housewife's compendium of medicines, recipes, and advice lacking a back cover. He brought it over and started to hand it to the old man.
"Nay, nay—" Bazie said. "Sit ye down, 'ere, where light's best, an' read it.
Out loud."
Puzzled, but obedient, Skif opened it to the first page and began to read. It was hardly the most fascinating stuff in the world, but Bazie followed his every word, frowning with concentration as he sounded out a few terms that were unfamiliar to him, and correcting him on the one or two occasions when he didn't say the words quite right.
71
Take a Thief
"That'll do," Bazie said with satisfaction when he finished the chapter. "Ye read good 'nuff. Na, get ye bit uv charcoal from fire, an' copy out that fust receipt on table."
"On table?" Skif asked, flabbergasted. "That'll make right mess!"
"An' ye kin wash 't off, after," Bazie countered, in a tone that brooked no argument. So Skif fished out a burned bit of stick and did as he was told, with Bazie leaning as far forward as he could to see just how neat Skif's writing was.
"That'll do," he said again, when Skif finished. "Wash that, but don' drop th' charcoal. Ye're gonna do sums."
"Sums?" Skif squeaked, turning around to stare at the old man. "Sums?
Wut good're sums gonna do a thief? "
"They're gonna make sure ye ain't cheated by fence, tha's wut," Bazie replied, as sternly— no, far more sternly— than ever Beel was. "Ye thin'
I'm gonna let ye tak' th' swag t' fence if ye cain't even tell if's cheated ye?
'Ow ye think me other boys did so well, eh? 'Ow ye think Raf an' Lyle an'
Deek knows wut's wut?"
"Aw, Bazie—" Skif wailed.
"An' none uv yer 'aw, Bazie.' I ain't havin' no boys here wut cain't do th'
bizness. Get th' coal in yer 'and an' sit ye down." The look in Bazie's eye warned Skif that if he argued, he might find himself out on the street, promises or no promises. With a groan, he bent over the scrubbed table, and prepared to reveal the depth of his ignorance.
And it was abysmal. It wasn't long before Bazie called a halt to the proceedings, with Skif wondering the whole time if Bazie wasn't going to reconsider, now that he knew what a dunce his "new boy" was.
"Skif, Skif, Skif," Bazie sighed, looking pained. "Oh, lad— tell me 'ow 'tis summun as smart as ye are got t' be so iggnerent."
72
Take a Thief
"I didn' wan' miss me breakfust," Skif said humbly, head hanging in shame. "T' Queen sez ever' young'un whut's still takin' lessons gets breakfust. Niver did like sums, so's easy 'nuff not t' learn 'em."
Silence from Bazie for a moment, then, much to Skif's relief, a chuckle.
"Well, 'tis 'onest 'nuff answer, an' nay so stupid a one," Bazie replied.
"Well, young'un, ye're 'bout t' learn them sums, an' learn 'em t'hard way."
"The hard way," Skif soon learned, was to get them by rote.
Bazie drilled him. And drilled him. And then, when he grew hoarse and Skif thought he might be done for the day, at least, Bazie paused only long enough for a mug of hot tea to lubricate his throat and began the drill all over again. Only when Skif was mentally exhausted did Bazie give over, and at that point, Skif was only too pleased to haul water instead of reckoning his four-times table.
Shortly after that, Lyle returned with the makings of dinner and helped Skif put together a satisfying meal of bacon, day-old bread, and apples. As the bacon fried and the bread toasted, the other two appeared with a new lot of loot. Raf brought in more sleeves— this lot was a bit worn and threadbare about the hems, but Bazie examined them and gave it as his opinion that he could make a sort of trim out of some of them that would serve to cover the worn parts, making them look new.
Deek brought back only a couple of scarves and kerchiefs, but a great deal of news for Skif.
