"MistressMary,"andher"prettymaidsallinarow,"passedbytotheirplacesinthebackground;"KingCole"andhis"fiddlersthree"madeagoodlyshow;sodidtheroyalcouple,whofollowedthegreatpiebornebeforethem,withthe"four—and—twentyblackbirds"poppingtheirheadsoutinthemostdelightfulway。
　　Little"Bo—Peep"ledawooiiylambandweptoveritslosttail,fornotasignofoneappearedonthepoorthing。"SimpleSimon"
　　followedthepie—man,gloatingoverhiswareswiththedrollestantics。Thelittlewifecametrundlingbyinawheelbarrowandwasnotupset;neitherwastheladywith"ringsonherfingersandbellsonhertoes,"asshecanteredalongonarocking—horse。"BobbyShafto's"yellowhairshonefinelyasheledinthemaidwhomhecamebackfromseatomarry。"MissMuffet,"bowlinhand,ranawayfromanimmenseblackspider,whichwaggleditslonglegsinawaysolife—likethatsomeofthechildrenshookintheirlittleshoes。Thebeggarswhocametotownwereoutinfullforce,"rags,tags,andvelvetgowns,"quitetruetolife。"BoyBlue"rubbedhiseyes,withhaystickinginhishair,andtootedonatinhornasifboundtogetthecowsoutofthecorn。Molly,withalong—handledfrying—pan,madeacapital"Queen,"inatucked—upgown,checkedapron,andhighcrown,togood"KingArthur,"who,veryproperly,didnotappearafterstealingthebarley—meal,whichmightbeseeninthepantiedupinapudding,likeacannon—ball,readytofry。
　　ButTobias,Molly'sblackcat,coveredhimselfwithglorybythespiritwithwhichheactedhispartin,"Sing,sing,whatshallIsing？
　　Thecat'srunawaywiththepudding—bagstring。"
　　Firsthewasledacrossthestageonhishindlegs,lookingveryfierceandindignant,withalongtapetrailingbehindhim;and,beingsetfreeatthepropermoment,hegaveoneboundoverthefour—and—twentyblackbirdswhohappenedtobeintheway,anddashedoffasifanenragedcookhadactuallybeenafterhim,straightdownstairstothecoal—bin,wherehesatglaringinthedark,tillthefunwasover。
　　Whenallthecharactershadfiledinandstoodintwolongrows,musicstruckupandthey'danced,"AllthewaytoBoston,"asimplebutlivelyaffair,whichgaveeachachancetoshowhisorhercostumeastheypranceddownthemiddleandupoutside。
　　Suchafunnymedleyasitwas,fortherewentfat"KingCole"withthemostraggedofthebeggar—maids。"MistressMary,"inherprettybluedress,trippedalongwith"SimpleSimon"staringabouthimlikeablockhead。Thefineladyleftherhorsetodancewith"BobbyShafto"tilleverybellonherslipperstinkleditstongueout。"Bo—Peep"andajollyfiddlerskippedgaylyupanddown。
　　"MissMuffet"tookthebigspiderforherpartner,andmadehismanylegsflyaboutinthewildestway。Thelittlewifegotoutofthewheelbarrowtohelp"BoyBlue"along,andMolly,withthefrying—panoverhershoulder,ledoffsplendidlywhenitwas"Grandrightandleft。"
　　Buttheoldladyandhergoosewerethebestofall,forthedame'sshoes—bucklescutthemostastonishingpigeon—wings,andtoseethatmammothbirdwaddledownthemiddlewithitswingshalfopen,itslongneckbridling,anditsyellowlegsinthefirstpositionasitcurtsiedtoitspartner,wasasighttoremember,itwassointenselyfunny。
　　Themerryoldgentlemanlaughedtillhecried;Mr。Burtonsplithisgloves,heapplaudedsoenthusiastically;whilethechildrenbeatthedustoutofthecarpethoppingupanddown,astheycried:"Doitagain！""Wewantitallover！"whenthecurtainwentdownatlastontheflushedandpantingparty,MotherG————bowing,withherhatallawry,andthegoosedoingadoubleshuffleasifitdidnotknowhowtoleaveoff。
