Drawers were used as baking-boards, pails turned into salt-buckets, floors were sanded and hearthstones ca'med, and the popular supper consisted of porter, hot water, and soaked bread, after every spoonful of which, they groaned pleasantly, and stretched their legs.

Sometimes they played at the dambrod, but more often they pulled down the blinds on London and talked of Thrums in their mother tongue.

Nevertheless few of them wanted to return to it, and their favorite joke was the case of James Gloag's father, who being home-sick flung up his situation and took train for Thrums, but he was back in London in three weeks.
Tommy soon had the entry to these homes, and his first news of the inmates was unexpected.

It was that they were always sleeping.

In broad daylight he had seen Thrums men asleep on beds, and he was somewhat ashamed of them until he heard the excuse.