第9章

"MistressMary,"andher"prettymaidsallinarow,"passedbytotheirplacesinthebackground;"KingCole"andhis"fiddlersthree"madeagoodlyshow;sodidtheroyalcouple,whofollowedthegreatpiebornebeforethem,withthe"four—and—twentyblackbirds"poppingtheirheadsoutinthemostdelightfulway。

Little"Bo—Peep"ledawooiiylambandweptoveritslosttail,fornotasignofoneappearedonthepoorthing。"SimpleSimon"

followedthepie—man,gloatingoverhiswareswiththedrollestantics。Thelittlewifecametrundlingbyinawheelbarrowandwasnotupset;neitherwastheladywith"ringsonherfingersandbellsonhertoes,"asshecanteredalongonarocking—horse。"BobbyShafto\'s"yellowhairshonefinelyasheledinthemaidwhomhecamebackfromseatomarry。"MissMuffet,"bowlinhand,ranawayfromanimmenseblackspider,whichwaggleditslonglegsinawaysolife—likethatsomeofthechildrenshookintheirlittleshoes。Thebeggarswhocametotownwereoutinfullforce,"rags,tags,andvelvetgowns,"quitetruetolife。"BoyBlue"rubbedhiseyes,withhaystickinginhishair,andtootedonatinhornasifboundtogetthecowsoutofthecorn。Molly,withalong—handledfrying—pan,madeacapital"Queen,"inatucked—upgown,checkedapron,andhighcrown,togood"KingArthur,"who,veryproperly,didnotappearafterstealingthebarley—meal,whichmightbeseeninthepantiedupinapudding,likeacannon—ball,readytofry。

ButTobias,Molly\'sblackcat,coveredhimselfwithglorybythespiritwithwhichheactedhispartin,"Sing,sing,whatshallIsing？

Thecat\'srunawaywiththepudding—bagstring。"

Firsthewasledacrossthestageonhishindlegs,lookingveryfierceandindignant,withalongtapetrailingbehindhim;and,beingsetfreeatthepropermoment,hegaveoneboundoverthefour—and—twentyblackbirdswhohappenedtobeintheway,anddashedoffasifanenragedcookhadactuallybeenafterhim,straightdownstairstothecoal—bin,wherehesatglaringinthedark,tillthefunwasover。

Whenallthecharactershadfiledinandstoodintwolongrows,musicstruckupandthey\'danced,"AllthewaytoBoston,"asimplebutlivelyaffair,whichgaveeachachancetoshowhisorhercostumeastheypranceddownthemiddleandupoutside。

Suchafunnymedleyasitwas,fortherewentfat"KingCole"withthemostraggedofthebeggar—maids。"MistressMary,"inherprettybluedress,trippedalongwith"SimpleSimon"staringabouthimlikeablockhead。Thefineladyleftherhorsetodancewith"BobbyShafto"tilleverybellonherslipperstinkleditstongueout。"Bo—Peep"andajollyfiddlerskippedgaylyupanddown。

"MissMuffet"tookthebigspiderforherpartner,andmadehismanylegsflyaboutinthewildestway。Thelittlewifegotoutofthewheelbarrowtohelp"BoyBlue"along,andMolly,withthefrying—panoverhershoulder,ledoffsplendidlywhenitwas"Grandrightandleft。"

Buttheoldladyandhergoosewerethebestofall,forthedame\'sshoes—bucklescutthemostastonishingpigeon—wings,andtoseethatmammothbirdwaddledownthemiddlewithitswingshalfopen,itslongneckbridling,anditsyellowlegsinthefirstpositionasitcurtsiedtoitspartner,wasasighttoremember,itwassointenselyfunny。

Themerryoldgentlemanlaughedtillhecried;Mr。Burtonsplithisgloves,heapplaudedsoenthusiastically;whilethechildrenbeatthedustoutofthecarpethoppingupanddown,astheycried:"Doitagain！""Wewantitallover！"whenthecurtainwentdownatlastontheflushedandpantingparty,MotherG————bowing,withherhatallawry,andthegoosedoingadoubleshuffleasifitdidnotknowhowtoleaveoff。