　　Buttheycouldnot"doitalloveragain,"foritwasgrowinglate,andthepeoplefeltthattheycertainlyhadreceivedtheirmoney'sworththatevening。
　　Soitallendedmerrily,andwhentheguestsdepartedtheboysclearedtheroomlikemagic,andthepromisedsuppertotheactorswasservedinhandsomestyle。JackandJillwereatoneend,Mrs。
　　Gooseandherbirdattheother,andallbetweenwasacomicalcollectionofmilitaryheroes,fairycharacters,andnurserycelebrities。Allfelttheneedofrefreshmentaftertheirlabors,andsweptoverthetablelikeaflightoflocusts,leavingdevastationbehind。Buttheyhadearnedtheirfun:andmuchinnocentjollityprevailed,whileafewlingeringpapasandmammaswatchedtherevelfromafar,andhadnotthehearttoorderthesenoblebeingshometilleventheFatherofhisCountrydeclared"thathe'dhadaperfectlysplendidtime,butcouldn'tkeephiseyesopenanotherminute,"andverywiselyretiredtoreplacetheimmortalcockedhatwithanight—cap。
　　Chapter13JackHasaMystery"Whatisthematter？Doesyourheadache？"askedJill,oneeveninginMarch,observingthatJacksatwithhisheadinhishands,anattitudewhich,withhim,meanteitherpainorperplexity。
　　"No;butI'mbothered。Iwantsomemoney,andIdon'tseehowI
　　canearnit,"heanswered,tumblinghishairabout,andfrowningdarklyatthefire。
　　"Howmuch？"andJill'sreadyhandwenttothepocketwhereherlittlepurselay,forshefeltrichwithseveralpresentslatelymadeher。
　　"Twoseventy—five。No,thankyou,Iwon'tborrow。"
　　"Whatisitfor？"
　　"Can'ttell。"
　　"Why,Ithoughtyoutoldmeeverything。"
　　"Sorry,butIcan'tthistime。Don'tyouworry;Ishallthinkofsomething。"
　　"Couldn'tyourmotherhelp？"
　　"Don'twishtoaskher。"
　　"Why！can'tsheknow？"
　　"Nobodycan。"
　　"Howqueer！Isitascrape,Jack？"askedJill,lookingascuriousasamagpie。
　　"Itislikelytobe,ifIcan'tgetoutofitthisweek,somehow。"
　　"Well,Idon'tseehowIcanhelpifI'mnottoknowanything";andJillseemedratherhurt。
　　"Youcanjuststopaskingquestions,andtellmehowafellowcanearnsomemoney。Thatwouldhelp。I'vegotonedollar,butImusthavesomemore";andJacklookedworriedashefingeredthelittlegolddollaronhiswatch—guard。
　　"Oh,doyoumeantousethat？"
　　"Yes,Ido;amanmustpayhisdebtsifhesellsallhehastodoit,"
　　saidJacksternly。
　　"Dearme;itmustbesomethingveryserious。"AndJilllayquitestillforfiveminutes,thinkingoverallthewaysinwhichJackeverdidearnmoney,forMrs。Minotlikedtohaveherboyswork,andpaidtheminsomewayforalltheydid。
　　"Isthereanywoodtosaw？"sheaskedpresently,beingveryanxioustohelp。
　　"Alldone。""Pathstoshovel？"
　　"NOsnow。"Lawntorake,then？"
　　"Nottimeforthatyet。"
　　"Catalogueofbooks？"
　　"Frankgotthatjob。"
　　"Copythoselettersforyourmother？"
　　"Takemetoolong。MusthavemymoneyFriday,ifpossible。"
　　"Idon'tseewhatwecando,then。Itistooearlyortoolateforeverything,andyouwon'tborrow。"
　　"Notofyou。No,norofanyoneelse,ifIcanpossiblyhelpit。I'vepromisedtodothismyself,andIwill";andJackwaggedhisheadresolutely。
　　"Couldn'tyoudosomethingwiththeprinting—press？Domesomecards,andthen,perhaps,theothergirlswillwantsome,"saidJill,asaforlornhope。
　　"Justthething！WhatagooseIwasnottothinkofit。I'llrigtheoldmachineupatonce。"And,startingfromhisseat,Jackdivedintothebigcloset,draggedoutthelittlepress,andfelltooiling,dusting,andputtingitinorder,likeonerelievedofagreatanxiety。
