A wicket in the door opened , and out looked a tremendous old brass blunderbuss charged up to the muzzle with slugs , who was the porter ; and Tom started back a little at the sight of him . `` What case is this ? '' he asked in a deep voice , out of his broad bell mouth . `` If you please , sir , it is no case ; only a young gentleman from her ladyship , who wants to see Grimes , the master-sweep . '' `` Grimes ? '' said the blunderbuss . And he pulled in his muzzle , perhaps to look over his prison-lists . `` Grimes is up chimney No. 345 , '' he said from inside . `` So the young gentleman had better go on to the roof . '' Tom looked up at the enormous wall , which seemed at least ninety miles high , and wondered how he should ever get up : but , when he hinted that to the truncheon , it settled the matter in a moment . For it whisked round , and gave him such a shove behind as sent him up to the roof in no time , with his little dog under his arm . And there he walked along the leads , till he met another truncheon , and told him his errand . `` Very good , '' it said . `` Come along : but it will be of no use . He is the most unremorseful , hard-hearted , foul-mouthed fellow I have in charge ; and thinks about nothing but beer and pipes , which are not allowed here , of course . '' So they walked along over the leads , and very sooty they were , and Tom thought the chimneys must want sweeping very much . But he was surprised to see that the soot did not stick to his feet , or dirty them in the least . Neither did the live coals , which were lying about in plenty , burn him ; for , being a water-baby , his radical humours were of a moist and cold nature , as you may read at large in Lemnius , Cardan , Van Helmont , and other gentlemen , who knew as much as they could , and no man can know more . And at last they came to chimney No. 345 . Out of the top of it , his head and shoulders just showing , stuck poor Mr. Grimes , so sooty , and bleared , and ugly , that Tom could hardly bear to look at him .
And in his mouth was a pipe ; but it was not a-light ; though he was pulling XXXXX it with all his might .
For If about along at from in of out to