“Why, I gave you the wrong thing!” said Dr. Spidderkins.
Page [50].
“No. That envelope contained a list of books I wanted Mr. Townsend to get for me. I meant to send it back to him by whoever called for the ten dollars. I put the envelope in the compartment with the bill, so I would remember about it. Then my memory played me a trick, and I gave you the envelope with the list, and not the bill. So you haven’t lost much of anything, after all. I can easily make out another list, and here is the ten-dollar bill. Queer how that happened.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t give me the money,” said Tom with a smile, “for I would have lost it. But I’ll be careful this time.”
He placed the bill in an inner pocket, and then, bidding the doctor good-night, Tom once more started for home. This time he reached it in safety, and he put the bill under his pillow when he went to bed. He said nothing about the little adventure to his mother or aunt, merely stating that he had been out late because of some business for his employer. Nor did he mention the happening to Mr. Townsend.
The work at the book store became more exacting as Christmas approached, and as customers increased, Tom was kept busy from morning to night. He had to run on many errands, and he learned more of Boston than he had ever known before.
He made many sales in the store, and several times he waited on Dr. Spidderkins, but the physician made no reference to Tom’s midnight visit. Probably he forgot all about it ten minutes after it occurred.
Christmas eve Tom was up until after midnight, delivering books to late customers, and when he got back to the store about one o’clock in the morning, he found Mr. Townsend about to close up.
“Tom,” said his employer, “you’ve done very good work for me, and I assure you I appreciate it. We don’t open to-morrow, and here’s a little remembrance for the Christmas season.”
He handed our hero a book of adventures that Tom had long desired to possess.
“I am sorry,” went on Mr. Townsend, “that I won’t be able to keep you after this week. You know I engaged you for the holiday rush, and that’s over now, so I won’t need so many clerks. I am sorry to have to let you go, as you suited me very well.”