There was no reason now why Hugh should not go to church. He and his
crutches went between his uncle and aunt in the gig one way, and between
his uncle and Agnes home again; and he could walk up the aisle quite
well. He had been pleased at the idea of attending church again, and
had never thought of the pain of being stared at for his lameness. This
pain came upon him as he entered the church; and as he went up towards
his uncle's pew, and saw the crowd of Crofton boys all looking at him,
and some of the poor people turning their heads as he passed, to observe
how he got on, he felt covered with confusion, and wished that he had
waited one more Sunday, when the Crofton boys would have been all gone,
and there would have been fewer eyes to mark his infirmity. But better
thoughts soon arose, and made him ashamed of his false shame; and before
the service was over, he felt how trifling is any misfortune while we
are friends with God, in comparison with the least wrong-doing which
sets us at a distance from him. He could not but feel after church that
he had rather, a thousand times, be as he was than be poor Lamb, who
slunk away from him, and hid himself behind the other boys,--his mind
sore and troubled, no doubt, about his debt, and his cheating
transaction, so long ago. Hugh asked some of the boys to bring up Lamb,
to shake hands before parting for the holidays; but he would not come,
and wriggled himself out of sight. Then Hugh recollected that he could
forgive Lamb as well without Lamb's knowing it; and he let him alone.
Then there was Holt. He and Holt had parted on uneasy terms; and Holt
now looked shy and uncomfortable. Hugh beckoned to him, and asked him
whether he was really to remain at Crofton all the holidays.
"Yes," said Holt. "I am the only one not going home, unless you are to
stay hereabouts. Even Tooke is to be at his uncle's in London. When do
you go home?"
"Not quite yet;--not at the beginning of the holidays," said Hugh,
hesitating, and looking up at his uncle. For, in truth, he did not know
exactly what was planned for him, and had been afraid to ask.
His uncle said, very kindly, that he was not going to part with Hugh
till school opened again. He would recover his full strength better in
the country; and his aunt had promised his parents that he should be a
stout boy again by the time he was wanted at Crofton.
This was what Hugh had dreaded to hear; and when he thought that he
should not see his parents, nor little Harry, for so many months, his
heart sank. But he was still in the church; and perhaps the place
helped him to remember his mother's expectation that he should not fail,
and his own resolution to bear cheerfully whatever troubles his
misfortune brought upon him, from the greatest to the least. So when he
heard his uncle saying to Holt that he should ask Mr Tooke to let him
come and spend two or three weeks at his house, he said so heartily that
he hoped Holt would come, that Holt felt that whatever discontent had
been between them was forgiven and forgotten.
Phil went home, of course; and when Holt arrived at Mr Shaw's, Agnes
also returned to London, that she might see something of Phil. Then the
two boys were glad to be together, though Hugh would rather have had his
dear friend Dale for a companion; and Holt knew that this was the case.
Yet Hugh saw, and was glad to see, that Holt was improved. He had
plucked up some spirit, and was more like other lads, though still, by
his own account, too much like a timid, helpless foreigner among the
rough Crofton boys.
All the boys had some lessons to prepare in the holidays. Every one who
had ever written a theme had a theme to write now. Every boy who could
construe had a good piece of Latin to prepare; and all had either Latin
or English verses to learn by heart. Mrs Shaw made a point of her
young visitors sitting down every morning after breakfast to their
business; and Hugh was anxious to spare no pains, this time, about his
theme, that, if he was to be praised, he might deserve it. He saw that
Holt could not fix his attention well, either upon work or play; and one
morning, when Hugh was pondering how, without knowing anything of
history, he should find a modern example to match well with his ancient
one (which he had picked up by chance), Holt burst upon his meditation
with--
"I have a good mind to tell you what has been upon my mind this ever so
long."
"Wait a minute," said Hugh. "I must find my example first."
No example could he find, to his satisfaction, this day. He gave it up
till to-morrow, and then asked Holt what was on his mind. But Holt now
drew back, and did not think he could tell. This made Hugh press; and
Hugh's pressing looked like sympathy, and gave Holt courage: so that the
thing came out at last. Holt was very miserable, for he was deep in
debt, and the boys never let him alone about it; and he did not see how
he should ever pay, as nobody was likely to give him any money.
"Remember, it is only sixpence that you owe me--not a shilling," said
Hugh.
Holt sighed. Perhaps he had hoped that Hugh would excuse him
altogether. He explained that this sixpence was not all, nor the chief
part. He told that, when the whole school was on the heath, one
Saturday, they had seen a balloon rising at a distance, and some boys
began betting about what direction it would move in when it ceased to
rise perpendicularly. The betting spread till the boys told him he must
bet, or he would be the only one left out, and would look like a shabby
fellow.
"And you did?" exclaimed Hugh. "How silly!"
"You would have done it, if you had been there."
"No: I should not."
"Yes, you would. Or, if you had not, it would have been because of--I
know what."
"Because of what, pray?"
"Because of something the boys say about you. They say you are very
fond of money."
"I! Fond of money! I declare I never heard of such a thing."
"Well, you know you made a great fuss about that half-crown."
