Their fortitude almost gave way under the severity of this blow; the
excess of their distress alone saved them. Grief requires leisure to
give itself free vent; but when we are compelled, by absolute
necessity, to earn our daily bread, we cannot find time for tears; and
such was the case with Willis and his two friends; they were here
without a friend and without resources of any kind whatever.
If they had only known Greek and Latin; if they had only been half
doctors or three-quarter barristers, or if even they had been doctors
and lawyers complete, it would have sorely puzzled their skill to have
raised a single sous in hard cash. Fortunately, however, whilst
cultivating their minds, they had acquired the art of handling a saw
and wielding a hammer. The blouse of the workman, consequently, fitted
them as well as the gown of the student, and they set themselves
manfully to earn a living by the sweat of their brow. They were
carpenters and blacksmiths by turns, regulating their occupations by
the grand doctrines of supply and demand.
Jack alone of the three was defective in steadiness; he only joined
Willis and his brother at mid-day. What he did with himself during the
forenoon was a profound mystery. He rose before daybreak, and
disappeared no one knew where, or for what purpose. His companions in
adversity endeavored in vain to discover his secret; he was determined
to conceal his movements, and succeeded in baffling their curiosity.
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