or, to sleep in
the same room with his brothers, but his bed being the longest and
largest, his youngest brother was to sleep at the other end of
it--foot to foot. True, by this means he got another pillow, for, of
course, that little Hop-o'-my-Thumb could do without one, and so he
took his; but, in spite of this, he determined that, sooner than
submit to such an indignity, he would sit up all night. Accordingly,
when all the rest were fast asleep, Melchior, with his boots off and
his waistcoat easily unbuttoned, sat over the fire in the long
lumber-room which served that night as 'barracks'. He had refused to
eat any supper downstairs to mark his displeasure, and now repaid
himself by a stolen meal according to his own taste. He had got a
pork-pie, a little bread and cheese, some large onions to roast, a
couple of raw apples, an orange, and papers of soda and tartaric acid
to compound effervescing draughts. When these dainties were finished,
he proceeded to warm some beer in a pan, with ginger, spice, and
sugar, and then lay back in his chair and sipped it slowly, gazing
before him, and thinking over his misfortunes.

"The night wore on, the fire got lower and lower, and still Melchior
sat, with his eyes fixed on a dirty old print that had hung above the
mantelpiece for years, sipping his 'brew', which was fast getting
cold. The print represented an old man in a light costume, with a
scythe in one hand and an hour-glass in the other; and underneath the
picture in flourishing capitals was the word TIME.

"'You're a nice old beggar,' said Melchior, dreamily. 'You look like
an old hay-maker who has come to work in his shirt-sleeves, and
forgotten the rest of his clothes. Time! time you went to the
tailor's, I think.'

"This was very irreverent; but Melchior was not in a respectful mood;
and as for the old man, he was as calm as any philosopher.

"The night wore on, and the fire got lower and lower, and at last went
out altogether.

"'How stupid of me not to have mended it!' said Melchior; but he had
not mended it, and so there was nothing for it but to go to bed; and
to bed he went accordingly.

"'But I won't go to sleep,' he said; 'no, no; I shall keep awake, and
to-morrow they shall know that I have had a bad night.'

"So he lay in bed with his eyes wide open, and staring still at the
old print, which he could see from his bed by the light of the candle,
which he had left alight on the mantelpiece to keep him a