Mertonville.

"We'll get you ready, right away," said Aunt Melinda. "You can give
Jack your traveling bag,--he won't mind the key's being lost,--and I'll
let you take my trunk, and we'll fit you out so you can enjoy it."

"Jack," said his father, "tell Livermore you can go, and then I want to
see you at the shop."

Jack was so glad he could hardly speak; for he felt it was the first
step. But a part of his feeling was that he had never before loved
Crofield and all the people in it, especially his own family, so much
as at that minute.

He went over to the ruined hotel, where he found the landlord at work
saving all sorts of things and seeming to feel reasonably cheerful over
his misfortunes.

"Jack," he said, as soon as he was told that Jack was ready to go, "you
and Molly will have company. Miss Glidden sent to know how she could
best get over to Mertonville, and I said she could go with you.
There's a visitor, too, who must go back with her.

"I'll take 'em," said Jack.

Upon going to the shop he found his father shoeing a horse. The
blacksmith beckoned his son to the further end of the shop. He heard
about Miss Glidden, and listened in silence to several hopeful things
Jack had to say about what he meant to do sooner or later.

[Illustration: _He listened in silence_.]

"Well," he said, at last, "I was right not to let you go before, and
I've doubts about it now, but something must be done. I'm making less
and less, and not much of it's cash, and it costs more to live, and
they're all growing up. I don't want you to make me any promises.
They are broken too easily. You needn't form good resolutions. They
won't hold water. There's one thing I want you to do, though. Your
mother and I have brought you up as straight as a string, and you know
what's right and what's wrong."

"That's true," said Jack.

"Well, then, don't you promise nor form any resolutions, but if you're
tempted to do wrong, or to be a fool in any kind of way, just don't do
it that's all."

"I won't, Father," said Jack earnestly.

"There," said his father, "I feel better satisfied than I should feel
if you'd promised a hundred things. It's a great deal better not to do
anything that you know to be wrong or foolish."

"I think so," said Jack, "and I won't."

"Go home now and get ready," said his father; "and I'll see you off."

"This is very sudden, Jack,", said his mother, with much feeling, when
he made his appearance