MR. TALBOT'S RETURN.
"Jimmy," said Paul, on reaching home, "there is a gentleman coming to
see you this evening."
"A gentleman--to see me?" repeated the little boy, in surprise.
"Yes. Mr. Henderson."
"But I don't know him."
"You will know him very soon. He is an artist, and is going to give
you lessons."
"How good you are, Paul!" said Jimmy, joyfully; "but," he added,
considerately, "won't you have to pay him a good deal?"
"No; he is a poor man, and it is partly to help him that I have
engaged him to give you lessons. I expect him in an hour. So get out
your best drawings, so that he will see how far you are advanced."
"Does he paint pictures? I should like to see some of them."
"I have one with me."
"Oh, let me see it!"
Paul removed the paper from the painting he had brought with him, and
displayed it to his little brother.
"It is beautiful, Paul. I wonder if I can ever paint such a nice
picture."
"No doubt you can, if you study faithfully. I brought away another of
Mr. Henderson's pictures, which I like better than this, but I have
sold it to Mr. Preston."
"How much did you get for it?"
"Fifty dollars."
"Isn't that a large price?" asked Mrs. Hoffman.
"Not for a good picture. I dare say Jimmy will by and by be charging
as much as that for a picture."
"I hope so, Paul. I would like to earn some money."
"You are too young to earn money now, Jimmy. That will come in good
time."
Soon after the supper table was cleared Mr. Henderson called.
"I am glad to see you, Mr. Henderson," said Paul, cordially. "This is
my mother, Mrs. Hoffman, and here is the young scholar I told you of."
Jimmy looked up shyly.
"He has seen your picture and likes it. By the way, I have sold one of
your pictures--the one introducing the children."
"Thank you for your kindness," said the artist, his face brightening.
"You have done what I could not do, and it will give me very welcome
aid."
"I hope the price will be satisfactory," said Paul.
"I did not expect much," said Mr. Henderson, who inferred that the
price obtained was small. "I am unknown, and I have no right to expect
much for my work."
"I sold it to a friend of mine for fifty dollars," continued Paul.
"Fifty dollars!" exclaimed the poor artist, hardly crediting the
testimony of his ears.
"Yes," said Paul, enjoying his surprise. "Is it satisfactory?"
"Satisfactory! It is ten times as much as I expected. How can I ever
thank you?" said Mr. Henderson, seizing Paul's hand in his fervent
gratitude.
"The purchaser is rich, and he has promised to speak a word to Goupil
in your favor."
"Heaven sent you to my help," said the artist. "What a change has a
single day wrought! This morning I woke without a penny, and my poor
child without bread. To-night I am rich, and Hope has once more
visited me. I owe all my good fortune to you. Will you permit me to
give lessons to your brother without charge?"
"No," said Paul, decidedly. "I think every one ought to be paid for
their work. What I have done for you has given me very little trouble.
I am glad that I could help you. I know what it is to be poor, and
most people would call me poor now; but I can earn enough for our
expenses, and lay up something besides, so I do not feel poor. Now,
Jimmy, go and bring your drawings, and show the gentleman."
The drawings were brought, and, to Jimmy's delight, elicited warm
approval from the artist.
"Your brother has great talent," said he. "I shall be very glad to
have him for a pupil. It is much pleasanter to teach where the scholar
has taste and talent. When would you like the lessons to begin?"
"As soon as possible. To-morrow, if you can come."
"And at what time?"
"At any time. I suppose the day would be better."
"Yes, it would be better, on account of the light. Besides, I like to
be with my little daughter in the evening."
"Have you a little daughter?" asked Mrs. Hoffman.
"Yes, madam. She must be nearly the age of my young pupil here."
"Bring her with you at any time," said motherly Mrs. Hoffman. "I shall
be glad to have her come."
"If she would not be in the way."
"Not at all. We have plenty of room, and Jimmy has no playmate. We
shall be very glad to see her."
"Mary will enjoy coming," said her father. "I appreciate your kindness
in inviting her."
"By the way, Mr. Henderson," suggested Paul, "why don't you move into
the upper part of the city? It will be more convenient for you,
especially if you get other pupils."
"It is a good plan," said the artist. "I could not do so before,
because I had no money. Now, thanks to your kindness, I can do so."
