"Well," said Reg, "as things have turned out it might have come in
useful. I wonder if it wouldn't have been wiser, mother, for me to have
stayed up this term and made sure of it?"
"I wish you could, Reg; but we have no right to think of it. Besides,
you could only have held it if you had gone to college."
"Oh, of course," said Reg; "but then it would have paid a good bit of my
expenses there; and I might have gone on from there to the army, you
know, and got my commission."
Mrs Cruden sighed. What an awakening the boy had still to pass
through!
"We must think of something less grand than that, my poor Reg," said
she; "and something we can share all together. I hope Mr Richmond will
be able to hear of some business opening for me, as well as you, for we
shall need to put our resources together to get on."
"Mother," exclaimed Reginald, overwhelmed with sudden contrition, "what
a selfish brute you must think me! You don't think I'd let you work
while I had a nerve left. I'll do anything--so will Horace, but you
_shall not_, mother, you _shall not_."
Mrs Cruden did not argue the point just then, and in due time Mr
Richmond arrived to give a new direction to their thoughts.
The investment he proposed seemed a good one. But, in fact, the little
family knew so little about business generally, and money matters in
particular, that had it been the worst security possible they would have
hardly been the wiser.
This point settled, Mr Richmond turned to his proposals for the boys.
"As I said in my letter, Mrs Cruden," said he, "the opening is only a
modest one. A company has lately been formed to print and publish an
evening paper in the city, and as solicitor to the company I had an
opportunity of mentioning your sons to the manager. He is willing to
take them, provided they are willing to work. The pay will begin at
eighteen shillings a week, but I hope they will soon make their value
felt, and command a better position. They are young yet."
"What shall we have to do?" asked Horace.
"That I cannot exactly say," said the lawyer; "but I believe the manager
would expect you to learn the printer's business from the beginning."
"What would the hours be?" asked Mrs Cruden.
"Well, as it is an evening paper, there will fortunately be no late
night work. I believe seven in the morning to eight at night were the
hours the manager mentioned."
"And--and," faltered the poor mother, who was beginning to realise the
boys' lot better than they did themselves--"and what sort of companions
are they likely to have, Mr Richmond?"
"I believe the manager is succeeding in getting respectable men as
workmen. I hope so."
"Workmen!" exclaimed Reginald, suddenly. "Do you mean we are to be
workmen, Mr Richmond? Just like any fellows in the street. Couldn't
you find anything better than that for us?"
"My dear Master Cruden, I am very sorry for you, and would gladly see
you in a better position. But it is not a case where we can choose.
This opening has offered itself. Of course, you are not bound to accept
it, but my advice is, take what you can get in these hard times."
"Oh, of course, we're paupers, I--forgot," said Reg, bitterly, "and
beggars mayn't be choosers. Anything you like, mother," added he,
meeting Mrs Cruden's sorrowful look with forced gaiety. "I'll sweep a
crossing if you like, Mr Richmond, or black your office-boy's boots,--
anything to get a living."
Poor boy! He broke down before he could finish the sentence, and his
flourish ended in something very like a sob.
Horace was hardly less miserable, but he said less. Evidently, as Reg
himself had said, beggars could not be choosers, and when presently Mr
Richmond left, and the little family talked the matter over late into
the afternoon, it was finally decided that the offer of the manager of
the _Rocket_ Newspaper Company, Limited, should be accepted, and that
the boys should make their new start in life on the Monday morning
following.