Loammi entered the house fully convinced that he was very ill used, and that his father was a very selfish man.
He walked upstairs slowly, and as he passed through the upper hall he saw the door of his mother's chamber open. He went in, thinking that he might be able to borrow from her, when as his eyes glanced around the room he saw something that made his heart beat quicker.
On the bureau lay a small pocketbook, which he recognized as his mother's.
Under present circumstances the sight of a pocketbook affected him powerfully.
Without any definite idea of what he would do, he walked softly to the bureau, and taking the pocketbook in his hand, opened it. It contained two bills, a five-dollar note and a one.
"This would just get me out of my trouble," he thought. "I wish this money was mine."
It was a strong temptation. With the one dollar he could pay Paul Granger, and the five would last him some time, supplementing what he called his miserable allowance.
He put the pocketbook in his pocket, and slipping downstairs stealthily, went out again into the street.