It was arranged that Jimmy should take two lessons a week, for which
Paul agreed to pay a dollar each. The sum was small, but to Mr.
Henderson it was an important help. I will anticipate the future so
far as to say that, after a while, through the persistent efforts of
Paul, aided by Mr. Preston, he obtained three other pupils, from whom
he was able to obtain a higher price, and occasionally he effected the
sale of a picture, so that he was able to occupy more comfortable
rooms, and provide himself with better clothing. The days of his
adversity were over, and he now enjoyed a moderate degree of
prosperity. Little Mary regained her lost flesh and color, and once
more looked as she did when she sat for the figure of the girl in her
father's picture, which Paul had sold to Mr. Preston. She came often
with her father, when he was to give a lesson to Jimmy, and sometimes
Mrs. Hoffman called to invite her to accompany Jimmy and herself to
Central Park.
As to Jimmy, he surprised his teacher by the rapid progress which he
made. He would have devoted all his time to drawing if his mother had
permitted, but she was not willing that he should neglect his school
studies--for Jimmy now attended school. His health, too, had improved,
and he no longer looked weak and delicate.
So several months passed away. Paul's business continued good. It did
not increase much, for there was not an opportunity for that. But he
averaged fifteen dollars a week profit, and that, he justly felt, was
a very good income from such a limited business. Mrs. Hoffman
continued to make ties for Paul, so she, too, earned three or four
dollars a week, and as they had no house rent to pay, they were able
not only to live very comfortably, paying all the bills promptly, but
to save up money besides. In addition to the money in Mr. Preston's
hands, Paul had an account at a downtown savings-bank, which already
amounted to over two hundred dollars.
"We must save money now, mother," said Paul; "for Mr. Talbot will be
coming home by and by, and then we shall have to look up other rooms,
and pay rent."
"Do you know when he means to come home? Has Mr. Preston told you?"
"No, mother. I think I will call round in the morning and inquire. He
has already been away more than a year."
When Paul entered Mr. Preston's counting-room the next morning that
gentleman looked up from his desk, and said, "I was just about to
write you a letter, Paul."
"Indeed, sir."
"Yes; I am in receipt of a letter from Mr. Talbot, in which he
announces his immediate return home. He will be here in four weeks,
and he desires your mother to engage women to clean the house
thoroughly, and put it in order for his occupation. Of course, you
will keep an account of all you have to expend in this way, and you
can hand me the bill."
"Yes, sir. I will see that it is done."
Paul heard, with some regret, of Mr. Talbot's speedy return. It would
curtail his income considerably. Still he felt that Mr. Talbot would
be satisfied with the manner in which his mother and himself had
acquitted themselves of their trust, and that was a source of
satisfaction.
He gave his mother immediate notice of the approaching return of Mr.
Talbot, and she began to look about for rooms to which to remove. At
length she found a very comfortable place at twenty dollars a month.
Half that sum would have obtained them shelter in a poor tenement
house, but both Paul and his mother had become fastidious, and felt
that such economy would be out of place. They must have a respectable
and comfortable home, even if they were prevented thereby from adding
so much to their account at the savings-bank.
At length the steamer in which the Talbots had taken passage arrived.
A coach brought them from the pier to the house. Mrs. Hoffman and Paul
were in waiting to receive them. Mrs. Talbot expressed herself pleased
with the neat appearance of the house, and Mr. Talbot called Paul
aside.
"My young friend," he said, "I deferred, till my return home, the
acknowledgment of your very creditable conduct in the defense of my
house. You showed a coolness and good judgment remarkable in one of
your age. In return for this, and in acknowledgment of the generally
satisfactory manner in which you and your mother have kept my house, I
ask your acceptance of this pocketbook, with its contents."
When Paul opened it he was astonished and delighted to find that it
contained two one-hundred dollar bills.
"One of them properly belongs to you, mother," he said. But Mrs.
Hoffman refused to take it.
"No, Paul," she said, "you are the treasurer of our little household.
Take this money and add to your savings. Some time you will find it
useful in enlarging your business, or entering upon a new one."
"I will put it in the savings-bank, as you recommend, mother; but you
must remember that the fund there is yours as much as mine."
"I will promise to call for money, Paul, whenever I want it. I like to
think that we have so large a fund to draw upon in case of need."