　　"Givemethetypes;I'llsortthemandsetupmyname,soyoucanbeginassoonasyouareready。YouknowwhatahelpIwaswhenwedidtheprogrammes。I'malmostsurethegirlswillwantcards,andIknowyourmotherwouldlikesomemoretags,"saidJill,brisklyrattlingthelettersintothedifferentcompartments,whileJackinkedtherollersandhunteduphisbigapron,whistlingthewhilewithrecoveredspirits。
　　Adozenneatcardsweresoonprinted,andJillinsistedonpayingsixcentsforthem,asearningwasnotborrowing。AfewoddtagswerefoundanddoneforMamma,whoimmediatelyorderedfourdozenatsixcentsadozen,thoughshewasnottoldwhytherewassuchapressingcallformoney。
　　Jack'smonthlyhalf—dollarhadbeenspentthefirstweektwenty—fivecentsforaconcert,tenpaidafineforkeepingabooktoolongfromthelibrary,tenmoretohavehisknifeground,andfiveincandy,forhedearlylovedsweeties,andwasunderbondstoMammanottospendmorethanfivecentsamonthontheseunwholesometemptations。Sheneveraskedtheboyswhattheydidwiththeirmoney,butexpectedthemtokeepaccountinthelittlebooksshegavethem;and,nowandthen,theyshowedtheneatpageswithpardonablepride,thoughsheoftenlaughedatthequeeritems。
　　AllthateveningJack&Co。workedbusily,forwhenFrankcameinhegood—naturedlyorderedsomepale—pinkcardsforAnnette,andrantothestoretochoosetherightshade,andbuysomepackagesfortheyoungprinteralso。
　　"Whatdoyousupposeheisinsuchapuckerfor？"whisperedJill,asshesetupthenewname,toFrank,whosatcloseby,withoneeyeonhisbookandoneonher。
　　"Oh,somenotion。He'saqueerchap;butIguessitisn'tmuchofascrape,orIshouldknowit。He'ssogood—naturedhe'salwayspromisingtodothingsforpeople,andhastoomuchplucktogiveupwhenhefindshecan't。Lethimalone,anditwillallcomeoutsoonenough,"answeredFrank,wholaughedathisbrother,butlovedhimnonethelessforthetenderheartthatoftengotthebetterofhisyounghead。
　　ButforonceFrankwasmistaken;themysterydidnotcomeout,andJackworkedlikeabeaverallthatweek,asorderspouredinwhenJillandAnnetteshowedtheirelegantcards;for,aseverybodyknows,ifonegirlhasanewthingalltherestmust,whetheritisabowonthetopofherhead,apeculiarsortofpencil,orthelatestkindofchewing—gum。Littleplaydidthepoorfellowget,foreveryspareminutewasspentatthepress,andnoinvitationcouldtempthimaway,somuchinearnestwasourhonestlittleFranklinaboutpayinghisdebt。Jillhelpedallshecould,andcheeredhislaborswithherencouragement,rememberinghowhestayedathomeforher。
　　"Itisrealgoodofyoutolendahand,andI'meversomuchobliged,"saidJack,asthelastorderwasstruckoff,andthedrawerofthetype—boxheldapileofshiningfiveandtencentpieces,withtwoorthreequarters。
　　"Iloveto;onlyitwouldbenicerifIknewwhatwewereworkingfor,"shesaiddemurely,asshescatteredtypeforthelasttime;andseeingthatJackwasbothtiredandgrateful,hopedtogetahintofthesecret。
　　"Iwanttotellyou,dreadfully;butIcan't,becauseI'vepromised。"
　　"What,never？"
　　"Never！"andJacklookedasfirmasarock。
　　"ThenIshallfindout,forIhaven'tpromised。"
　　"Youcan't。"
　　"SeeifIdon't！"
　　"Youaresharp,butyouwon'tguessthis。It'satremendoussecret,andnobodywilltellit。"
　　"You'lltellityourself。Youalwaysdo。"
　　"Iwon'ttellthis。Itwouldbemean。"
　　"Waitandsee;IcangetanythingoutofyouifItry";andJilllaughed,knowingherpowerwell,forJackfounditveryhardtokeepasecretfromher。
