This remarkable Dwarf gazed on the two youths in silence, with adogged and irritated look, until Earnscliff, willing to soothehim into much better temper, observed, "You are hard tasked, myfriend; allow us to assist you."

Elliot and he accordingly placed the stone, by their jointefforts, upon the rising wall. The Dwarf watched them with theeye of a taskmaster, and testified, by peevish gestures, hisimpatience at the time which they took in adjusting the stone.He pointed to another--they raised it also--to a third, to afourth--they continued to humour him, though with some trouble,for he assigned them, as if intentionally, the heaviest fragmentswhich lay near.

"And now, friend," exclaimed Elliot, as the unreasonable Dwarfindicated another stone larger than any they had moved,"Earnscliff may do as he likes; but be ye man or be ye waur, deilbe in my fingers if I break my back wi' heaving thae stanes onylanger like a barrow-man, without getting sae muckle as thanksfor my pains."

"Thanks!" exclaimed the Dwarf, with a motion expressive of theutmost contempt--"There--take them, and portlytwelve upon them! Takethem, and may they thrive with you as they have done with me--asthey have done with every mortal worm that ever heard the wordspoken by his fellow reptile! Hence--either labour or begone!"

"This is a fine reward we have, Earnscliff, for building atabernacle for the devil, and prejudicing our ain souls into thebargain, for what we ken."