“Not much,” said Stephen.
“How much do you rub ’em?”
“Till they are clean.”
“You’ll do. Can you carry a tray on your head?”
“Don’t know till I try.”
“Best practise a bit, before you put any thing on it, or else we shall have mud pies,” laughed the baker.
When work was over, the baker called Stephen to him.
“Now,” said he, “let us settle about wages. I could not tell how much to offer you, till I saw how you worked. You’ve done very well for a new hand. I’ll give you three-halfpence a-day till you’ve fairly learnt the trade, and twopence afterwards: maybe, in time, if I find you useful, I may raise you a halfpenny more: a penny of it in bread, the rest in money. Will that content you?”
“With a very good will,” replied Stephen.
His wages as watchman at the Castle had been twopence per day, so that he was well satisfied with the baker’s proposal.