easure lay. Carefully removing it, he lifted from
beneath the box already described. By means of the key he opened it,
and there lay before him, bright and glittering, the scanty treasure
which had been so dear to the old man's heart. But to Tom it did not
seem scanty. Brought up as he had been in the hard school of poverty,
it seemed like quite a fortune, and he was filled with surprise at
Jacob's having accumulated so much. But the old man had taken advantage
of Tom's absence during the day to go out on frequent begging
expeditions. Whenever he had obtained enough to amount to a gold piece,
he was in the habit of carrying it to a broker's and effecting an
exchange. So, little by little, he had obtained a hundred dollars,
ninety of which were in gold, the remainder in silver.

Tom deliberated what he should do with his treasure. He determined,
until his plans were formed, to leave it in the box, taking out only
fifteen dollars, to be carried to the hospital to defray the burial
expenses. But there was something else besides the money to seek. Jacob
had mentioned a paper, in which he had written out something of Tom's
previous history, including an account of the manner in which he had
wronged him. This paper was also easily found. It was folded once, and
lay flat on the bottom of the box. It was somewhat discolored; but, on
opening it, Tom found the writing quite legible. It may be a matter of
surprise that Tom was able to read the manuscript, as many in his
position would have been unable to do. But he had, of his own accord,
for several winters, attended the city evening schools, and so was not
only able to read and write, but also had some knowledge of arithmetic
and geography. I do not claim that Tom was a good scholar, but he was
not wholly ignorant. He took the paper from the box, and then, locking
it, replaced it in its former place of concealment. He then sat down on
a chair, and began to read the manuscript:

"Ten years since," it began, "I was a clerk in the employ of John and
James Grey, in Cincinnati. They were merchants, in prosperous business;
but John was much the richer of the two. James was, in fact, a poor
relation who had been taken in, first as a clerk, afterward as a
partner with a small interest, but his profits and share of the
business were small, compared with those of the senior partner. John
was a thorough gentleman, and a liberal and excellent man. I always got
on well with him, and I shall