“Perhaps I was a little hard,” he admitted; “but I was led to believe that Stone was rich, otherwise I would never have loaned him the money I did.”
No one made any reply to this, and he went on,—
“Sit down, Reuben; I won’t touch you. I didn’t think you had just got the bad news. It’s over a week old to me.”
“I got your letter last evening.”
“Yes? I suppose it was enough to upset you. Come, we will let things run along as they have been for a few days. You won’t find me hard to get on with after you once know me.”
I had my doubts about this, but decided to keep them to myself. We finished the meal in silence, and then Ford beckoned me out into the mill-room.
“Do you want me to stay with you to-night?” he asked.
“Won’t it be too much of an inconvenience?”
“Not at all. I’ll go down to the house, and let the folks know, and then come right back.”
“If you do you’ll have to sleep with me, for I’ll have to give the spare bed to Mr. Norton,” I said.