“Steps, of course,” replied Mr Tooke. “You will think it a pretty paper, I am sure.”
“But, sir, she must quite understand that she is not at all obliged to us,—that is, to me,” said Holt.
“Certainly. You will tell her so yourself, of course.”
Here again Holt’s pride was hurt; but the thought of being out of Meredith’s power sustained him.
When Mr Tooke was gone, Hugh said to his companion,—
“I do not want you to tell me what Mr Tooke wrote on that paper that he burned. I only want to know whether he asked you to choose so as to indulge me.”
“You! O no! There was not a word about you.”
“O! Very well!” replied Hugh, not sure whether he was pleased or not.
The next morning was so fine that there was no difficulty about Hugh’s walking the short distance to the widow Murray’s; and there, for three mornings, did the boys work diligently, till the room was papered, and two cupboards into the bargain. Holt liked it very well, except for two things:—that Hugh was sure he could have done some difficult corners better than Holt had done them, if he could but have stood upon the steps; and that widow Murray did so persist in thanking him, that he had to tell her several times over that she was not obliged to him at all, because he was to be paid for the job.
Mr Tooke came to see the work when it was done, and returned to Mr Shaw’s with the boys, in order to pay Holt his half-crown immediately, and yet so that the widow should not see. Hugh’s eye followed Mr Tooke’s hand as it went a second time into his pocket; and he was conscious of some sort of hope that he might be paid something too. When no more silver came forth, he felt aware that he ought not to have dreamed of any reward for the help he had freely offered to his companion: and he asked himself whether his schoolfellows were altogether wrong in thinking him too fond of money; and whether he was altogether right in having said that it was justice that he cared for, and not money, when he had pressed his debtor hard. However this might be, he was very glad to receive his sixpence from Holt. As he put it in his inner pocket, he observed that this would be all the money he should have in the world when he should have spent his five shillings in fairings for home.