“It was hard,” replied Roy.
Another long pause. The injured boy was thinking new thoughts.
CHAPTER XXVII
Stockley's Story (Continued)
“I'VE been thinking,” said Stockley, at length breaking the silence. “I've been thinking that if I had known last Christmas what you have told me now things might have happened very differently. I guess I am not the only fellow who has seen hard lines here. Yes, things would have been different.”
“How so?”asked Henning.
“It's this way. I told you that it was your gold watch that was the cause—or the occasion—of all the trouble that came to you. It happened this way. For some time before Christmas I envied you, your good clothes, this gold watch, and—and your popularity. Along by Christmas my father neglected me. He sent me no money, which he might easily have done had he given me one thought. The more nearly broke I was at holiday time the deeper my envy. I knew, for I watched you closely, that you were collecting a pretty sum for the cage. I saw where you kept the money. The idea of securing a gold watch for myself took strong hold upon me. It did not take long or many attempts to loosen one of the outside window bars. Then on the Richelieu night when everybody was full of thoughts of the play, when the prefects were hurrying the boys to bed, I entered through the window and secured the money.”
“And it wasn't—it wasn't—”Roy choked up.