"You are always complaining," said his father, sharply. "If you earned your breakfast, you wouldn't be so particular."
"Why can't you have beefsteak once in a while, instead of corned beef? I'm sick to death of corned beef."
"We shall have some beefsteak on Sunday morning, and not till then. I don't mean to pamper your appetite."
"That's so!" said Joshua. "Not much danger of that."
"If you are not satisfied, you can go without."
"I will, then," said Joshua, rising from the table.
He knew very well that as soon as his father had gone to the store he could get something better from his mother.
It had been a considerable disappointment to Joshua to find that Walter was poor instead of rich, for he had proposed to make as free use of Walter's purse as the latter would permit. Even now it occurred to him that Walter might have a supply of ready money, a part of which he might borrow. He accordingly took an opportunity during the day to sound our hero on this subject.
"Walter, have you a couple of dollars about you to lend me for a day or two?" he asked, in a tone of assumed carelessness.
"Yes, I have that amount of money, but I am afraid I must decline lending."