"You lazy dog!" cried he, turning suddenly upon Lawrence, and gave him such a violent box on the ear as made the light flash from his eyes. "You lazy dog! See what you have done for me,—look!—Look, look, I say!" Lawrence looked as soon as he came to the use of his senses, and with fear, amazement and remorse, beheld at least a dozen bottles burst, and the fine Worcestershire cider streaming over the floor. "Now did not I order you three days ago to carry these bottles to the cellar; and did not I charge you to wire the corks? Answer me, you lazy rascal; did not I?"
"Yes," said Lawrence, scratching his head.
"And why was it not done? I ask you," cried his father with renewed anger, as another bottle burst at the moment. "What do you stand there for, you lazy brat? Why don't you move? I say—No, no," catching hold of him, "I believe you can't move; but I'll make you," and he shook him, till Lawrence was so giddy, he could not stand. "What had you to think of? What had you to do all day long, that you could not carry my cider, my Worcestershire cider, to the cellar, when I bade you? But go, you'll never be good for anything, you are such a lazy rascal; get out of my sight!" So saying, he pushed him out of the house-door, and Lawrence sneaked off, seeing that this was no time to make his petition for half-pence.
The next day he saw the nuts again, and wishing for them more than ever, went home in hopes that his father, as he said to himself, would be in a better humour. But the cider was still fresh in his recollection, and the moment Lawrence began to whisper the word half-penny in his ear, his father swore with a loud oath,—
"I will not give you a half-penny, no not a farthing, for a month to come; if you want money, go work for it; I've had enough of your laziness—go work!"
At these terrible words, Lawrence burst into tears, and going to the side of a ditch, sat down and cried for an hour. And, when he had cried till he could cry no more, he exerted himself so far as to empty his pockets, to see whether there might not be one half-penny left; and, to his great joy, in the farthest corner of his pocket one half-penny was found.
With this he proceeded to the fruit woman's stall. She was busy weighing out some plums, so he was obliged to wait; and whilst he was waiting, he heard some people near him talking and laughing very loud. The fruit woman's stall was at the gate of an inn-yard; and, peeping through the gate into this yard, Lawrence saw a postillion and stable-boy about his own size, playing at pitch-farthing. He stood by watching them for a few minutes.
"I began with but one half-penny," cried the stable-boy with an oath, "and now I have got two-pence!" added he, jingling the half-pence in his waistcoat pocket.
Lawrence was moved at the sound, and said to himself, "If I begin with one half-penny, I may end like him with having two-pence; and it is easier to play at pitch-farthing than to work."
So he stepped forward, presenting his half-penny, offering to toss up with the stable-boy, who, after looking him full in the face, accepted the proposal, and threw his half-penny into the air—"Head or tail?" cried he.