge and milk.

For the rest of the week, Owen continued to work down at the yard with
Sawkins, Crass, and Slynie, painting some of the ladders, steps and
other plant belonging to the firm. These things had to have two coats
of paint and the name Rushton & Co. written on them. As soon as they
had got some of them second-coated, Owen went on with the writing,
leaving the painting for the others, so as to share the work as fairly
as possible. Several times dur