of a hole about four feet wide, through which the
charred beams above could be seen depicted against the black sky. There
was about an inch of water on the floor; but this was a small matter,
for Joe's boots were thick and strong. The door, too, had been burst
off its hinges, and lay on the floor; but Joe could raise this, and
place it in its original position.

The room had been a parlour and there were several damaged prints
hanging on the walls, besides a quantity of detached paper hanging from
them. Most of the furniture had been removed at the commencement of the
fire; but a few broken articles remained, and one big old easy-chair,
which had either been forgotten, or deemed unworthy of removal, by the
men of the Salvage Corps. [See note 1.]

Joe wheeled the chair to the fireplace--not that there was any fire in
it; on the contrary, it was choked up with fallen bricks and mortar, and
the hearth was flooded with water; but, as Joe remarked to himself, "it
felt more homelike an' sociable to sit wid wan's feet on the finder!"

Having erected the door in front of its own doorway, Joe leaned his
preventer against the wall, placed his lantern on the chimney-piece, and
sat down to meditate. He had not meditated long, when the steady
draught of air from the window at his back began to tell upon him.

"Och! but it's a cowld wind," said he. "I'll try the other side.
There's nothin' like facin' wan's inimies."

Acting on this idea, he changed his position, turning his face to the
window and his back to the door.

"Well," he remarked on sitting down again, "there's about as much
draught from the door; but, sure, ye've improved yer sitivation, Corney,
for haven't ye the illigant prospect of over the way through the windy?"

Not long after this, Joe's mind became much affected with ghostly
memories. This condition was aggravated by an intense desire to sleep,
for the poor man had been hard worked that day, and stood much in need
of repose. He frequently fell asleep, and frequently awoke. On falling
asleep, his helmet performed extremely undignified gyrations. On
awaking, he always started, opened his eyes very wide, looked round
inquiringly, then smiled, and resumed a more easy position. But, awake
or asleep, his thoughts ran always in the same channel.

During one of those waking moments, Joe heard a sound which rooted him
to his seat with horror; and would doubtless have caused his hair to
stand on end, if t