　　"Don'ttry;pleasedon't！Itwouldn'tberight,andyoudon'twanttomakemedoadishonorablethingforyoursake,Iknow。"
　　JacklookedsodistressedthatJillpromisednottomakehimtell,thoughsheheldherselffreetofindoutinotherways,ifshecould。
　　Thusrelieved,JacktrudgedofftoschoolonFridaywiththetwodollarsandseventy—fivecentsjinglinginhispocket,thoughthedeargoldcoinhadtobesacrificedtomakeupthesum。Hedidhislessonsbadlythatday,waslateatrecessintheafternoon,and,assoonasschoolwasover,departedinhisrubberboots"totakeawalk,"hesaid,thoughtheroadswereinabadstatewithaspringthaw。Nothingwasseenofhimtillaftertea—time,whenhecamelimpingin,verydirtyandtired,butwithareposefulexpression,whichbetrayedthataloadwasoffhismind。Frankwasbusyabouthisownaffairsandpaidlittleattentiontohim,butJillwasontenter—hookstoknowwherehehadbeen,yetdarednotaskthequestion。
　　"Merry'sbrotherwantssomecards。Helikedherssomuchhewishestomakehislady—loveapresent。Here'sthename";andJillhelduptheorderfromHarryGrant,whowastobemarriedintheautumn。
　　"Mustwaittillnextweek。I'mtootiredtodoathingto—night,andI
　　hatethesightofthatoldpress,"answeredJack,layinghimselfdownupontherugasifeveryjointached。
　　"Whatmadeyoutakesuchalongwalk？Youlookastiredasifyou'dbeentenmiles,"saidJill,hopingtodiscoverthelengthofthetrip。
　　"Hadto。Fourorfivemilesisn'tmuch,onlymylegbotheredme";
　　andJackgavetheailingmemberaslap,asifhehadfounditmuchinhiswaythatday;for,thoughhehadgivenupthecrutcheslongago,herathermissedtheirsupportsometimes。Then,withagreatyawn,hestretchedhimselfouttobaskintheblaze,pillowinghisheadonhisarms。
　　"Dearoldthing,helooksallusedup;Iwon'tplaguehimwithtalking";andJillbegantosing,assheoftendidinthetwilight。
　　Bythetimethefirstsongendedagentlesnorewasheard,andJacklayfastasleep,wornoutwiththebusyweekandthewalk,whichhadbeenlongerandharderthananyoneguessed。Jilltookupherknittingandworkedquietlybyfirelight,stillwonderingandguessingwhatthesecretcouldbe;forshehadnotmuchtoamuseher,andlittlethingswereveryinterestingifconnectedwithherfriends。PresentlyJackrolledoverandbegantomutterinhissleep,asheoftendidwhentoowearyforsoundslumber。Jillpaidnoattentiontillheutteredanamewhichmadeherprickupherearsandlistentothehrokensentenceswhichfollowed。Onlyafewwords,butshedroppedherwork,sayingtoherself,"Idobelieveheistalkingaboutthesecret。NowIshallfindout,andhewilltellmehimself,asIsaidhewould。"
　　Muchpleased,sheleanedandlistened,butcouldmakenosenseoftheconfusedbabbleabout"heavyboots";"Allright,oldfellow";
　　"Jerry'soff";and"Theinkistoothick。"
　　TheslamofthefrontdoorwokeJack,andhepulledhimselfup,declaringthathebelievedhehadbeenhavinganap。
　　"Iwishyou'dhaveanother,"saidJill,greatlydisappointedatthelossoftheintelligencesheseemedtobesoneargetting。
　　"Flooristoohardfortiredbones。GuessI'llgotobedandgetrestedupforMonday。I'veworkedlikefurythisweek,sonextI'mgoinginforfun";and,littledreamingwhathardtimeswereinstoreforhim,Jackwentofftoenjoyhiswarmbathandwelcomebed,wherehewassoonsleepingwiththeserenelookofonewhosedreamswerehappy,whoseconsciencewasatrest。
　　"Ihaveafewwordstosaytoyoubeforeyougo,"saidMr。Acton,pausingwithhishandonthebell,Mondayafternoon,whenthehourcamefordismissingschool。
