n to pay for a bill of goods which I recently bought of
a wholesale house on Milk Street. If I had only known you were going in,
I would have sent it by you."

Herbert felt gratified at this manifestation of confidence, especially
as he had so recently been charged with robbing the post office, but did
not interrupt Mr. Graham, who continued:

"As soon as Eben was fairly gone, I began to feel sorry I sent him, for
he got into extravagant ways when he was in Boston before, and he had
been teasing me to give him money enough to go out West with. About
noon I discovered that he had taken fifty dollars more than the amount
I intrusted to him, and then I couldn't rest till I was on my way to
Boston to find out the worst. I went to the house on Milk Street and
found they had seen nothing of Eben. Then I knew what had happened. The
graceless boy has robbed his father of a hundred and fifty dollars, and
is probably on his way West by this time."

"He was to start by the three o'clock train, I think," said Herbert, and
gave his reasons for thinking so.

Ebenezer seemed so utterly cast down by this confirmation of his worst
suspicions, that Herbert called Mr. Melville, thinking he might be able
to say something to comfort him.

CHAPTER XIX. EBENEZER GRAHAM'S GRIEF.

"How much have you lost by your son, Mr. Graham?" asked George Melville.

"Nearly two hundred and fifty dollars," groaned Ebenezer, "counting what
I paid in the city to his creditors, it is terrible, terrible!" and he
wrung his hands in his bitterness of spirit.

"I am sorry for you," said Melville, "and still more for him."

"Why should you be sorry for him?" demanded Ebenezer, sharply. "He
hasn't lost anything."

"Is it nothing to lose his consciousness of integrity, to leave his home
knowing that he is a thief?"

"Little he'll care for that!" said Mr. Graham, shrugging his shoulders.
"He's laughing in his sleeve, most likely, at the way he has duped and
cheated me, his father."

"How old is Eben, Mr. Graham?"

"He will be twenty in November," answered Ebenezer, apparently puzzled
by the question.

"Then, as he is so young, let us hope that he may see the error of his
ways, and repent."

"That won't bring me back my money," objected Ebenezer, querulously.
It was clear that he thought more of the money he had lost than of his
son's lack of principle.

"No, it will not give you back your money, but it may give you back a
son purified and