“All right, I’ll come. I must go downstairs now.”
“I wonder what he wants to see me about?” said Joel, to himself.
Joel made a pretty shrewd guess, and resolved, by all means, to keep the appointment.
He was anxious to get his father out of the way, but John Fox was unusually deliberate in his motions. Finally, about half-past nine, he left the house for the village.
Presently his mother said: “Joel, if you’ll stay and mind the house, I’ll run over to Mrs. Bean’s and borrow some sugar.”
His mother put on her bonnet, and started across a field to her nearest neighbor’s.
“Now’s my time,” thought Joel. “Mam’s sure to get talkin’ with Mrs. Bean and stay half an hour or more.”
He ran up the garret stairs, and drew the bolt that held Harry captive.
“Joel, I want you to let me out of this place.”
“Oh, gracious!” exclaimed Joel, in apparent dismay. “Dad would give me the wu’st kind of a lickin’.”