54 History of Gutta-Percha Wile,

 

have prejudiced no one in favour of his handiwork.
“Isn’t it an honour to make shoes for yourself
Hector?”

“There can’t be much honour in doing any-
thing for yourself,” replied Hector, “so far as I
can see. I confess my shoes are hardly decent,
but then I can make myself a pair at any time;
and indeed I’ve been thinking I would for the
last three months, as soon as a slack time came;
but I’ve been far too busy as yet, and, as I
don’t go out much till after it’s dusk, nobody
sees them.”

“ But if you should get your feet wet, and catch
cold?”

“Ah! that might be the death of me!” said
Hector. “I really must make myself a pair.
Well now—let me see—as soon as I have
mended those two pairs—I can do them all
to-morrow-—I will begin. And I’ll tell you
what,” he added, after a thoughtful pause, “if
you'll come to me the day after to-morrow,
I will take that skin, and cut out a pair of
shoes for myself, and you shall see how I do
it, and everything about the making of them;
—yes, you shall do some part of them your-
self, and that shall be your first lesson in shoe-
making.”

“But Dolly’s shoes!” suggested Willie,

“Dolly can wait a bit. She won’t take er death