“Plenty of hay for two weeks, Miss Shirley,” said Jimmy.
He reached out cautiously and picked up his coat, which he donned with an audible sigh of relief.
“All right, then,” said Shirley. “Come, Mabel, we may as well go.”
She gave Gabriel another little pat, and led the way from the stable.
“I feel like I had picked somebody’s pocket,” Shirley confided to Mabel, as they made their way back toward the house.
“You have,” replied her friend, “and I don’t know whether you were right or not.”
“The end will justify the means,” said Shirley quietly. “It’s for Jimmy’s own good, for my father’s good, and for the good of others. I am sure I did no wrong.”
They sat down on the porch and talked for some moments.
“Look,” said Mabel suddenly, “here comes Jimmy. I wonder what is the matter with him. He seems to be looking for something.”
In truth, he did seem to be looking for something. The boy seemed greatly excited, and his eyes roved about the ground as he approached.