That day and many following Tom sat over his books or copying, musing
upon the injustice of the treatment he was receiving, and feeling more
and more the misery of his new life. He looked with envy at nearly
every boy he met, and thought of the happy, independent life they seemed
to lead. But he worked hard all the same.
"I won't give up," he would say through his set teeth. "Uncle shall see
that if I'm not clever I can persevere, and master what I have to
learn."
But in spite of his determination he did not progress very fast, for the
simple reason that he expected to learn in a few months the work of many
years.
The weeks did not pass without plenty of unpleasant encounters with his
cousin, while pretty well every day there was a snubbing or downright
bullying from his uncle.
"But never you mind, Mr Tom," Pringle would say; "things always come
right in the end."
One of Tom's greatest troubles was his home life, and the evident
aversion shown to him by his aunt. She had received him coldly and
distantly at the first, and her manner did not become warmer as the
months wore on. Possibly she had once been a sweet, amiable woman, but
troubles with her husband and son had produced an acidity of temper and
habit of complaining which were not pleasant for those with whom she
lived. Her husband escaped, from the fact that she held him in fear,
while Sam was too much idolised to receive anything but the fondest
attentions.
Tom's perceptions were keen enough, and he soon saw for himself that his
uncle repented his generosity in taking him into his home; while his
aunt's feeling for him was evidently one of jealousy, as if his presence
was likely to interfere with her darling's prospects.
She resented his being there more and more; and though Tom tried hard to
win her love and esteem, he found at the end of six months that he was
as far from his object as ever.
"I'm only in the way there," he often said to himself; "I wish I could
live always here at the office."
But as he thought this he looked round with a slight shiver, and thought
of how dreary it would be shut up there with the law-books, tin boxes,
and dusty papers, and he gave up the idea.
Often of a night it was like a temptation to him--that intense longing
to be free; and he would sit with a book before him, but his mind
wandering far away, following the adventures of boys of his own age who
had gone away to seek their fortunes, and if they had not found all they
sought, had at least achieved some kind of success.
And how grand it would be, he thought, with his cheeks flushing, to be
independent, and work his own way without encountering day by day his
uncle's sour sneers and reproaches, his aunt's cold looks, and his
cousin's tyranny.
"I could make my way, I know I could," he thought, and the outlook grew
day by day more rosy. Those were pleasant paths, he told himself, that
he wanted to tread, and it never occurred to him that if he went among
strangers they might be harder than his uncle.
But the outcome of these musings was always the same: there was the
stern figure of Duty rising before him to remind him of his promise to
his mother, and with his brow knitting, his hands would clench beneath
table or desk as he softly muttered to himself--
"I'm going to be a lawyer, and I will succeed."
But it has been written by a wise man, "There's a divinity that shapes
our ends, rough-hew them how we will," and Tom Blount was soon to find
out its truth.
Matters had been going very badly at Mornington Crescent, and the boy's
life was harder than ever to bear, for, presuming upon his patience, Sam
Brandon was more tyrannical than ever. Words failing to sting
sufficiently, he had often had recourse to blows, and these Tom had
borne patiently, till, to his cousin's way of thinking, he was about as
contemptible a coward as ever existed.
One morning at the office Sam was seated opposite to his cousin writing,
Pringle was busily employed in the other room, and Tom was putting
stamps on some letters, when his eye lit upon one standing edgewise
against a gum-bottle between him and his cousin.
Just then Mr Brandon bustled in looking very stern and angry, and he
gave a sharp look round the office. Then his eyes lit upon Tom and his
task.
"What letters are those?" he said.
"The tithe notices, sir, you told me to fill up and direct from the
book," replied Tom.
"Humph! yes, quite right. Oh, by the way, Samuel, did you post that
letter to Mr Wilcox yesterday afternoon?"
"Yes, father," said Sam promptly; and as he raised his eyes he saw his
cousin's gazing at the letter standing on edge between them.
Sam turned pale as he now met Tom's keen look.
