“I was ashamed to let him know how poor we were, but he questioned me so closely, and when he found out the cause of my silence, he told me he would let me have all I needed and right welcome. Now, Hesper, what shall I do?”
“Go!” said she, “go, Mose.” The tears stood in her eyes and her voice trembled as she spoke. “We shall miss you very much, and I, most of all, Mose, for you and I know each other’s hearts and our thoughts are very nearly the same, so it will be hard parting, but if it wasn’t the best thing for both of us, the Lord wouldn’t have so ordered it.”
“It will be a long time that I shall be away, Hesper, and I am afraid that when I mention it to father, he will set his foot right down, and shake his head, and there will be an end of it.”
“O dear,” said Hesper, “I had forgotten him. It will be just as he takes a notion. How I wish he could see things as we do. But he must always look on the dark side. How shall we manage to tell him, Mose?”
They were silent for a few moments.
“Hesper,” said Mose at last, “the more I think about it, the more certain am I that father will not let me go. Every cent I have earned, has gone to support the family, and now, while his foot is still so lame, I don’t see how he can do without me. We had best give it up where it is, and say nothing more about it.”
“No,” said Hesper. “Don’t give it up, Mose. Let’s try at any rate. I will send the children to bed early, and then, while mother is asleep, you can ask him.”
“Well,” said Mose, “I don’t think it will be of much use, but I wont have it said that I gave up without trying. I must go back to the mill now. Mr. Brown gave me leave of an hour’s absence, while they were repairing the machinery, so I came here to rest me.”
That night, when all was quiet, Hesper took her work and sat down by the fire, while Mose bent studiously over his old geography. Their father sat by the table writing as usual, and their mother was asleep. Not a word was spoken for a long time. At last the clock struck eight and Mose looked up as if a thought had suddenly occurred to him.
“Father,” said he, “if I could get a first rate chance to go to sea, should you be willing?”