Buttheycouldnot"doitalloveragain,"foritwasgrowinglate,andthepeoplefeltthattheycertainlyhadreceivedtheirmoney\'sworththatevening。

Soitallendedmerrily,andwhentheguestsdepartedtheboysclearedtheroomlikemagic,andthepromisedsuppertotheactorswasservedinhandsomestyle。JackandJillwereatoneend,Mrs。

Gooseandherbirdattheother,andallbetweenwasacomicalcollectionofmilitaryheroes,fairycharacters,andnurserycelebrities。Allfelttheneedofrefreshmentaftertheirlabors,andsweptoverthetablelikeaflightoflocusts,leavingdevastationbehind。Buttheyhadearnedtheirfun:andmuchinnocentjollityprevailed,whileafewlingeringpapasandmammaswatchedtherevelfromafar,andhadnotthehearttoorderthesenoblebeingshometilleventheFatherofhisCountrydeclared"thathe\'dhadaperfectlysplendidtime,butcouldn\'tkeephiseyesopenanotherminute,"andverywiselyretiredtoreplacetheimmortalcockedhatwithanight—cap。

Chapter13JackHasaMystery"Whatisthematter？Doesyourheadache？"askedJill,oneeveninginMarch,observingthatJacksatwithhisheadinhishands,anattitudewhich,withhim,meanteitherpainorperplexity。

"No;butI\'mbothered。Iwantsomemoney,andIdon\'tseehowI

canearnit,"heanswered,tumblinghishairabout,andfrowningdarklyatthefire。

"Howmuch？"andJill\'sreadyhandwenttothepocketwhereherlittlepurselay,forshefeltrichwithseveralpresentslatelymadeher。

"Twoseventy—five。No,thankyou,Iwon\'tborrow。"

"Whatisitfor？"

"Can\'ttell。"

"Why,Ithoughtyoutoldmeeverything。"

"Sorry,butIcan\'tthistime。Don\'tyouworry;Ishallthinkofsomething。"

"Couldn\'tyourmotherhelp？"

"Don\'twishtoaskher。"

"Why！can\'tsheknow？"

"Nobodycan。"

"Howqueer！Isitascrape,Jack？"askedJill,lookingascuriousasamagpie。

"Itislikelytobe,ifIcan\'tgetoutofitthisweek,somehow。"

"Well,Idon\'tseehowIcanhelpifI\'mnottoknowanything";andJillseemedratherhurt。

"Youcanjuststopaskingquestions,andtellmehowafellowcanearnsomemoney。Thatwouldhelp。I\'vegotonedollar,butImusthavesomemore";andJacklookedworriedashefingeredthelittlegolddollaronhiswatch—guard。

"Oh,doyoumeantousethat？"

"Yes,Ido;amanmustpayhisdebtsifhesellsallhehastodoit,"

saidJacksternly。

"Dearme;itmustbesomethingveryserious。"AndJilllayquitestillforfiveminutes,thinkingoverallthewaysinwhichJackeverdidearnmoney,forMrs。Minotlikedtohaveherboyswork,andpaidtheminsomewayforalltheydid。

"Isthereanywoodtosaw？"sheaskedpresently,beingveryanxioustohelp。

"Alldone。""Pathstoshovel？"

"NOsnow。"Lawntorake,then？"

"Nottimeforthatyet。"

"Catalogueofbooks？"

"Frankgotthatjob。"

"Copythoselettersforyourmother？"

"Takemetoolong。MusthavemymoneyFriday,ifpossible。"

"Idon\'tseewhatwecando,then。Itistooearlyortoolateforeverything,andyouwon\'tborrow。"

"Notofyou。No,norofanyoneelse,ifIcanpossiblyhelpit。I\'vepromisedtodothismyself,andIwill";andJackwaggedhisheadresolutely。

"Couldn\'tyoudosomethingwiththeprinting—press？Domesomecards,andthen,perhaps,theothergirlswillwantsome,"saidJill,asaforlornhope。

"Justthething！WhatagooseIwasnottothinkofit。I\'llrigtheoldmachineupatonce。"And,startingfromhisseat,Jackdivedintothebigcloset,draggedoutthelittlepress,andfelltooiling,dusting,andputtingitinorder,likeonerelievedofagreatanxiety。