"As if it was about the money!" cried Hugh. "I should not have cared a
bit if my uncle had asked me for it back again the next day. It was the
being cheated. That was the thing. What a shame--"
"By-the-by, did your uncle ever ask what you did with that half-crown?"
"No; but he will next week, at the January fair. He will be sure to ask
then. What a shame of the boys to say so, when I forgave--"
He remembered, just in time, that he had better not boast, or speak
aloud, of having forgiven Lamb his debt in secret. He resolved that he
would not say another word, but let the boys see that he did not care
for money for its own sake. They were all wrong, but he would be above
noticing it; and, besides, he really had been very anxious about his
half-crown, and they had only mistaken the reason.
"How much did you bet on the balloon?" he inquired of Holt.
"A shilling; and I lost."
"Then you owe eighteen-pence."
"But that is not all. I borrowed a shilling of Meredith to pay
school-fines--"
"What for?"
"Chiefly for leaving my books about. Meredith says I promised to pay
him before the holidays; but I am sure I never did. He twitted me about
it, so that I declare I would have fought him, if I could have paid him
first."
"That's right," exclaimed Hugh. "Why, Holt, what a different fellow you
are! You never used to talk of fighting."
"But this fellow Meredith plagued me so! If it had not been for that
shilling, I would have knocked him down. Well, here is half-a-crown
altogether; and how am I ever to get half-a-crown?"
"Cannot you ask your uncle?"
"No; you know I can't. You know he complains about having to pay the
bills for me before my father can send the money from India."
"I suppose it would take too long to ask your father. Yes; of course it
would. There would be another holidays before you could have an answer;
and almost another still. I wonder what uncle Shaw would say. He is
very kind always, but it might set him asking--"
"And what should I do, staying here, if he should be angry and refuse?
What should I do every day at dinner?"
"I know what I would do?" said Hugh, decidedly. "I would tell Mr Tooke
all about it, and ask him for half-a-crown."
"Mr Tooke? Oh! I dare not."
"I dare,--in holiday-time. He is your master,--next to being your
father, while your father is so far away. You had better ask Mr Tooke,
to be sure."
"What go to Crofton, and speak to him? I really want not to be a
coward,--but I never could go and tell him."
"Write him a letter, then. Yes: that is the way. Write a letter, and I
will get one of my uncle's men to carry it, and wait for an answer: and
then you will not be long in suspense, at any rate."
"I wish I dare!"
Holt was not long in passing from wishing to daring. He wrote a letter,
which Hugh thought would do, though he rather wished Holt had not
mentioned him as instigating the act. This was the letter:
"The Mill, _January 6th_.
"Dear Sir,
"I am very unhappy; and Proctor thinks I had better tell you what is
upon my mind. I owe some money, and I do not see how I can ever pay
it, unless you will help me. You know I have owed Proctor sixpence
for ginger-beer, this long time; and as Lamb has never paid him his
share, Proctor cannot excuse me this debt. Then I owe a boy a
shilling, lent me for school-fines; and he never lets me alone about
it. Then I was led into betting a shilling on a balloon, and I lost;
and so I owe half-a-crown. If you would lend me that sum, sir, I
shall be obliged to you for ever, and I shall never forget it.
"Yours respectfully,
"Thomas Holt."
Mr Shaw's man George carried the letter; but he brought back neither
letter nor money: only a message that Mr Tooke would call; which put
Holt into a great fright, and made Hugh rather uneasy.
There was no occasion for this, however. Mr Tooke came alone into the
room where the boys were sitting; and neither Mr nor Mrs Shaw appeared
during the whole time of his visit: a thing which was rather odd, but
which the boys were very glad of. When Mr Tooke had told them a little
of some new boys expected after the holidays, he said:
"Well, now, Holt, let us see what can be done about your affairs."
Holt looked uneasy; for it seemed as if Mr Tooke was not going to lend
him the money,--or to give it, which was what he had hoped, while using
the word "lend."
"I am glad you asked me," continued Mr Tooke; "for people, whether they
be men or boys, can usually retrieve their affairs when they have
resolution to face their difficulties. There is no occasion to say
anything about how you got into debt. We must consider how you are to
get out of it."
"That is very kind indeed!" exclaimed Holt.
"As to my lending you half-a-crown," continued Mr Tooke, "that would
not be helping you out of debt; for if you had had any prospect of being
able to pay half-a-crown, you would not have needed to apply to me at
all."
Holt sighed. Mr Tooke went on.
"I cannot give you the money. I have less to give away than I should
like to have, for the sake of the poor people round us. I cannot pay
for a bet and school-fines while the children of our neighbours want
clothes and fire."
"No, sir, certainly," said both the boys.
"What do people do, all the world over, when they want money?" asked Mr
Tooke. Holt looked puzzled. Hugh smiled. Holt was hesitating whether
to guess that they put into the lottery, or dig for treasure, or borrow
from their friends, or what. Having always till lately lived in India,
where Europeans are rather lazy, and life altogether is very languid, he
did not see, as Hugh did, what Mr Tooke could mean.
"When men come begging to our doors," said Mr Tooke, "what is the first
question we ask them?"