　　Thebustleofputtingawaybooksandpreparingforasrapidadepartureasproprietyallowed,subsidedsuddenly,andtheboysandgirlssatasstillasmice,whiletheheartsofsuchashadbeenguiltyofanysmallsinsbegantobeatfast。
　　"Yourememberthatwehadsometroublelastwinteraboutkeepingtheboysawayfromthesaloon,andthatarulewasmadeforbiddinganypupiltogototownduringrecess？"beganMr。
　　Acton,who,beingaconscientiousmanaswellasanexcellentteacher,feltthathewasresponsibleforthechildreninschoolhours,anddidhisbesttoaidparentsinguardingthemfromthefewtemptationswhichbesettheminacountrytown。Acertainattractivelittleshop,whereconfectionery,baseballs,stationery,andpicturepapersweresold,wasafavoriteloafingplaceforsomeoftheboystilltheruleforbiddingitwasmade,becauseintherearoftheshopwasabeerandbilliardsaloon。Awiserule,forthepicturepaperswerenotalwaysofthebestsort;cigarsweretobehad;idlefellowshungaboutthere,andsomeofthelads,whowantedtobethoughtmanly,venturedtopassthegreenbaizedoor"justtolookon。"
　　Amurmuransweredtheteacher'squestion,andhecontinued,"Youallknowthattherulewasbrokenseveraltimes,andItoldyouthenextoffenderwouldbepubliclyreprimanded,asprivatepunishmentshadnoeffect。Iamsorrytosaythatthetimehascome,andtheoffenderisaboywhomItrustedentirely。Itgrievesmetodothis,butImustkeepmypromise,andhopetheexamplewillhaveagoodeffect。"
　　Mr。Actonpaused,asifhefoundithardtogoon,andtheboyslookedatoneanotherwithinquiringeyes,fortheirteacherseldompunished,andwhenhedid,itwasaverysolemnthing。SeveraloftheseanxiousglancesfelluponJoe,whowasveryredandsatwhittlingapencilasifhedarednotlifthiseyes。
　　"He'sthechap。Won'thecatchit？"whisperedGustoFrank,forbothowedhimagrudge。
　　"TheboywhobroketherulelastFriday,atafternoonrecess,willcometothedesk,"saidMr。Actoninhismostimpressivemanner。
　　IfathunderbolthadfallenthroughtheroofitwouldhardlyhavecausedagreatersurprisethanthesightofJackMinotwalkingslowlydowntheaisle,withawrathfulflashintheeyesheturnedonJoeashepassedhim。
　　"Now,Minot,letushavethisoverassoonaspossible,forIdonotlikeitanybetterthanyoudo,andIamsurethereissomemistake。
　　I'mtoldyouwenttotheshoponFriday。Isittrue？"askedMr。
　　Actonverygently,forhelikedJackandseldomhadtocorrecthiminanyway。
　　"Yes,sir";andJacklookedupasifproudtoshowthathewasnotafraidtotellthetruthasfarashecould。
　　"Tobuysomethin？"
　　"No,sir。"
　　"Tomeetsomeone？"
　　"Yes,sir。"
　　"WasitJerryShannon？"
　　Noanswer,butJack'sfistsdoubledupofthemselvesasheshotanotherfieryglanceatJoe,whosefaceburnedasifitscorchedhim。
　　"Iamtolditwas;alsothatyouwereseentogointothesaloonwithhim。Didyou？"andMr。ActonlookedsosurethatitwasamistakethatitcostJackagreatefforttosay,slowly,"Yes,sir。"
　　Quiteathrillpervadedtheschoolatthisconfession,forJerrywasoneofthewildfellowstheboysallshunned,andtohaveanydealingswithhimwasconsideredaverydisgracefulthing。
　　"Didyouplay？"
　　"No,sir。Ican't。"
　　"Drinkbeer？"
　　"IbelongtotheLodge";andJackstoodaserectasanylittlesoldierwhoevermarchedunderatemperancebanner,andfoughtforthecausenonearetooyoungnortoooldtohelpalong。
　　"Iwassureofthat。Thenwhattookyouthere,myboy？"
