"He puts on too many airs to be popular. If he would just forget that his father is a rich man, and meet the rest of the boys on an equality, I think we should like him well enough."
"That is just the opinion I have formed of him. Last winter he came to make me a visit, but I found him hard to please. He wanted a great deal of attention, and seemed disposed to order my servants about, till I was obliged to check him."
"I remember hearing him say he was going to visit a rich relative in Boston," said Grit.
Mrs. Bancroft smiled.
"It was all for his own gratification, no doubt," she said. "So your name is Harry Morris?"
"Yes, but I am usually called Grit."
"A good omen. It is a good thing for any boy—especially a poor boy—to possess grit. Most of our successful men were poor boys, and most of them possessed this quality."
"You encourage me, Mrs. Bancroft," said our hero. "I want to succeed in life, for my mother's sake especially."
"I think you will; I have little knowledge of you, but you seem like one born to prosper. How long are you going to stay in Boston?"
"Till to-morrow, at any rate."