"It makes no particular difference to me whether you think me mean or not," said Walter. "I have got to be richer than I am now before I lend money."
Joshua stalked away in a fret, angry that Walter would not permit himself to be swindled. From that time he cherished a dislike to our hero, and this he showed by various little slights and annoyances, of which Walter took little notice. He thoroughly despised Joshua for his meanness and selfishness, and it mattered very little to him what such a boy thought of him.
This forbearance Joshua utterly misinterpreted. He decided that Walter was deficient in courage and spirit, and it encouraged him to persevere in his system of petty annoyances until they might almost be called bullying. Though Walter kept quiet under these provocations, there was often a warning flash of the eye which showed that it would not be safe to go too far. But this Joshua did not notice, and persisted.
"Joshua," said his mother one day, "I really think you don't treat Walter right. You are not polite to him."
"Why should I be? What is he but a beggar?"
"He is not that, for he works for his living."
"At any rate he's a mean fellow, and I shall treat him as I please."
But one day matters came to a climax.
One afternoon there were a few young fellows standing on the piazza in front of Mr. Drummond's store. Joshua was one of them, and there being no customers to wait upon, Walter also had joined the company. They were discussing plans for a picnic to be held in the woods on the next Saturday afternoon. It was to be quite a general affair.
"You will come, Walter, won't you?" asked one of the number.