"Givemethetypes;I\'llsortthemandsetupmyname,soyoucanbeginassoonasyouareready。YouknowwhatahelpIwaswhenwedidtheprogrammes。I\'malmostsurethegirlswillwantcards,andIknowyourmotherwouldlikesomemoretags,"saidJill,brisklyrattlingthelettersintothedifferentcompartments,whileJackinkedtherollersandhunteduphisbigapron,whistlingthewhilewithrecoveredspirits。

Adozenneatcardsweresoonprinted,andJillinsistedonpayingsixcentsforthem,asearningwasnotborrowing。AfewoddtagswerefoundanddoneforMamma,whoimmediatelyorderedfourdozenatsixcentsadozen,thoughshewasnottoldwhytherewassuchapressingcallformoney。

Jack\'smonthlyhalf—dollarhadbeenspentthefirstweektwenty—fivecentsforaconcert,tenpaidafineforkeepingabooktoolongfromthelibrary,tenmoretohavehisknifeground,andfiveincandy,forhedearlylovedsweeties,andwasunderbondstoMammanottospendmorethanfivecentsamonthontheseunwholesometemptations。Sheneveraskedtheboyswhattheydidwiththeirmoney,butexpectedthemtokeepaccountinthelittlebooksshegavethem;and,nowandthen,theyshowedtheneatpageswithpardonablepride,thoughsheoftenlaughedatthequeeritems。

AllthateveningJack&Co。workedbusily,forwhenFrankcameinhegood—naturedlyorderedsomepale—pinkcardsforAnnette,andrantothestoretochoosetherightshade,andbuysomepackagesfortheyoungprinteralso。

"Whatdoyousupposeheisinsuchapuckerfor？"whisperedJill,asshesetupthenewname,toFrank,whosatcloseby,withoneeyeonhisbookandoneonher。

"Oh,somenotion。He\'saqueerchap;butIguessitisn\'tmuchofascrape,orIshouldknowit。He\'ssogood—naturedhe\'salwayspromisingtodothingsforpeople,andhastoomuchplucktogiveupwhenhefindshecan\'t。Lethimalone,anditwillallcomeoutsoonenough,"answeredFrank,wholaughedathisbrother,butlovedhimnonethelessforthetenderheartthatoftengotthebetterofhisyounghead。

ButforonceFrankwasmistaken;themysterydidnotcomeout,andJackworkedlikeabeaverallthatweek,asorderspouredinwhenJillandAnnetteshowedtheirelegantcards;for,aseverybodyknows,ifonegirlhasanewthingalltherestmust,whetheritisabowonthetopofherhead,apeculiarsortofpencil,orthelatestkindofchewing—gum。Littleplaydidthepoorfellowget,foreveryspareminutewasspentatthepress,andnoinvitationcouldtempthimaway,somuchinearnestwasourhonestlittleFranklinaboutpayinghisdebt。Jillhelpedallshecould,andcheeredhislaborswithherencouragement,rememberinghowhestayedathomeforher。

"Itisrealgoodofyoutolendahand,andI\'meversomuchobliged,"saidJack,asthelastorderwasstruckoff,andthedrawerofthetype—boxheldapileofshiningfiveandtencentpieces,withtwoorthreequarters。

"Iloveto;onlyitwouldbenicerifIknewwhatwewereworkingfor,"shesaiddemurely,asshescatteredtypeforthelasttime;andseeingthatJackwasbothtiredandgrateful,hopedtogetahintofthesecret。

"Iwanttotellyou,dreadfully;butIcan\'t,becauseI\'vepromised。"

"What,never？"

"Never！"andJacklookedasfirmasarock。

"ThenIshallfindout,forIhaven\'tpromised。"

"Youcan\'t。"

"SeeifIdon\'t！"

"Youaresharp,butyouwon\'tguessthis。It\'satremendoussecret,andnobodywilltellit。"

"You\'lltellityourself。Youalwaysdo。"

"Iwon\'ttellthis。Itwouldbemean。"

