home again. She missed you very much, and she could not understand how you could have the heart to leave her."
At these words, which Matt delivered very seriously, the tears sprang into Tom Inwold's eyes. Evidently he was not hard-hearted, and had been led astray purely by bad associates.
"I—I wish I was back home again," he said in a low voice.
"You do not like being an auctioneer's helper, then?"
"No, I don't. I might like you, but Gissem and Fillow treat me awful."
"In what way!"
"Well, in the first place they don't half feed me, and then they don't pay me the wages they promised."
"What did they promise you?"
"Five dollars a week to start on, and ten dollars when I was worth it. I've been with them a long time, but I was never able to get a cent out of them."
"Supposing you had the money, would you go home?" asked Matt kindly, for he saw that the boy's better feelings had been touched.
"I don't know if I would dare. Ma might whip
