Jem was silent for a few minutes—"Two guineas; that's a great, great deal—if I worked, and worked, and worked ever so hard, I could noways earn two guineas afore Monday fortnight; could I, mother?"
"Lord help thee, no; not an' work thyself to death."
"But I could earn something, though, I say," cried Jem, proudly; "and I will earn something—if it be ever so little, it will be something; and I shall do my very best; so I will."
"That I am sure of, my child," said his mother, drawing him towards her and kissing him. "You are always a good, industrious lad, that I will say, afore your face or behind your back; but it won't do now—Lightfoot must go."
Jem turned away, struggling to hide his tears, and went to bed, without saying a word more. But he knew that crying would do no good, so he presently wiped his eyes, and lay awake, considering what he could possibly do to save the horse. "If I get ever so little," he still said to himself, "it will be something; and who knows but landlord might then wait a bit longer? And we might make it all up in time; for a penny a day might come to two guineas, in time."
But how to get the first penny, was the question. Then he recollected, that one day, when he had been sent to Clifton, to sell some flowers, he had seen an old woman, with a board beside her covered with various sparkling stones, which people stopped to look at as they passed, and he remembered that some people bought the stones; one paid two-pence, another three-pence, and another six-pence for them; and Jem heard her say that she got them amongst the neighbouring rocks; so he thought that if he tried, he might find some too, and sell them as she had done.
Early in the morning he awaked, full of this scheme, jumped up, dressed himself, and having given one look at poor Lightfoot in his stable, set off to Clifton, in search of the old woman, to inquire where she found her sparkling stones. But it was too early in the morning—the old woman was not at her seat; so he turned back again, disappointed.
He did not waste his time waiting for her, but saddled and bridled Lightfoot, and went to farmer Truck's for the giant strawberries. A great part of the morning was spent in putting them into the ground.
And as soon as that was finished, he set out again in quest of the old woman, whom to his great joy, he spied sitting at her corner of the street, with her board before her. But this old woman was deaf and cross; and when at last Jem made her hear his questions, he could get no answer from her but that she found the fossils where he would never find any more.
"But can't I look where you looked?"