A moment of Davie's help
below, and a bucket filled with coals was on its way up: this part
of the roof was over a yard belonging to the household offices, and
Davie filled the bucket from a heap they had there made. "Stand
back, Davie," Donal would cry, and up would go the bucket, to the
ever renewed delight of the boy. When it reached the block, Donal,
by means of a guy, swung the spar on its but-end, and the bucket
came to the roof through the next notch of the battlement. There he
would empty it, and in a moment it would be down again to be
re-filled. When he thought he had enough of coal, he turned to the
wood; and thus they spent an hour of a good many of the cool
evenings of autumn. Davie enjoyed it immensely; and it was no small
thing for a boy delicately nurtured to be helped out of the feeling
that he must have every thing done for him. When after a time he
saw the heap on the roof, he was greatly impressed with the amount
that could be done by little and little. In return Donal told him
that if he worked well through the week, he should every Saturday
evening spend an hour with him by the fire he had thus helped to
provide, and they would then do something together.
After his first visit Donal went again and again to the village: he
had made acquaintance with some of the people, and liked them.
There was one man, however, who, although, attracted by his look
despite its apparent sullenness, he had tried to draw him into
conversation, seemed to avoid, almost to resent his advances.
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