perhaps on this dark evening there could scarcely be found in all london three more unhappy creatures than those who crouched round the empty grate in tom's attic. in truth, over this poor attic rested a cloud too heavy for man to lift, and good and bad angels were drawing near to witness the issues of victory or defeat.
"we'll get into bed," said tom, looking drearily round the supperless, fireless room. "pepper," he continued as he pressed his arms round his little brother, "should yer mind werry much going to the work'us arter h'all?"
"oh, yes, yes, tom! oh, tom! ef they took me from yer, i'd die."
"but ef we both went, pepper?"
"what 'ud come o' trusty?" asked pepper.[pg 205]
"i doesn't know the ways of work'uses," said tom, speaking half to himself. "maybe they'll take h'in the h'old dog. ef you and i were to beg of 'em a little 'ard, they might take h'in old trusty, pepper."
"but i doesn't want to go to no work'us," whispered pepper.
"i only says perhaps, pepper," answered poor tom. "i'd 'ate to go."
"well, don't let's think of it," said pepper, putting up his lips to kiss tom. "yer'll be better in the morning, tom; and, tom," he added, half-timidly, half-exultantly, "i've been real sperrited h'all day. pat came in and began to talk 'bout dear trusty, but i flew at him, i boxed im right up h'in the ear, tom."
"did yer really?" answered tom, laughing, and forgetting the pain in his ankle for the moment.
"yes, and 'e's nothink but a coward, tom, fur 'e just runned away. i'll never be a hen-e-ry to him no more," added the little boy with strong emphasis.[pg 206]
"no; yer a real nice, peppery young 'un," said tom, "and i'm proud o' yer; but now go to sleep, young 'un, for i 'as a deal to think about."
"'ow's the pain, tom?"
"werry 'ot and fiery like; but maybe 'twill be better in the morning."
"good-night, tom," said pepper, creeping closer into his arms.
under the sweet influence of tom's praise, resting in peace in the delicious words that tom was proud of him, poor hungry little pepper was soon enjoying dreamless slumber. but not so tom himself.
tom had gone through a hard day's work. he was tired, aching in every limb, but no kind sleep would visit that weary little body or troubled mind. his sprained ankle hurt him sadly, but his mental anxiety made him almost forget his bodily suffering. dark indeed was the cloud that rested on tom.
his sprained ankle was bad enough—for how, with that swollen and aching foot, could he go out to sweep his crossing to-morrow?[pg 207] and if the little breadwinner was not at his crossing, where would the food come from for pepper and trusty? this was a dark cloud, but, dark as it was, it might be got over. tom knew nothing of the tedious and lingering pain which a sprain may cause; he quite believed that a day's rest in bed would make his foot all right, and for that one day while he was in bed, they three—he, pepper, and trusty—might manage not quite to starve, on the pence which were over from that day's earnings. yes, through this cloud could be seen a possible glimmer of light. but the cloud that rested behind it! oh, was there any possible loophole of escape out of that difficulty?
tom had told nothing of this greater anxiety to pepper. nay, while pepper was awake he tried to push it away even from his own mental vision. but now, in the night watches, he pulled it forward and looked at it steadily. in truth, as the poor little boy looked, he felt almost in despair. since his mother's death he had managed to support his little household, and not only to support them, but to keep them[pg 208] out of debt. no honorable man of the world could keep more faithfully the maxim, "owe no man anything, but to love one another," than did this little crossing sweeper. but now, suddenly, a debt, a debt the existence of which he had never suspected, stared him in the face.
his mother had borrowed a shilling from mrs. finnahan. mrs. finnahan required that shilling back again.
