Silas K. Hocking

“ So Perks and Benny drifted apart, and Benny wondered if they would ever meet again. Life before him lay dark and cheerless. He seemed to have drifted away from everything: no friend was left to him in all the world. There were granny and Joe, but he could not see them, for he felt that if a shade of suspicion crept into their manner, it would break his heart. No, he would keep away. Then there was Mr. Lawrence; he could expect nothing further from him. He believed him to be a thief, of that there could be no doubt, and so doubtless did Morgan and all the other clerks. ”

“ But Perks only laughed at the idea.
"You'll find that dyin' ain't so precious easy, my lad," he said, in a patronizing tone of voice. And Benny felt that very likely Perks' words were true in relation to that matter, and so he was silent.
"You'd better come partner 'long wi' me," said Perks, in a tone of voice that was intended to be encouraging.
"No," said Benny. "I'll help you if you'll try to be honest; for look here. Perks: there's another life besides this, an' if we're not good we shall go to the bad place when we die, for only good people can go to heaven. ”

“ Ye're down, an' the world'll keep 'e down, though yer try ever so."
Benny looked thoughtful, for he had a suspicion that a good deal that Perks said was true. He was down, and he feared there was very little, if any, chance of his getting up again. He had proved by experience that the world was hard upon poor lads, and he knew it would be doubly hard upon him now that his character was gone. Yet he felt he could not become a thief. He would sooner die, and he told Perks so. ”