Emma Leslie

“ To see Dick's delight when he heard that he was to go to the school, where they taught the subjects that had been as a fairy tale to him, repaid Tom for the pain he had endured in talking to his father about it, and to think his younger brother was to have this chance of a good education, nerved him to overcome his dislike to being at the forge all day, as he must be now. ”

“ But when he got back, there was no Jack to be seen, and then an awful fear began to creep over his mind. Suppose he should never come to meet him again. He had got the money that was to be risked on the race! Suppose he went off with the winnings!
In spite of the cold wind and sleet that came beating in his face as he gazed round, Tom went hot all over at the thought. And yet it did not shock him that such an idea as this had entered his head concerning this bosom companion of his. ”

“ And so when Tom began to give proof that he was likely to be a good blacksmith, he felt consoled for the failure of the London plan.
It was in Dick, however, that Tom felt the greatest reward for his toil and painstaking efforts to get on. The little, shy, delicate lad, who would never have been strong enough to wield his father's hammer, was making such good progress at school, that masters as well as friends began to feel quite proud of him, and in this Tom could feel he had a right to share, for had he not conquered himself in order that Dick might have this chance? ”

“ Bob hung his head and did not reply. He had not thought of his fault in this light at all, but as his mother spoke, he recalled what he had often heard at school—about the unfairness, and the selfishness that all games of chance lead people to commit, and he remembered how he had complained of Tom Flowers not telling him how he might have avoided losing his money.
"I see, mother," he said slowly, "people who gamble and bet can't do to others as they would have others do to them. That's what Tom said to-day, when I grumbled because he didn't tell me all he knew about these races. ”

“ Do you think bookmakers can live on air, or that they have good berths among City swells?"
"Well, then, we will cry quits about the five shillings I lent you, although you never said anything about it when you had it, and I thought you meant to pay me back."
"What do you mean by that?" demanded Jack, in a more angry tone. "Didn't I tell you yesterday that I wanted my commission?"
"And I say you can have it out of the ten shillings. I say we cry quits, and when you've paid me up the rest of the money you owe me, I'll never have any more to do with racing and betting as long as I live." ”

“ But now he had been here three months and Christmas was drawing near, Tom wanted money for himself, and there seemed little chance of Dick getting his promised present.
The luck promised by Jack had not come to him, although he heard every now and then of one and another among his companions at the office doubling or trebling their week's pocket-money in a few minutes. Sometimes it was at card-playing, sometimes on a game of pitch-and-toss, for it seemed that when they could not gamble on horse-racing, the lads found out another way of betting. ”

“ I hope not indeed, my lad. I trust that this will be a lesson you will never forget; but you must learn as others have had to do, that though some things may be repented of, no amount of repentance will ever do away with the evil they bring with them, and leave behind them. You must go to Heatherdene and see if you can live down this wrong-doing by learning to be as good a blacksmith as your father, for London and its temptations is no place for you. ”

“ For this new friend of Tom's had succeeded in making him believe that there was more than one short but to making money, if he could only discover it; as though to make money and not to give honest work and service was the whole end for which a man or boy had to work.
Tom had often heard his father speak of putting good work into whatever job he did, but he did not see that there was any connection between putting a horse-shoe on safely and securely, and doing such work as he had to do at the warehouse. ”

“ He told Randall about Drizzle being a roarer, and how nearly he had lost his money; but he did not seem as much impressed as Tom expected to see him.
"You always have to take risks, of course," he said loftily; "and I should mind what I was about with a fellow you know nothing of."
Tom laughed, for Randall's words and manner so exactly bore out what his new friend said about London boys, that he felt rather glad he was above such narrow prejudices and suspicions. "I wasn't born on a Thursday," he said, quoting his own proverb. ”

“ I'll tell you what horse to put your money on," said his companion.
"Thank you, I'm much obliged, but I don't think I'll begin just yet; I haven't got used to London ways, and—"
"Oh, you'll soon know your way about, I know. I can tell. You were not born on a Thursday, I can see."
Tom knew this was intended as a compliment, and laughed. "If I do come from the country, I know what I'm about, I hope. I tell you, country lads are not such fools as people take them to be," added Tom, nodding his head sagaciously. ”

“ I tell you, Tom, you don't know how to behave like a gentleman," concluded Jack in a tone of contempt.
"Oh, well, if it's all right I don't mind," said Tom, thinking he had better make the best of it.
"Are you coming now?" he added, as he put the money into his pocket.
Jack shook his head. "Sit down again, Tom," he said. "What's your hurry, it ain't ten o'clock yet."
"But I must go or I shall get into no end of a row at home, for aunt told me not to go out till I had written that letter."
"Ah! Petticoat government, I understand," said Jack, in a tone meant to be facetious. ”