"Waitandsee;IcangetanythingoutofyouifItry";andJilllaughed,knowingherpowerwell,forJackfounditveryhardtokeepasecretfromher。

"Don\'ttry;pleasedon\'t！Itwouldn\'tberight,andyoudon\'twanttomakemedoadishonorablethingforyoursake,Iknow。"

JacklookedsodistressedthatJillpromisednottomakehimtell,thoughsheheldherselffreetofindoutinotherways,ifshecould。

Thusrelieved,JacktrudgedofftoschoolonFridaywiththetwodollarsandseventy—fivecentsjinglinginhispocket,thoughthedeargoldcoinhadtobesacrificedtomakeupthesum。Hedidhislessonsbadlythatday,waslateatrecessintheafternoon,and,assoonasschoolwasover,departedinhisrubberboots"totakeawalk,"hesaid,thoughtheroadswereinabadstatewithaspringthaw。Nothingwasseenofhimtillaftertea—time,whenhecamelimpingin,verydirtyandtired,butwithareposefulexpression,whichbetrayedthataloadwasoffhismind。Frankwasbusyabouthisownaffairsandpaidlittleattentiontohim,butJillwasontenter—hookstoknowwherehehadbeen,yetdarednotaskthequestion。

"Merry\'sbrotherwantssomecards。Helikedherssomuchhewishestomakehislady—loveapresent。Here\'sthename";andJillhelduptheorderfromHarryGrant,whowastobemarriedintheautumn。

"Mustwaittillnextweek。I\'mtootiredtodoathingto—night,andI

hatethesightofthatoldpress,"answeredJack,layinghimselfdownupontherugasifeveryjointached。

"Whatmadeyoutakesuchalongwalk？Youlookastiredasifyou\'dbeentenmiles,"saidJill,hopingtodiscoverthelengthofthetrip。

"Hadto。Fourorfivemilesisn\'tmuch,onlymylegbotheredme";

andJackgavetheailingmemberaslap,asifhehadfounditmuchinhiswaythatday;for,thoughhehadgivenupthecrutcheslongago,herathermissedtheirsupportsometimes。Then,withagreatyawn,hestretchedhimselfouttobaskintheblaze,pillowinghisheadonhisarms。

"Dearoldthing,helooksallusedup;Iwon\'tplaguehimwithtalking";andJillbegantosing,assheoftendidinthetwilight。

Bythetimethefirstsongendedagentlesnorewasheard,andJacklayfastasleep,wornoutwiththebusyweekandthewalk,whichhadbeenlongerandharderthananyoneguessed。Jilltookupherknittingandworkedquietlybyfirelight,stillwonderingandguessingwhatthesecretcouldbe;forshehadnotmuchtoamuseher,andlittlethingswereveryinterestingifconnectedwithherfriends。PresentlyJackrolledoverandbegantomutterinhissleep,asheoftendidwhentoowearyforsoundslumber。Jillpaidnoattentiontillheutteredanamewhichmadeherprickupherearsandlistentothehrokensentenceswhichfollowed。Onlyafewwords,butshedroppedherwork,sayingtoherself,"Idobelieveheistalkingaboutthesecret。NowIshallfindout,andhewilltellmehimself,asIsaidhewould。"

Muchpleased,sheleanedandlistened,butcouldmakenosenseoftheconfusedbabbleabout"heavyboots";"Allright,oldfellow";

"Jerry\'soff";and"Theinkistoothick。"

TheslamofthefrontdoorwokeJack,andhepulledhimselfup,declaringthathebelievedhehadbeenhavinganap。

"Iwishyou\'dhaveanother,"saidJill,greatlydisappointedatthelossoftheintelligencesheseemedtobesoneargetting。

"Flooristoohardfortiredbones。GuessI\'llgotobedandgetrestedupforMonday。I\'veworkedlikefurythisweek,sonextI\'mgoinginforfun";and,littledreamingwhathardtimeswereinstoreforhim,Jackwentofftoenjoyhiswarmbathandwelcomebed,wherehewassoonsleepingwiththeserenelookofonewhosedreamswerehappy,whoseconsciencewasatrest。

