“I know; that comes hard, and there’s no getting away from it; but I tell you, Tom, it isn’t going to be such a very great while, and I don’t believe he’s so very far off either. It may be there’s only a veil between, and who knows but he can see through it as plainly as if wasn’t there at all? And you’ll find lots to do; that’s one of the greatest things after all. Just think what you can come to be in taking his place at home, besides something for somebody outside, every day of your life, if you’re only looking out for it. And there’s no one to say he wont see it; and however that may be, there’s One that will be sure to, and think a good deal of it too.”
Tom didn’t say much, but he had his own times of going over in his mind all Aleck had said, until things did begin to seem a little better after a while, as Aleck had promised, and going back to school did not seem so very terrible as he had thought; and as the year came once more to a close, the thought of the new step into college studies really looked bright and tempting.
All but the freshman woes, in the way of hazing and all that sort of thing. Poor Tom hadn’t yet got over his dread of being snubbed or run upon, only as he had been in the higher class the last year, and there was no one left in the school who was quite so endlessly doing it since Hal had left. He had almost forgotten how uncomfortable it was; at any rate, he was sure he never could see any worse times than some he had had with Hal, and he had lived through those somehow.
So he was making the most of his holidays, and the little interval of deciding what came next; and going into Halliday’s now and then, for a few moments with Aleck and Thorndyke, was one of the great resources of the time.
He came gayly out one day, to see some one beckoning to him, and reining in his horse close by. Ah, that was Mr. Willoughby, his guardian, and Tom ran to the chaise.
“Going towards home, Haggarty?” he said. “Suppose you jump in, and we drive out together. I want to talk to you about one or two matters, if you’re not aiming in another direction.”
Tom sprang in, only too gladly. He should hear something about going to college, he was sure.
“Well, and how does it seem to be a free man once more?” he asked, as Tom took his seat and they started off.
“Prime,” said Tom, “only if a free man never has anything to do, I shouldn’t like it to last very long.”
“Good,” said Mr. Willoughby, laughing, “and that’s just the very point. How long should you call long enough?”