The furnace coal was to have come to-day," said Mrs. Peterkin,
apologetically.

"Nothing will come to-day," said Mr. Peterkin, shivering.

But a fire could be made in a stove in the dining-room.

All were glad to sit down to breakfast and hot coffee. The little boys
were much pleased to have "ice-cream" for breakfast.

[Illustration]

"When we get a little warm," said Mr. Peterkin, "we will consider what
is to be done."

"I am thankful I ordered the sausages yesterday," said Mrs. Peterkin.
"I was to have had a leg of mutton to-day."

"Nothing will come to-day," said Agamemnon, gloomily.

"Are these sausages the last meat in the house?" asked Mr. Peterkin.

"Yes," said Mrs. Peterkin.

The potatoes also were gone, the barrel of apples empty, and she had
meant to order more flour that very day.

"Then we are eating our last provisions," said Solomon John, helping
himself to another sausage.

"I almost wish we had stayed in bed," said Agamemnon.

"I thought it best to make sure of our breakfast first," repeated Mrs.
Peterkin.

"Shall we literally have nothing left to eat?" asked Mr. Peterkin.

"There's the pig!" suggested Solomon John.

Yes, happily, the pigsty was at the end of the wood-house, and could
be reached under cover.

But some of the family could not eat fresh pork.

"We should have to 'corn' part of him," said Agamemnon.

"My butcher has always told me," said Mrs. Peterkin, "that if I wanted
a ham I must keep a pig. Now we have the pig, but have not the ham!"

"Perhaps we could 'corn' one or two of his legs," suggested one of the
little boys.

"We need not settle that now," said Mr. Peterkin. "At least the pig
will keep us from starving."

[Illustration]

The little boys looked serious; they were fond of their pig.

"If we had only decided to keep a cow," said Mrs. Peterkin.

"Alas! yes," said Mr. Peterkin, "one learns a great many things too
late!"

"Then we might have had ice-cream all the time!" exclaimed the little
boys.

Indeed, the little boys, in spite of the prospect of starving, were
quite pleasantly excited at the idea of being snowed-up, and hurried
through their breakfasts that they might go and try to shovel out a
path from one of the doors.

"I ought to know more about the water-pipes," said Mr. Peterkin. "Now,
I shut off the water last night in the bath-room, or else I forgot to;
and I ought to have shut it off in the cellar."

The little boys came back. Such