"Ihaveafewwordstosaytoyoubeforeyougo,"saidMr。Acton,pausingwithhishandonthebell,Mondayafternoon,whenthehourcamefordismissingschool。

Thebustleofputtingawaybooksandpreparingforasrapidadepartureasproprietyallowed,subsidedsuddenly,andtheboysandgirlssatasstillasmice,whiletheheartsofsuchashadbeenguiltyofanysmallsinsbegantobeatfast。

"Yourememberthatwehadsometroublelastwinteraboutkeepingtheboysawayfromthesaloon,andthatarulewasmadeforbiddinganypupiltogototownduringrecess？"beganMr。

Acton,who,beingaconscientiousmanaswellasanexcellentteacher,feltthathewasresponsibleforthechildreninschoolhours,anddidhisbesttoaidparentsinguardingthemfromthefewtemptationswhichbesettheminacountrytown。Acertainattractivelittleshop,whereconfectionery,baseballs,stationery,andpicturepapersweresold,wasafavoriteloafingplaceforsomeoftheboystilltheruleforbiddingitwasmade,becauseintherearoftheshopwasabeerandbilliardsaloon。Awiserule,forthepicturepaperswerenotalwaysofthebestsort;cigarsweretobehad;idlefellowshungaboutthere,andsomeofthelads,whowantedtobethoughtmanly,venturedtopassthegreenbaizedoor"justtolookon。"

Amurmuransweredtheteacher\'squestion,andhecontinued,"Youallknowthattherulewasbrokenseveraltimes,andItoldyouthenextoffenderwouldbepubliclyreprimanded,asprivatepunishmentshadnoeffect。Iamsorrytosaythatthetimehascome,andtheoffenderisaboywhomItrustedentirely。Itgrievesmetodothis,butImustkeepmypromise,andhopetheexamplewillhaveagoodeffect。"

Mr。Actonpaused,asifhefoundithardtogoon,andtheboyslookedatoneanotherwithinquiringeyes,fortheirteacherseldompunished,andwhenhedid,itwasaverysolemnthing。SeveraloftheseanxiousglancesfelluponJoe,whowasveryredandsatwhittlingapencilasifhedarednotlifthiseyes。

"He\'sthechap。Won\'thecatchit？"whisperedGustoFrank,forbothowedhimagrudge。

"TheboywhobroketherulelastFriday,atafternoonrecess,willcometothedesk,"saidMr。Actoninhismostimpressivemanner。

IfathunderbolthadfallenthroughtheroofitwouldhardlyhavecausedagreatersurprisethanthesightofJackMinotwalkingslowlydowntheaisle,withawrathfulflashintheeyesheturnedonJoeashepassedhim。

"Now,Minot,letushavethisoverassoonaspossible,forIdonotlikeitanybetterthanyoudo,andIamsurethereissomemistake。

I\'mtoldyouwenttotheshoponFriday。Isittrue？"askedMr。

Actonverygently,forhelikedJackandseldomhadtocorrecthiminanyway。

"Yes,sir";andJacklookedupasifproudtoshowthathewasnotafraidtotellthetruthasfarashecould。

"Tobuysomethin？"

"No,sir。"

"Tomeetsomeone？"

"Yes,sir。"

"WasitJerryShannon？"

Noanswer,butJack\'sfistsdoubledupofthemselvesasheshotanotherfieryglanceatJoe,whosefaceburnedasifitscorchedhim。

"Iamtolditwas;alsothatyouwereseentogointothesaloonwithhim。Didyou？"andMr。ActonlookedsosurethatitwasamistakethatitcostJackagreatefforttosay,slowly,"Yes,sir。"

Quiteathrillpervadedtheschoolatthisconfession,forJerrywasoneofthewildfellowstheboysallshunned,andtohaveanydealingswithhimwasconsideredaverydisgracefulthing。

"Didyouplay？"

"No,sir。Ican\'t。"

"Drinkbeer？"

"IbelongtotheLodge";andJackstoodaserectasanylittlesoldierwhoevermarchedunderatemperancebanner,andfoughtforthecausenonearetooyoungnortoooldtohelpalong。

"Iwassureofthat。Thenwhattookyouthere,myboy？"