It was all momentary, in the interval of Mr Brandon's first words and
his next question. "Then how is it that Mr Wilcox has not received it,
and been on to me at home full of anxiety about not having my answer to
an important question?"
"I don't know, father," said Sam sharply.
"Are you sure you posted the letter?"
"Oh yes, father. No; I recollect now: some one came in on business, to
ask for you, and I told Tom Blount here to take it directly. Oh!" he
cried, "I say, it is too bad. Why, you didn't take it, Tom. Here's the
letter, father, all the time."
He took up and held out the unfortunate missive, shaking his head at Tom
the while.
"You never told me to take any letter yesterday," said Tom quietly.
"Oh--my! What a lie, to be sure!" cried Sam, as if perfectly astounded.
"Pringle must have heard me at the time."
"Of course," said his father, speaking with his lips tightly compressed,
so that his voice sounded muttering and indistinct. Then aloud--"Here,
Pringle."
_Scroop_ went Pringle's stool, and he hurried in. "You call, sir?"
"Yes. What time was it when you heard Mr Samuel tell his cousin to go
out and post a letter?"
"Never heard anything of the kind, sir, at any time."
"That will do," said his employer.
"Row on," thought Pringle. "I hope he isn't going to catch it again."
Then as the door closed Mr Brandon, whose countenance was flushed and
his eyes angry-looking, turned upon his son.
"Do you think I am blind, sir?" he said sharply.
"No, father: I don't know what you mean."
"Then I'll tell you, sir. I mean that you have told me a miserable
falsehood--a disgraceful falsehood."
"I haven't, father. I told Tom here to take the letter;" and he gave
his cousin a fierce look which evidently said, "Say I told you, or it
will be the worse for you," and he accompanied the look with a sharp
kick under the desk, which took effect on Tom's shin, rousing him to a
pitch of fury and obstinate determination.
"Oh, you haven't, eh?" said Mr Brandon. "Tom, did your cousin tell you
to post that letter?"
"Yes, you know I did," cried Sam.
"No, uncle."
"I did. You've forgotten it, or else you're saying that out of spite,"
cried Sam desperately.
"I haven't forgotten it, and I'm not saying what I did out of spite,"
said Tom firmly. "Indeed I spoke the truth, uncle."
"Yes; I believe you," said Mr Brandon.
"Shall I go and post the letter now, sir?"
"No; it is too late. Here, Samuel, come into my room."
Mr Brandon walked into his room, while Sam got down slowly from his
stool, leaning over toward his cousin the while.
"I'll serve you out for this," he whispered, and then crossed to his
father's room.
There was a low murmur of voices from within as soon as the door was
closed; but that door fitted too closely for any of the conversation to
be heard. Not that Tom was listening, for he was feeling a kind of pity
for his cousin's position, and more warmly towards his uncle for his
simple act of justice than he had felt for months.
Just then there was a faint creaking sound, and looking behind him, it
was to see that the inner office door was open, and Pringle standing
there framed as it were, and going through a pantomimic performance
expressive of his intense delight, grimacing, rubbing his hands, and
laughing silently. Then he gesticulated and pointed toward the private
office, and rubbed his hands again, till there was a sound in the
private room, and he darted back and closed the door.
All this was meant for Tom's amusement, and as congratulation; but the
boy did not feel in the least elated, but sat waiting for his cousin's
return, fully intending to offer him his hand and whisper, "I am sorry--
but you should have told the truth."
A good half-hour passed before Sam came out, looking very red in the
face; but when he took his place on his stool, Tom did not reach across
to offer his hand, for his cousin's face repelled him, and he felt that
something would come of all this--what he could not tell. Still there
was one gratifying thing left: his uncle had taken his word before that
of his cousin, and this little thing comforted him during the remainder
of that unpleasant day.
Before the afternoon was half over Mr Brandon came to his door and
called Sam, who went in, and then took his hat and went away, to Tom's
great relief, for it was far from pleasant to be sitting at a double
desk facing one who kept on darting scowling looks full of threatenings.
An hour later Mr Brandon left, after sending Pringle upon some errand,
and for the rest of the afternoon the boy had the office to himself.