　　ThequestionwassokindlyputthatJackforgothimselfaninstant,andblurtedout,"Ionlywenttopayhimsomemoney,sir。"
　　"Ah,howmuch？"
　　"Twoseventy—five,"mutteredJack,asredasacherryatnotbeingabletokeepasecretbetter。
　　"ToomuchforaladlikeyoutoowesuchafellowasJerry。Howcameit？"AndMr。Actonlookeddisturbed。
　　Jackopenedhislipstospeak,butshutthemagain,andstoodlookingdownwithalittlequiveraboutthemouththatshowedhowmuchitcosthimtobesilent。
　　"DoesanyonebesideJerryknowofthis？"
　　"Oneotherfellow,"afterapause。
　　"Yes,Iunderstand";andMr。Acton'seyeglancedatJoewithalookthatseemedtosay,"Iwishhe'dheldhistongue。"
　　AqueersmileflittedoverJack'sface,forJoewasnotthe"otherfellow,"andknewverylittleaboutit,exceptingwhathehadseenwhenhewassentonanerrandbyMr。ActononFriday。
　　"Iwishyouwouldexplainthematter,John,forIamsureitisbetterthanitseems,anditwouldbeveryhardtopunishyouwhenyoudon'tdeserveit。"
　　"ButIdodeserveit;I'vebrokentherule,andIoughttobepunished,"saidJack,asifagoodwhippingwouldbeeasiertobearthanthispubliccross—examination。
　　"Andyoucan'texplain,orevensayyouaresorryorashamed？"
　　askedMr。Acton,hopingtosurpriseanotherfactoutoftheboy。
　　"No,sir;Ican't;I'mnotashamed;I'mnotsorry,andI'ddoitagainto—morrowifIhadto,"criedJack,losingpatience,andlookingasifhewouldnotbearmuchmore。
　　Agroanfromtheboysgreetedthisbare—faceddeclaration,andSusyquiteshiveredattheideaofhavingtakentwobitesoutoftheappleofsuchahardeneddesperado。
　　"Thinkitovertillto—morrow,andperhapsyouwillchangeyourmind。Rememberthatthisisthelastweekofthemonth,andreportsaregivenoutnextFriday,"saidMr。Acton,knowinghowmuchtheboypridedhimselfonalwayshavinggoodonestoshowhismother。
　　PoorJackturnedscarletandbithislipstokeepthemstill,forhehadforgottenthiswhenheplungedintotheaffairwhichwaslikelytocosthimdear。Thenthecolorfadedaway,theboyishfacegrewsteady,andthehonesteyeslookedupathisteacherashesaidveryiow,butallheardhim,theroomwassostill,"Itisn'tasbadasitlooks,sir,butIcan'tsayanymore。Nooneistoblamebutme;andIcouldn'thelpbreakingtherule,forJerrywasgoingaway,Ihadonlythattime,andI'dpromisedtopayup,soI
　　did。"
　　Mr。Actonbelievedeverywordhesaid,andregrettedthattheyhadnotbeenabletohaveitoutprivately,buthe,too,mustkeephispromiseandpunishtheoffender,whoeverhewas。
　　"Verywell,youwillloseyourrecessforaweek,andthismonth'sreportwillbethefirstoneinwhichbehaviordoesnotgetthehighestmark。Youmaygo;andIwishitunderstoodthatMasterMinotisnottobetroubledwithquestionstillhechoosestosetthismatterright。"
　　Thenthebellrang,thechildrentroopedout,Mr。Actonwentoffwithoutanotherword,andJackwasleftalonetoputuphisbooksandhideafewtearsthatwouldcomebecauseFrankturnedhiseyesawayfromtheimploringlookcastuponhimastheculpritcamedownfromtheplatform,adisgracedboy。
　　Elderbrothersareapttobealittlehardonyoungerones,soitisnotsurprisingthatFrank,whowasaneminentlyproperboy,wasmuchcutupwhenJackpubliclyconfessedtodealingswithJerry,leavingittobesupposedthattheworsthalfofthestoryremaineduntold。Hefeltithisduty,therefore,tocollarpoorJackwhenhecameout,andtalktohimallthewayhome,likeajudgebentongettingatthetruthbymainforce。Akindwordwouldhavebeenverycomforting,butthescoldingwastoomuchforJack'stemper,soheturneddoggedandwouldnotsayaword,thoughFrankthreatenednottospeaktohimforaweek。
