“So aunt must go without her tea and bread,” continued Robert.
John Trafton had the grace to be ashamed and said:
“I’ll fix this with Jones. You can go to the store and get the tea and tell Sands to charge it to me.”
“He won’t do it,” said Robert. “He’s refused more than once.”
“If he won’t that isn’t my fault. I’ve done all I could.”
Trafton turned back and resumed his seat on the porch, where he remained till about ten o’clock. It was his usual evening resort, for he did not think it necessary to go home until it was time to go to bed.
Though Robert had no money to spend, he kept on his way slowly toward the village store. He felt mortified and angry.
“Poor Aunt Jane!” he said to himself. “It’s a shame that she should have to go without her tea. She hasn’t much to cheer her up. Mrs. Jones is about the meanest woman I ever saw, and I hope Aunt Jane won’t do any more work for her.”
It occurred to Robert to follow his uncle’s direction and ask for credit at the store. But he knew very well that there would be little prospect of paying the debt, and, though a boy, he had strict notions on the subject of debt and could not bring his mind, even for his aunt’s sake, to buy what he could not pay for.
When we are sad and discouraged relief often comes in some unexpected form and from an unexpected quarter. So it happened now to our young hero.