demned me
without a hearing, as Jim Guthrie said when they sent him to the House
of Correction for getting drunk."

"Go ahead."

The substance of Tom's story was, that his father drank so hard, and
was such a tyrant in the house, that he could endure it no longer. His
father and mother did not agree, as any one might have suspected. His
mother, encouraged by the success of Bobby, thought that Tom might do
something of the kind, and she had provided him the money to buy his
stock of books.

Bobby had not much confidence in this story. He had been deceived
once; besides, it was not consistent with his previous narrative, and
he had not before hinted that he had obtained his mother's consent.
But Tom was eloquent, and protested that he had reformed, and meant to
do well. He declared, by all that was good and great, Bobby should
never have reason to be ashamed of him.

Our little merchant was troubled. He could not now get rid of Tom
without actually quarrelling with him, or running away from him. He
did not wish to do the former, and it was not an easy matter to do the
latter. Besides, there was hope that the runaway would do well; and if
he did, when he carried the profits of his trade home, his father would
forgive him. One thing was certain, if he returned to Riverdale he
would be what he had been before.

For these reasons Bobby finally, but very reluctantly, consented that
Tom should remain with him, resolving, however, that, if he did not
behave himself, he would leave him at once.

Before morning he had another reason. When the steamer got out into
the open bay, Bobby was seasick. He retired to his berth with a
dreadful headache; as he described it afterwards, it seemed just as
though that great walking beam was smashing up and down right in the
midst of his brains. He had never felt so ill before in his life, and
was very sure, in his inexperience, that something worse than mere
seasickness ailed him.

He told Tom, who was not in the least affected, how he felt; whereupon
the runaway blustered round, got the steward and the captain into the
cabin, and was very sure that Bobby would die before morning, if we may
judge by the fuss he made.

The captain was angry at being called from the pilot house for nothing,
and threatened to throw Tom overboard if he didn't stop his noise. The
steward, however, was a kind-hearted man, and assured Bobby that
passengers were often a great deal sicker than he