With this knowledge certain frayed and tattered fragments of courage returned to him, and, what was of much greater importance, his presence of mind.

The excavation in which he stood was nearly forty feet square.  His torch showed him the passage by which he had entered, and opposite this a flight of steps leading sharply upward.  Here and there, leaning against the walls, were picks and shovels and other tools used in excavating.  Near the centre of the passage was a tall pile of dirt and loose stones, together with two small wheelbarrows of sheet-iron.

Just as Bubbles had ascertained these facts and got himself into a much calmer state of mind, he had a fresh thrill of horror.  The two blind men sighed, and as if moved by a common impulse got up, and the little boy saw that, like Blizzard, the beggar, they had no legs.  With perfect accuracy of direction they turned to the great pile of dirt, and taking up two shovels which leaned against it began to fill the two little wheelbarrows.

They labored slowly as if time was of no moment, as if the work in hand was a form of punishment instead of something that it was intended to complete.

Bubbles had begun to wonder what they were going to do with the dirt, when one of them, having filled his barrow, trundled off with it into the passageway leading to the river.  And to Bubbles, feverishly listening, there came after what seemed a very long interval a sound as of earth being dumped into water.

The second excavator, having filled his barrow, waited the return of his companion, since the passage was too narrow to admit of the two barrows meeting and passing each other.

And that simple fact was very alarming to Bubbles, since virtually it made a prisoner of him.  One man with his barrow full or empty was always in the passage.

Nor was there any possibility of escape by the flight of stairs which he had noticed, for a hurried examination revealed a door of sheet-iron which did not give to his most determined efforts.  There was nothing for it but to wait until the blind men should rest from their labors.

He got used to them gradually; lost his fear of them.  Once in a while they spoke to each other, always with a kind of lugubrious gentleness in their voices.  He began to feel sorry for them.  He wished to be of service to them in some way or other.  Their wild beards and shaggy, matted hair no longer terrified him.  They were two lambs made up to represent wolves, but the merest child must have seen through the disguisement.

Upon the ball of twine which Bubbles still held in his hand there was a sudden tug.  It fell to the ground with a thump and rolled toward the blind laborer who had just filled his barrow.  He was much startled and turned his blind eyes this way and that; then called to his mate, at that moment coming from the passageway.

“I heard something drop,” he said; “somebody dropped something.  I thought I heard steps on the stairs, and now I know I did.”