“That’s the kind of boy you are, is it? after all your living among Christian people!” said the old man, with a sort of grim satisfaction.
“It’s the kind of boy I was, and it’s the kind of boy such Christians as you are will make me again, if I let you!” said Jack, kindling once more. “I didn’t mean to swear, but I forgot myself. I haven’t before, since the first Sunday after I came off from the canal. That’s because I have been living among Christians,—people who try to encourage a fellow and help him, by bringing out the good that’s in him, instead of grinding him down, and keeping him down, by telling him how bad he’s always been and always will be,—like the kind of Christian you are!”
“Talk to me about being a Christian, you profane Sabbath-breaker!” said Peternot, choking with indignation.
“A Sabbath-breaker, am I? And what are you? I own up to what brought me here to-day, but what brought you here? What keeps you here? Why ain’t you at church? Guess you consider your worldly interests worth looking after a little, if ’tis Sunday,—don’t you?”
“Come, come, boy! that kind of talk won’t help matters.”
“Then le’s stop it,” said Jack. “But if you come here on Sunday and try to get my money away from me, and accuse me of Sabbath-breaking because I mean to keep it, I shall have just a word to say back, you better believe!” And, still sitting on the ground, Jack held his shoes between his legs, and guarded one side of the basket, while Lion guarded the other.
“What do you want of so much money,—a boy like you?” said the squire, adopting a more conciliatory tone.
“What do you want of it,—a man like you? without a child in the world, since you drove your only son away from home by your hard treatment, and he died a drunkard and a gambler!”
The old man fairly staggered backward at this cruel blow, and uttered a suppressed groan.
“It was mean in me to say that,” added Jack, relenting; “I didn’t mean to; but you drove me to it. What do you want of more money than you’ve got already?—that’s what I meant to ask. You’re a rich man now. You’ve ten times as much as you need; what do you want of more? To carry into the next world with ye? one would think so,—an old man like you!”