“ Tom's father was the village blacksmith, a steady, hard-working man, who always had as much business as he could get through for the neighbouring farmers, but was ambitious for his eldest son Tom to be something better than a blacksmith.
So he had written to his brother in London, telling him what a fine scholar Tom was, and how they had sent him to the grammar school in the neighbouring town, in the hope that he might be able to get some employment in London, as he was altogether too clever for a mere village blacksmith. ”

“ I tell you of a good thing, the way a lot of money can be made without any trouble, only it wants money to breed money always, and if I say to you get ten shillings for a few days, and I can put you in the way of making it half as many pounds before you can say Jack Robinson, how am I to know where you get the money from? ”

“ It was by this means that Tom at last won back the character he had lost in London, though people were slow enough to trust him at first.
"Tell your father he must be sure and do this job himself," was a message Tom often had to deliver when he was left in charge of the forge for a little while.
Grim enough would Flowers look when he received such, for he knew all too well what it meant. "They don't believe you will give honest work, my lad," he would say with a bitter look at Tom. ”

“ He would not mention the amount, for he had an idea that this new friend would not regard six shillings as an overwhelming fortune.
"Well, look here, don't you venture to put money on a horse like Drizzle," said his companion oracularly. "If some of the others had not been pulled, she would have come in last instead of first, and then where would your money have been?" he asked in a tone of triumph, which seemed to imply that he knew more about such matters than Tom could tell him. ”

“ To work for Dick's schooling had been a great sweetener of toil to Tom, but at last he began to take the same honest pride in his work that his father did, and people finding that his work was not scamped, soon ceased to give the offensive message, and at last one and another began to pass the time of day with him again, and some of the farmers as they stood waiting and watching him would remark, "Your son will make a good blacksmith after all." ”

“ But Tom was on the alert as soon as Jack rose from his seat, and rose too. "Are you going now?" he asked. "Let's have our settlement first," he added, "or there will be no end of a row over those gloves I told you about."
"Oh, bother the gloves," muttered Jack as he sat down again. "You're a sharper, Tom," he added, by way of flattering Tom, for he had no intention of letting him slip through his fingers without making a little more profit out of him, and to do this in the future it would be better to let him have some of the money that had been won by means of the ten shillings. ”

“ But by degrees, he began to talk to Dick of the books he liked to read, and so the boy's confidence was won, and then he began to think that Dick should have been sent to the grammar school rather than himself, until at last he decided to speak to his father about this, for it was plain Dick would never be strong enough for a blacksmith, and he had such a love of books, and especially those on chemistry and electricity, that Tom felt sure if these tastes of Dick's could only be cultivated, he would become a clever and a useful man. ”

“ He was one of the knowing ones he was, bound to know the correct card, don't you see, so when I heard him say he should back Drizzle for all he could put on her, I made up my mind to do the same. Jenkins says she came in first, so I stand to win six shillings, I reckon—and that only cost me sixpence, my boy."
Tom opened his eyes, and looked at his companion. "Six shillings! What, a whole week's wages to do as you like with?" uttered Tom.
"That's just it, my boy. I put my sixpence pocket-money on Drizzle, and I've got six shillings for it. Isn't that a lot of money for you?" ”

“ Meanwhile Tom had gone to look for his friend Jack, in the hope of obtaining at least a part of the money he had won on the race.
But although he met his friend a few minutes after he reached the corner of the street, Jack appeared to be greatly surprised that he should want more money from him so soon. "What can you be in such a hurry about? Are you afraid I shall run away?" he said petulantly. "I told you last night it was impossible to get it all in a minute. I gave you ten shillings; how much more do you want?" ”

“ Jack was greatly excited over some news, or at least he appeared to be, and Tom had the most profound faith in his friend, and believed everything he said.
"I've learned a thing or two about a horse lately that will help us to make some money, if we can only get a few shillings together to lay on it," he said as they walked together down the road.
Tom looked at his friend. "You can easily do that, I suppose," he said, for Jack always seemed to have plenty of money to spend. ”

“ Dick's letter to be sent with the gloves was written next, and in this Tom gave a glowing account of his life in London and the splendid streets, where people could walk at night as well as in the daytime. The two last were left open for his uncle to see, but Tom fastened up his mother's, for he did not want him to know he had bought the Christmas card, for fear he should ask inconvenient questions, and he had made up his mind to stick to the story that he had only lent Jack a shilling. ”

“ You have never been away from home in your life, so how can you tell?" retorted his sister.
"Now, don't begin quarrelling, Polly," said her father. "Tom won't be at home much longer, so try and be civil to each other while you are together. I think you had better go with me to the tailor's in the morning, my boy, for I daresay your mother has enough to do to get your shirts and such things ready, and I shall be able to spare an hour or two to-morrow. When the tea things are cleared away, you had better sit down and write a letter to your uncle, and I will put a note in for myself ”