vigorous, while he was aged and
infirm; I added, too, the gold which I had received from your bounty; in
a word, I prevailed upon the Christian to send back my father in that
ship which was intended for me, without acquainting him with the means
of his freedom; since that time I have staid here to discharge the debt
of nature and gratitude, a willing slave----'"

At this part of the story, Harry, who had with difficulty restrained
himself before, burst into such a fit of crying, and Tommy himself was
so much affected, that Mr Barlow told them they had better leave off for
the present and go to some other employment. They therefore went into
the garden to resume the labour of their house, but found, to their
unspeakable regret, that during their absence an accident had happened
which had entirely destroyed all their labours; a violent storm of wind
and rain had risen that morning, which, blowing full against the walls
of the newly-constructed house, had levelled it with the ground. Tommy
could scarcely refrain from crying when he saw the ruins lying around;
but Harry, who bore the loss with more composure, told him not to mind
it, for it could easily be repaired, and they would build it stronger
the next time.

Harry then went up to the spot, and after examining it some time, told
Tommy that he believed he had found out the reason of their misfortune.
"What is it?" said Tommy. "Why," said Harry, "it is only because we did
not drive these stakes, which are to bear the whole weight of our house,
far enough into the ground; and, therefore, when the wind blew against
the flat side of it with so much violence, it could not resist. And now
I remember to have seen the workman, when they begin a building, dig a
considerable way into the ground to lay the foundation fast; and I
should think that, if we drove these stakes a great way into the ground,
it would produce the same effect, and we should have nothing to fear
from any future storms."

Mr Barlow then came into the garden, and the two boys showed him their
misfortune, and asked him whether he did not think that driving the
stakes further in would prevent such an accident for the future. Mr
Barlow told them he thought it would; and that, as they were too short
to reach to the top of the stakes, he would assist them. He then went
and brought a wooden mallet, with which he struck the tops of the
stakes, and drove them so fast into the ground that there was no longer
any da