at
that dog is cleverer than a schoolmaster and a comedian combined."

As much as I felt ill at ease with the aunt, so I felt at ease with
Uncle Gaspard.

"Now, you two boys talk together," he said cheerily, "I am sure that you
have a lot to say to each other. I'm going to have a chat with this
young man who plays the cornet so well."

Alexix wanted to know about my journey, and I wanted to know about his
work; we were so busy questioning each other that neither of us waited
for a reply.

When we arrived at the house, Uncle Gaspard invited us to supper; never
did an invitation give me such pleasure, for I had wondered as we
walked along if we should have to part at the door, the aunt's welcome
not having given us much hope.

"Here's Remi and his friend," said the father, entering the house.

We sat down to supper. The meal did not last long, for the aunt, who was
a gossiper, was only serving delicatessen that evening. The hard-working
miner ate his delicatessen supper without a word of complaint. He was an
easy going man who, above all, liked peace: He never complained; if he
had a remark to pass it was said in a quiet, gentle way. The supper was
soon over.

Uncle Gaspard told me that I could sleep with Alexix that night, and
told Mattia that if he would go with him into the bakehouse he would
make him up a bed there.

That evening and the greater part of the night Alexix and I spent
talking.

Everything that Alexix told me excited me strangely. I had always wanted
to go down in a mine, but when I spoke of it the next day to Uncle
Gaspard he told me that he could not possibly take me down as only those
who worked in the colliery were permitted to enter.

"If you want to be a miner," he said, "it will be easy. It's not worse
than any other job. It's better than being a singer on the streets. You
can stay here with Alexix. We'll get a job for Mattia also, but not in
playing the cornet, oh no."

I had no intention of staying at Varses; there was something else I had
set myself to do. I was about to leave the town without my curiosity
being satisfied when circumstances came about in which I learned, in all
their horror, the dangers to which the miners are exposed.

On the day that I was to leave Varses a large block of coal fell on
Alexix's hand and almost crushed his finger. For several days he was
obliged to give the hand complete rest. Uncle Gaspard was in despair,
for now he had no one to push his car an