ABSTRACT
As, when a lusty poker, wielded by a broad-palmed hand, is driven among the dull, red embers, the flame with each thrust springs upwards to the chimney, so did these iron words arouse the dormant affection in the grates of the captain's bosom, and send his hot love leaping to his throat. He swore and vowed, he knelt and pressed, and gradually the glow of his love imparted its warmth to the chilled heart of the fair one. In a book of domestic economy there is an excellent receipt for making a good, cheap fire. The author says, "Damp the cinders with a little water, and they will burn exceedingly w e l l . " T h e tears from Bertha's eyes had this effect on the dull black dust of Merton's burnt-out nature.