ThequestionwassokindlyputthatJackforgothimselfaninstant,andblurtedout,"Ionlywenttopayhimsomemoney,sir。"

"Ah,howmuch？"

"Twoseventy—five,"mutteredJack,asredasacherryatnotbeingabletokeepasecretbetter。

"ToomuchforaladlikeyoutoowesuchafellowasJerry。Howcameit？"AndMr。Actonlookeddisturbed。

Jackopenedhislipstospeak,butshutthemagain,andstoodlookingdownwithalittlequiveraboutthemouththatshowedhowmuchitcosthimtobesilent。

"DoesanyonebesideJerryknowofthis？"

"Oneotherfellow,"afterapause。

"Yes,Iunderstand";andMr。Acton\'seyeglancedatJoewithalookthatseemedtosay,"Iwishhe\'dheldhistongue。"

AqueersmileflittedoverJack\'sface,forJoewasnotthe"otherfellow,"andknewverylittleaboutit,exceptingwhathehadseenwhenhewassentonanerrandbyMr。ActononFriday。

"Iwishyouwouldexplainthematter,John,forIamsureitisbetterthanitseems,anditwouldbeveryhardtopunishyouwhenyoudon\'tdeserveit。"

"ButIdodeserveit;I\'vebrokentherule,andIoughttobepunished,"saidJack,asifagoodwhippingwouldbeeasiertobearthanthispubliccross—examination。

"Andyoucan\'texplain,orevensayyouaresorryorashamed？"

askedMr。Acton,hopingtosurpriseanotherfactoutoftheboy。

"No,sir;Ican\'t;I\'mnotashamed;I\'mnotsorry,andI\'ddoitagainto—morrowifIhadto,"criedJack,losingpatience,andlookingasifhewouldnotbearmuchmore。

Agroanfromtheboysgreetedthisbare—faceddeclaration,andSusyquiteshiveredattheideaofhavingtakentwobitesoutoftheappleofsuchahardeneddesperado。

"Thinkitovertillto—morrow,andperhapsyouwillchangeyourmind。Rememberthatthisisthelastweekofthemonth,andreportsaregivenoutnextFriday,"saidMr。Acton,knowinghowmuchtheboypridedhimselfonalwayshavinggoodonestoshowhismother。

PoorJackturnedscarletandbithislipstokeepthemstill,forhehadforgottenthiswhenheplungedintotheaffairwhichwaslikelytocosthimdear。Thenthecolorfadedaway,theboyishfacegrewsteady,andthehonesteyeslookedupathisteacherashesaidveryiow,butallheardhim,theroomwassostill,"Itisn\'tasbadasitlooks,sir,butIcan\'tsayanymore。Nooneistoblamebutme;andIcouldn\'thelpbreakingtherule,forJerrywasgoingaway,Ihadonlythattime,andI\'dpromisedtopayup,soI

did。"

Mr。Actonbelievedeverywordhesaid,andregrettedthattheyhadnotbeenabletohaveitoutprivately,buthe,too,mustkeephispromiseandpunishtheoffender,whoeverhewas。

"Verywell,youwillloseyourrecessforaweek,andthismonth\'sreportwillbethefirstoneinwhichbehaviordoesnotgetthehighestmark。Youmaygo;andIwishitunderstoodthatMasterMinotisnottobetroubledwithquestionstillhechoosestosetthismatterright。"

Thenthebellrang,thechildrentroopedout,Mr。Actonwentoffwithoutanotherword,andJackwasleftalonetoputuphisbooksandhideafewtearsthatwouldcomebecauseFrankturnedhiseyesawayfromtheimploringlookcastuponhimastheculpritcamedownfromtheplatform,adisgracedboy。

Elderbrothersareapttobealittlehardonyoungerones,soitisnotsurprisingthatFrank,whowasaneminentlyproperboy,wasmuchcutupwhenJackpubliclyconfessedtodealingswithJerry,leavingittobesupposedthattheworsthalfofthestoryremaineduntold。Hefeltithisduty,therefore,tocollarpoorJackwhenhecameout,andtalktohimallthewayhome,likeajudgebentongettingatthetruthbymainforce。Akindwordwouldhavebeenverycomforting,butthescoldingwastoomuchforJack\'stemper,soheturneddoggedandwouldnotsayaword,thoughFrankthreatenednottospeaktohimforaweek。