"Yer Nuncle Londer's 'angin' 'is boy Kalchan out t' twist on 'is own, which I guess we all figgered," he announced, as Skif and Lyle tucked thick slabs of bacon between
"Nay, nay—" Bazie said. "Sit ye down, 'ere, where light's best, an' read it.
Out loud."
Puzzled, but obedient, Skif opened it to the first page and began to read. It was hardly the most fascinating stuff in the world, but Bazie followed his every word, frowning with concentration as he sounded out a few terms that were unfamiliar to him, and correcting him on the one or two occasions when he didn't say the words quite right.
71
Take a Thief
"That'll do," Bazie said with satisfaction when he finished the chapter. "Ye read good 'nuff. Na, get ye bit uv charcoal from fire, an' copy out that fust receipt on table."
"On table?" Skif asked, flabbergasted. "That'll make right mess!"
"An' ye kin wash 't off, after," Bazie countered, in a tone that brooked no argument. So Skif fished out a burned bit of stick and did as he was told, with Bazie leaning as far forward as he could to see just how neat Skif's writing was.
"That'll do," he said again, when Skif finished. "Wash that, but don' drop th' charcoal. Ye're gonna do sums."
"Sums?" Skif squeaked, turning around to stare at the old man. "Sums?
Wut good're sums gonna do a thief? "
"They're gonna make sure ye ain't cheated by fence, tha's wut," Bazie replied, as sternly— no, far more sternly— than ever Beel was. "Ye thin'
I'm gonna let ye tak' th' swag t' fence if ye cain't even tell if's cheated ye?
'Ow ye think me other boys did so well, eh? 'Ow ye think Raf an' Lyle an'
Deek knows wut's wut?"
"Aw, Bazie—" Skif wailed.
"An' none uv yer 'aw, Bazie.' I ain't havin' no boys here wut cain't do th'
bizness. Get th' coal in yer 'and an' sit ye down." The look in Bazie's eye warned Skif that if he argued, he might find himself out on the street, promises or no promises. With a groan, he bent over the scrubbed table, and prepared to reveal the depth of his ignorance.
And it was abysmal. It wasn't long before Bazie called a halt to the proceedings, with Skif wondering the whole time if Bazie wasn't going to reconsider, now that he knew what a dunce his "new boy" was.
"Skif, Skif, Skif," Bazie sighed, looking pained. "Oh, lad— tell me 'ow 'tis summun as smart as ye are got t' be so iggnerent."
72
Take a Thief
"I didn' wan' miss me breakfust," Skif said humbly, head hanging in shame. "T' Queen sez ever' young'un whut's still takin' lessons gets breakfust. Niver did like sums, so's easy 'nuff not t' learn 'em."
Silence from Bazie for a moment, then, much to Skif's relief, a chuckle.
"Well, 'tis 'onest 'nuff answer, an' nay so stupid a one," Bazie replied.
"Well, young'un, ye're 'bout t' learn them sums, an' learn 'em t'hard way."
"The hard way," Skif soon learned, was to get them by rote.
Bazie drilled him. And drilled him. And then, when he grew hoarse and Skif thought he might be done for the day, at least, Bazie paused only long enough for a mug of hot tea to lubricate his throat and began the drill all over again. Only when Skif was mentally exhausted did Bazie give over, and at that point, Skif was only too pleased to haul water instead of reckoning his four-times table.
Shortly after that, Lyle returned with the makings of dinner and helped Skif put together a satisfying meal of bacon, day-old bread, and apples. As the bacon fried and the bread toasted, the other two appeared with a new lot of loot. Raf brought in more sleeves— this lot was a bit worn and threadbare about the hems, but Bazie examined them and gave it as his opinion that he could make a sort of trim out of some of them that would serve to cover the worn parts, making them look new.
Deek brought back only a couple of scarves and kerchiefs, but a great deal of news for Skif.
"Yer Nuncle Londer's 'angin' 'is boy Kalchan out t' twist on 'is own, which I guess we all figgered," he announced, as Skif and Lyle tucked thick slabs of bacon between
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