"I do understand," replied Franklin, pointedly.
And without another word he walked out of the shop and up the street.
His mind was in a whirl, and he took no notice of where he was going, until he found himself on a country road some distance from the city. Coming to a sunny spot, he threw himself on some piled-up logs and gave himself up to bitter meditations.
How brief had been his brightest hopes! He had gone to work for Silas Fells in the early morning full of ambition, and here it was not yet noon, and he was in the sorest trouble of his life.
He wondered what his uncle and aunt and cousins would say when they heard of it. Would they blame him, or would their hearts be full of nothing but sympathy?
And then, the money! He had intended to hand his Aunt Martha every dollar he earned, and now he would not be able to give her a cent.
He sat for a long time without moving, It came twelve o'clock, and he heard the distant bells and factory whistles announce the mid-day hour. But he had not the heart to go home and face those who loved him. The slightest unkind word from any of them he felt would cut like a knife, and he was afraid to risk it.
Besides, he could not have eaten a mouthful. He felt half choked now, right here in the open air, and he had taken off his tie and loosed his collar, despite the cold air.