if that enormous sum—twelve whole pennies—was not forthcoming by to-morrow, he and pepper and trusty would find themselves homeless—homeless in mid-winter in the london streets. tom knew well that mrs. finnahan would keep her word; that nothing, no pleading language, no entreating eyes, would induce mrs. finnahan to alter her cruel resolve. no; into the streets they three must go. tom did not mind the streets so very much for himself, he was accustomed to them, at least all day long. but poor little, tender, delicate pepper, and old broken-down trusty! very, very soon, those friendless, cold, desolate streets would kill pepper and trusty.[pg 209]
as tom thought of it scalding drops filled his brave, bright eyes and rolled down his cheeks. it was a moonlight night, and its full radiance had filled the little attic for an hour or more; but now the moon was hidden behind a bank of cloud, and in the dark came to little tom the darker temptation. no way out of his difficulty? yes, there were two ways. he might sell trusty to pat finnahan for a shilling—it was far, far better to part with trusty than to let pepper die in the london streets; or he might keep the old gentleman's shilling and never bring him back the tenpence he had promised to return to-morrow morning.
by one or other of these plans he might save pepper from either dying or going to the workhouse. as he thought over them both, the latter plan presented itself as decidedly the most feasible. both his pride and his love revolted against the first. part with trusty? how he had blamed pepper when he had even hinted at trusty being in the way! how very, very much his mother had loved trusty! how, even when she was dying, she had begged[pg 210] of them both never to forsake the faithful old dog! oh, he could not part with the dog! if for no other reason, he loved him too much himself.
at this moment, as though to strengthen him in his resolve, trusty, who from hunger and cold was by no means sleeping well, left his place at the little boy's feet and came up close to tom; lying down by tom's side, he put his paws on his shoulders and licked his face with his rough tongue; and also, just then, as though further to help trusty in his unconscious pleading for his own safety, the moon came out from behind the cloud, shedding its white light full on the boy and the dog; and oh! how pleading, how melting, how full of tenderness did that one remaining eye of trusty's look to tom as he gazed at him. clasping his arms tightly round the old dog's neck, tom firmly determined that happen what would, he must never part from trusty.
he turned his mind now resolutely to the other plan, the one remaining loophole out of his despair. need he give back that change to the old man?[pg 211]
that was the question.
the money he had pleaded so earnestly for still lay unbroken in his pocket; for immediately after it had been given to him, fortune seemed to turn in his favor, and other people had become not quite so stony-hearted, and a few pence had fallen to his share. with two or three pence he had bought himself some dinner, and he had brought threepence back, for pepper's use and his own.
yes, the shilling was still unbroken—and that shilling, just that one shilling, would save them all.
but—the old gentleman had trusted him—the old gentleman had said:
"i never trusted a crossing-sweeper before. i am going to trust you."
and tom had promised him. tom had pledged his word to bring him back tenpence to-morrow morning.
strange as it may seem—incomprehensible to many who judge them by no high standard—here was a little crossing-sweeper who had never told a lie in his life. here, lying on[pg 212] this trundle-bed, in this poor room, rested as honorable a little heart as ever beat in human breast; he could not do a mean act; he could not betray his trust and break his word.
what would his mother say could she look down from heaven and find out that her tom had told a lie? no, not even to save trusty and pepper would he do this mean, mean thing. but he was very miserable, and in his misery and despair he longed so much for sympathy that he was fain at last to wake pepper.
"pepper," he said, "we never said no prayers to-night; fold yer 'ands, pepper, and say 'our father' right away."
"our father chart heaven," began pepper, folding his hands as he was bidden, and gazing up with his great dark eyes at the moon, "hallowed be thy name ... thy kingdom come ... thy will be done in earth h'as 'tis in heaven ... give us this day h'our daily bread ... and furgive us h'our trespasses h'as we furgive ... h'and lead us not into temptation——"[pg 213]
"yer may shut up there, pepper," interrupted tom; "go to sleep now, young 'un. i doesn't want no more."
"yes," added tom, a few moments later, "that was wot i needed. i won't do neither o' them things. our father, lead us not inter temptation. our father, please take care on me, and pepper, and trusty."