Attea—timebothboyswereverysilent,onelookinggrim,theotherexcited。Frankstaredsternlyathisbrotheracrossthetable,andnoamountofmarmaladesweetenedorsoftenedthatreproachfullook。

Jackdefiantlycrunchedhistoast,withoccasionalslashesatthebutter,asifhemustventthepent—upemotionswhichhalfdistractedhim。Ofcourse,theirmothersawthatsomethingwasamiss,butdidnotalludetoit,hopingthatthecloudwouldblowoverassomanydidifleftalone。Butthisonedidnot,andwhenbothrefusedcake,thissuresignofunusualperturbationmadeheranxioustoknowthecause。Assoonasteawasover,Jackretiredwithgloomydignitytohisownroom,andFrank,castingawaythepaperhehadbeenpretendingtoread,burstoutwiththewholestory。Mrs。Minotwasasmuchsurprisedashe,butnotangry,because,likemostmothers,shewassurethathersonscouldnotdoanythingverybad。

"Iwillspeaktohim;myboywon\'trefusetogivemesomeexplanation,"shesaid,whenFrankhadfreedhismindwithasmuchwarmthasifJackhadbrokenallthetencommandments。

"Hewill。Youoftencallmeobstinate,butheisaspig—headedasamule;Joeonlyknowswhathesaw,oldtell—tale！andJerryhaslefttown,orI\'dhaveitoutofhim。MakeJackownup,whetherhecanornot。Littledonkey！"stormedFrank,whohatedrowdiesandcouldnotforgivehisbrotherforbeingseenwithone。

"Mydear,allboysdofoolishthingssometimes,eventheWisestandbestbehaved,sodon\'tbehardonthepoorchild。Hehasgotintotrouble,I\'venodoubt,butitcannotbeverybad,andheearnedthemoneytopayforhisprank,whateveritwas。"

Mrs。Minotlefttheroomasshespoke,andFrankcooleddownasifherwordshadbeenashower—bath,forherememberedhisowncostlyescapade,andhowkindlybothhismotherandJackhadstoodbyhimonthattryingoccasion。So,feelingratherremorseful,hewentofftotalkitoverwithGus,leavingJillinafeverofcuriosity,forMerryandMollyhaddroppedinontheirwayhometobreaktheblowtoher,andFrankdeclinedtodiscussitwithher,aftermildlystatingthatJackwas"aninny,"inhisopinion。

"Well,Iknowonething,"saidJillconfidentiallytoSnow—ball,whentheywereleftalonetogether,"ifeveryoneelseisscoldinghimIwon\'tsayaword。It\'ssomeantocrowoverpeoplewhentheyaredown,andI\'msurehehasn\'tdoneanythingtobeashamedof,thoughhewon\'ttell。"

Snow—ballseemedtoagreetothis,forhewentandsatdownbyJack\'sslipperswaitingforhimonthehearth,andJillthoughtthataverytouchingproofofaffectionatefidelitytothelittlemasterwhoruledthemboth。

Whenhecame,itwasevidentthathehadfoundithardertorefusehismotherthanalltherest。Butshetrustedhiminspiteofappearances,andthatwassuchacomfort！ForpoorJack\'sheartwasveryfull,andhelongedtotellthewholestory,buthewouldnotbreakhispromise,andsokeptsilencebravely。Jillaskednoquestions,affectingtobeanxiousforthegamestheyalwaysplayedtogetherintheevening,butwhiletheyplayed,thoughthelipsweresealed,thebrighteyessaidasplainlyaswords,"Itrustyou,"andJackwasverygrateful。

Itwaswellhehadsomethingtocheerhimupathome,forhegotlittlepeaceatschool。HeborethegravelooksofMr。Actonmeekly,tooktheboys\'jokesgood—naturedly,andwithstoodtheartfulteasingofthegirlswithpatientsilence。Butitwasveryhardforthesocial,affectionatefellowtobearthegeneraldistrust,forhehadbeensuchafavoritehefeltthechangekeenly。