“We'll apprentice him.”
“To my trade?”
“You know better than that, Ned. You are a freeman; but he won't be a freeman's son by our law, thou knowst. But there's plenty of outside trades in Hillsbro'. We'll bind him to one of those, and keep an eye on him, for thy sake.”
“Well, I must take what I can get.”
“And little enough too,” said Eliza Watney. “Now do you know that they have set upon Mr. Little and beaten him within an inch of his life? Oh, Ned, you can't approve that, and him our best friend.”
“Who says I approve it, thou fool?”
“Then tell the gentleman who the villain was; for I believe you know.”
“I'll tell 'em summut about it.”
Grotait turned pale; but still kept his glittering eye fixed on the sick man.
“The job was offered to me; but I wouldn't be in it. I know that much. Says I, 'He has had his squeak.'”