Tom rose to open it, and admitted a boy of about his own age, Harry Julian, the minister’s son, one of his most intimate friends.
CHAPTER II.
THE YOUNG RIVALS.
“GOOD-EVENING, Harry,” said Mrs. Thatcher, cordially. “Won’t you sit down and take a cup of tea?”
“No, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher; I have just got through supper. You must excuse my coming so early, but I wanted to be sure to find Tom at home.”
The speaker was a slender, pleasant-faced boy of about Tom’s age. He was better dressed than Tom, for though his father received but a small annual salary from his parish, he was possessed of a considerable private fortune, which enabled him to live with more freedom from pecuniary anxiety than most ministers. The boys had always been intimate, and Tom had more than once been favored by the loan of books from his friend’s library.
“You have found me at home, Julian,” said Tom. “Is there anything going on this evening?”
“Yes, and that’s what brings me here. There’s going to be a large skating party on Round Pond, and we want you to join it.”
“I should like it, but I can’t go quite yet. I must saw and split some wood for to-morrow first.”