“Why? Because my commercial credit depends on my meeting my note, and credit is worth a great deal more to me than the small sum I should lose by the transaction. Then, besides, if any one is going to profit by it, I should like to have you.”
“Why?” asked Tom.
“Because you look like a gentleman. You look like a cousin of mine, now in Europe. He is a smart fellow, and very good looking,” added the stranger, meditatively.
“I wonder whether he means all that,” thought Tom, “or is he only giving me taffy.”
He looked at the watch, and it certainly did look tempting. If the money in Tom’s pocket had been really his, I am inclined to think he would have bought it, but he was too honest to think for a moment of appropriating the money in his pocket.
“The watch may be a very good one,” he said, “but I can’t buy it; I haven’t got the money.”
“Couldn’t you borrow twenty-five dollars? I don’t know but I would say a little less.”
“It would be of no use,” said Tom, shaking his head.
The watch was galvanized, and possibly worth one-fifth as much as Tom was invited to pay for it, so that he had a narrow escape.
“I wonder if I look like a capitalist!” thought Tom. “Here, within ten minutes, I’ve been asked to buy a gold watch, and to lend a thousand dollars. I don’t remember that anybody ever asked me anything of the kind in Wilton.”