"I am all ready, sir."
"I do not yet see how it is to be done; but I will leave the job to you."
"We shall be obliged to take down a part of the house—one end and a portion of the floor."
"That can very easily be done."
I sawed four cotton-wood sticks so that they would just reach from the ground to the timbers of the attic floor. We placed them in position to support the frame above, which was to bear the weight of the piano during the process of loading it upon the wagon. I then placed a couple of hewn sticks across the attic floor, after removing the boards. Two stout ropes were then passed around the piano and over these sticks, drawn tight. The piano-case was protected from chafing by a couple of blankets.
Kit and I then went into the attic, and with a lot of wedges I had made, proceeded to raise the two hewn timbers, over which the rope passed. We drove the wedges between the sticks and the timbers of the frame. As fast as we gained an inch, we put a board under, upon which we drove another series of wedges. The process was slow but it was sure, and in time the piano below hung suspended clear of the floor.
"That's all very good, so far, Phil Farringford," laughed Mr. Gracewood.
"Is it clear of the floor, sir?" I asked.
"Yes, all clear."
"Then we will take off the legs."