Mr. Middleton opened it, took out a piece of gold and would have
silently forced it in the hand of the poor boy, but Ishmael respectfully
but firmly put back the offering.
"Take it, my boy; it is usual to do so, you know," said Mr. Middleton,
in a low voice.
"Not for me, sir; please do not offer me money again unless I have
earned it," replied the boy, in an equally low tone.
"But as a reward for finding the pocketbook," persisted Mr. Middleton.
"That was a piece of good fortune, sir, and deserved no reward," replied
Ishmael.
"Then for restoring it to me."
"That was simple honesty, sir, and merited nothing either."
"Still, there would be no harm in your taking this from me," insisted
Mr. Middleton, pressing the gold upon the boy.
"No, sir; perhaps there would not be; but I am sure--I am very
sure--that Thomas Jefferson when he was a boy would never have let
anybody pay him for being honest!"
"Who?" demanded Mr. Middleton, with a look of perplexity.
"Thomas Jefferson, sir, who wrote the Declaration of Independence, that
I read of in that beautiful history you gave me."
"Oh!" said Mr. Middleton, ceasing to press the money upon the boy, but
putting it in his pocketbook and returning the pocketbook to his pocket.
"Oh! and by the way, I am told that you have sold that history to-day."
"Yes! for money to buy spinning-tops and marbles with!" put in Miss
Claudia.
Ishmael looked around in dismay for a moment, and then burst out with: "Oh, sir! indeed, indeed I did not!"
"What! you didn't sell it?" exclaimed Mr. Middleton.
"Oh, yes, sir, I sold it!" said Ishmael, as the irrepressible tears
rushed to his eyes. "I sold it! I was obliged to do so! Patrick Henry
would have done it, sir!"
"But you did not sell it to get money to buy toys with?"
"Oh, no, no, no, sir! It was a matter of life and death, else I never
would have parted with my book!"
"Tell me all about it, my boy."
"My Aunt Hannah has been ill in bed all the winter. I haven't been able
to earn anything for the last month. We got out of money and provisions.
And Mr. Nutt wouldn't trust us for anything--"
"Uncle, mind you, don't deal with that horrid man any more!" interrupted
Claudia.
"Did you owe him much, my boy?" inquired Mr. Middleton.
"Not a penny, sir! We never went in debt and never even asked for credit
before."
"Go on."
"Well, sir, to-day Aunt Hannah wanted a cup of tea so badly that she
cried for it, sir--cried like any little baby, and said she would die if
she didn't get it; and so I brought my book to town this afternoon and
sold it to get the money to buy what she wanted."