　　Attea—timebothboyswereverysilent,onelookinggrim,theotherexcited。Frankstaredsternlyathisbrotheracrossthetable,andnoamountofmarmaladesweetenedorsoftenedthatreproachfullook。
　　Jackdefiantlycrunchedhistoast,withoccasionalslashesatthebutter,asifhemustventthepent—upemotionswhichhalfdistractedhim。Ofcourse,theirmothersawthatsomethingwasamiss,butdidnotalludetoit,hopingthatthecloudwouldblowoverassomanydidifleftalone。Butthisonedidnot,andwhenbothrefusedcake,thissuresignofunusualperturbationmadeheranxioustoknowthecause。Assoonasteawasover,Jackretiredwithgloomydignitytohisownroom,andFrank,castingawaythepaperhehadbeenpretendingtoread,burstoutwiththewholestory。Mrs。Minotwasasmuchsurprisedashe,butnotangry,because,likemostmothers,shewassurethathersonscouldnotdoanythingverybad。
　　"Iwillspeaktohim;myboywon'trefusetogivemesomeexplanation,"shesaid,whenFrankhadfreedhismindwithasmuchwarmthasifJackhadbrokenallthetencommandments。
　　"Hewill。Youoftencallmeobstinate,butheisaspig—headedasamule;Joeonlyknowswhathesaw,oldtell—tale！andJerryhaslefttown,orI'dhaveitoutofhim。MakeJackownup,whetherhecanornot。Littledonkey！"stormedFrank,whohatedrowdiesandcouldnotforgivehisbrotherforbeingseenwithone。
　　"Mydear,allboysdofoolishthingssometimes,eventheWisestandbestbehaved,sodon'tbehardonthepoorchild。Hehasgotintotrouble,I'venodoubt,butitcannotbeverybad,andheearnedthemoneytopayforhisprank,whateveritwas。"
　　Mrs。Minotlefttheroomasshespoke,andFrankcooleddownasifherwordshadbeenashower—bath,forherememberedhisowncostlyescapade,andhowkindlybothhismotherandJackhadstoodbyhimonthattryingoccasion。So,feelingratherremorseful,hewentofftotalkitoverwithGus,leavingJillinafeverofcuriosity,forMerryandMollyhaddroppedinontheirwayhometobreaktheblowtoher,andFrankdeclinedtodiscussitwithher,aftermildlystatingthatJackwas"aninny,"inhisopinion。
　　"Well,Iknowonething,"saidJillconfidentiallytoSnow—ball,whentheywereleftalonetogether,"ifeveryoneelseisscoldinghimIwon'tsayaword。It'ssomeantocrowoverpeoplewhentheyaredown,andI'msurehehasn'tdoneanythingtobeashamedof,thoughhewon'ttell。"
　　Snow—ballseemedtoagreetothis,forhewentandsatdownbyJack'sslipperswaitingforhimonthehearth,andJillthoughtthataverytouchingproofofaffectionatefidelitytothelittlemasterwhoruledthemboth。
　　Whenhecame,itwasevidentthathehadfoundithardertorefusehismotherthanalltherest。Butshetrustedhiminspiteofappearances,andthatwassuchacomfort！ForpoorJack'sheartwasveryfull,andhelongedtotellthewholestory,buthewouldnotbreakhispromise,andsokeptsilencebravely。Jillaskednoquestions,affectingtobeanxiousforthegamestheyalwaysplayedtogetherintheevening,butwhiletheyplayed,thoughthelipsweresealed,thebrighteyessaidasplainlyaswords,"Itrustyou,"andJackwasverygrateful。
　　Itwaswellhehadsomethingtocheerhimupathome,forhegotlittlepeaceatschool。HeborethegravelooksofMr。Actonmeekly,tooktheboys'jokesgood—naturedly,andwithstoodtheartfulteasingofthegirlswithpatientsilence。Butitwasveryhardforthesocial,affectionatefellowtobearthegeneraldistrust,forhehadbeensuchafavoritehefeltthechangekeenly。