Tears were already in his eye, and his face wore a look of distressing disappointment.
"I promised to buy you a wagon? I am sure I remember nothing about it," I replied confidently. "What in the world put that into your head?"
"Didn't I ask you?" said the child, the tears now overflowing his cheeks.
"Yes, I believe you did ask me something about a wagon; but I didn't promise to buy you one."
"Oh, yes you did, mother. You said may be so."
"But 'may be so' doesn't mean yes."
At this the little fellow uttered a distressing cry. His heart was almost broken by disappointment. He had interpreted my words according to his own wishes, and not according to their real meaning.
Unprepared for an occurrence of this kind, I was not in the mood to sympathise with my child fully. To be met thus, at the moment of my return home, disturbed me.
"I didn't promise to buy you a wagon; and you must stop crying about it," said I, seeing that he had given way to his feelings, and was crying in a loud voice.
But he cried on. I went up stairs to lay off my things, and he followed, still crying.