at the farther end, opposite to this. You see the other
fireman poking the other grate."
"Where do you put in the coal?" asked
the Doctor.
"I'll show you. Matthew!"
It was rather disappointing to Lawrence
to see his swart genie answer to a Christian name, and to observe,
as he came near, facing them in the glow of the furnace fire,
that he was, after all, only a harmless, good-natured fellow-creature,
notwithstanding the coal-dust that blackened him.
"Open the teaze-hole," said the gaffer.
Matthew led the way towards one of the black
coal-chambers, and showed a deep, square-shaped orifice, leading up,
by an inclined plane, through the thick brick ribs of the cone, into
the furnace. It was closed at the farther end by a half-ignited
mass of soft coal, which had been packed into it, to stop the draught
in that direction.
"This is the teaze-hole,-- though how it ever
got that name is more than I know," said the gaffer. "Look up in
there, and you'll see him open it."
Matthew took a heavy, long-handled iron
implement, called a rake, and shoved it clanging up into the passage,
removing enough of the soft glowing mass to let the visitors look in
and see the dazzling regions of fire beyond, and hear the rushing of
air and roaring of flame in the freshly opened vent. Then he tossed
a few shovelfuls of coal into the mouth, and shoved them up with his
rake through
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