while and
smiling to himself.

"'Yes,' he said, 'I like the coffee, but I don't like the
bricks. They're no good at all.'

"We both stared at him, silent and aghast, and the white-
haired old man chuckled in our stricken faces.

"'What is wrong with them?' demanded Kornel at last. His
face was white, but he spoke quite naturally.

"'Aha!' laughed old Pagan. 'Ye see, there's no trade, that
ye can take up without a bit o' learning, not even makin'
mud-bricks. The very same thing happened to me. Lord, it's
past forty years ago, I turned out six hundred dozen, and
had 'em thrown on my hands. It nearly broke my heart.'

"'I can understand that,' said Kornel. 'But what is wrong
with my bricks?'

"Old Pagan set his cup back on the table and sat up in his
chair. As he began to speak he hitched back the sleeves of
his coat and moved his neck in his white collar.

"'See here!' he said. 'It's a little thing, like turning up
the toe of a horseshoe, but just as essential. When ye set
your full moulds out to dry, did ye set 'em on edge, to
drain away the water? Ye did not? Well, that's what's
wrong. They're just mud-pies-lumps o' damp dirt, that'll
crumble as soon as they're dry. There's ninety dozen of
'em, by my count, and there'll not be three dozen that ye
could use in any way consistent wi' conscience. Do ye take
my meanin'?'

"Kornel nodded very thoughtfully.

"'Well, you'll just need to get to work again,' said the
old man. 'Maybe I'm not exactly keen on greetings and
invitations and the like, but you'll not be able to teach
me anything on bricks. So if ye're thinking anything about
the splendor o' your work, wait dll ye're master of it
before you waste more thought. I'm your better as a
craftsman,' he said, with a glance towards me.

"I was red all over, what with shame and sorrow, but I
marked that the paltriness seemed to have gone from John
Pagan as soon as he began to talk of work. He turned then
to Kornel with a briskness that was not unkindly.

"'I was relying on you for bricks,' he said, 'for you can
work, and that's a fact. Perhaps you can let me have a
hundred dozen by Thursday, eh? I'm waitin' on them. And if
you make sure of it, I'll do wi' ye what's my common
custom, and that's pay half the price in advance. How's
that suit?'

"Kornel rose from his chair and stammered thanks, and John
Pagan paid the money on to the table.

"'I'll be down on Thursday to see the bricks,' he said,
'and don't