"I don't feel in any mood for meetings," David answered gloomily. "I reckon I'm best by myself."
"I fancy we've all been thinking the same thing these last few days," Ralph answered, with a smile. "I'm not sure, however, that we're right. We've got to talk about things sooner or later."
"Yes; I suppose that is so," David answered wearily. "But, to tell you the truth, I haven't got my bearings yet."
"I reckon our first business is to try to keep afloat," Ralph answered. "If we can do that, we may find our bearings later on."
"You will find no difficulty, Ralph, for you are young, and have all the world before you. Besides, I've given you an education. I knew it was all I could give you."
"I'm afraid it won't be of much use to me in a place like this," Ralph answered, with a despondent look in his eyes.
"There's no knowing, my boy. Knowledge, they say, is power. If you are thrown overboard you will swim; but with mother and me it is different. We're too old to start again, and all our savings are swallowed up."
"Not all, surely, father! There are the crops and cattle and implements."
David shook his head.
"Over against the crops," he said, "are the seed bills, and the manure bills, and the ground rent, and over against the cattle is the mortgage. I never thought of telling you, Ralph, for I never reckoned on this trouble coming. But when I started I thought the money I had would be quite enough not only to build the house and outbuildings, and bring the farm under cultivation, but to stock it as well. But it was a much more expensive business than I knew."