“Why, the office work,” said Kate.
“Tuts! fiddlesticks! But isn’t it, now, really a very hard case?”
“Indeed it is; but, then, what can you do?”
“Do?” said Charley impatiently; “run away to be sure.”
“Oh, don’t speak of that!” said Kate anxiously. “You know it will kill our beloved mother; and then it would grieve father very much.”
“Well, father don’t care much about grieving me, when he hunted me down like a wolf till I nearly broke my neck.”
“Now, Charley, you must not speak so. Father loves you tenderly, although he is a little rough at times. If you only heard how kindly he speaks of you to our mother when you are away, you could not think of giving him so much pain. And then the Bible says, ‘Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee;’ and as God speaks in the Bible, surely we should pay attention to it!”
Charley was silent for a few seconds; then heaving a deep sigh, he said,—
“Well, I believe you’re right, Kate; but then, what am I to do? If I don’t run away, I must live, like poor Harry Somerville, on a long-legged stool; and if I do that, I’ll—I’ll—”
As Charley spoke, the door opened, and his father entered.