“So much the worse for you. Come, now, I’m quite fresh again, will you have one game at ball? do.”
“No, I tell you I can’t; I’m as tired as if I had been working all day long as hard as a horse.”
“Ten times more,” said Jem, “for I have been working all day long, as hard as a horse, and yet you see I’m not a bit tired, only a little out of breath just now.”
“That’s very odd,” said Lawrence, and yawned, for want of some better answer; then taking out a handful of halfpence,—“See what I got from father to-day, because I asked him just at the right time, when he had drunk a glass or two; then I can get anything I want out of him—see! a penny, twopence, threepence, fourpence—there’s eightpence in all; would not you be happy if you had eightpence?”
“Why, I don’t know,” said Jem, laughing, “for you don’t seem happy, and you have eightpence.”
“That does not signify, though. I’m sure you only say that because you envy me. You don’t know what it is to have eightpence. You never had more than twopence or threepence at a time in all your life.”
Jem smiled. “Oh, as to that,” said he, “you are mistaken, for I have at this very time more than twopence, threepence, or eightpence either. I have—let me—see—stones, two shillings; then five days’ work—that’s five sixpences, that’s two shillings and sixpence; in all, makes four shillings and sixpence; and my silver penny, is four and sevenpence—four and sevenpence!”
“You have not!” said Lawrence, roused so as absolutely to stand upright, “four and sevenpence, have you? Show it me, and then I’ll believe you.”
“Follow me, then,” cried Jem, “and I’ll soon make you believe me; come.”
“Is it far?” said Lawrence, following half-running, half-hobbling, till he came to the stable, where Jem showed him his treasure. “And how did you come by it—honestly?”