A Final Reckoning | Page 9

one of
the tradesmen in Lewes may be a help. In the meantime, that is not
what I have specially come about. Young Finch, who looks to my
garden, is going to leave; and if you like, your boy can have the place.

My gardener knows his business thoroughly, and the boy can learn
under him. I will pay him five shillings a week. It will break him into
work a little, and he is getting rather old for the school now. I have
spoken to Shrewsbury, and he says that, if the boy is disposed to go on
studying in the evening, he will direct his work and help him on."
"Thank you kindly, sir," Mrs. Whitney said. "I think it will just be the
thing, for a year or so, before he is apprenticed. He was saying only last
night that he was the biggest boy in the school; and though I know he
likes learning, he would like to be helping me, and feels somehow that
it isn't right that he should be going on schooling, while all the other
boys at his age are doing something. Not that I want him to earn money,
for the shop keeps us both; but it's what he thinks about it."
"That's natural enough, Mrs. Whitney, and anything the boy earns with
me, you see, you can put by, and it will come in useful to him some
day."
Reuben was glad when he heard of the arrangement; for although, as
his mother had said, he was fond of school, he yet felt it as a sort of
reproach that, while others of his age were earning money, he should be
doing nothing. He accepted the offer of the schoolmaster to continue to
work at his studies in the evening, and in a week he was installed in
Tom Finch's place.
The arrangement was not the squire's original idea, but that of his
younger daughter, who felt a sort of proprietary interest in Reuben;
partly because her evidence had cleared him of the accusation of
breaking the windows, partly because he had broken in the pony for her;
so when she heard that the boy was leaving, she had at once asked her
father that Reuben should take his place.
"I think he is a good boy, papa," she said; "and if he was clever enough
to break in my pony, I am sure he will be clever enough to wheel the
wheelbarrow and pull weeds."
"I should think he would, lassie," her father said, laughing, "although it
does not exactly follow. Still, if you guarantee that he is a good boy, I

will see about it."
"Mamma doesn't think he is a very good boy," Kate said; "but you see,
papa, mamma is a woman, and perhaps she doesn't understand boys
and girls as well as I do. I think he's good, and he told me he never told
stories."
The squire laughed.
"I don't know what your mamma would say to that, puss; nor whether
she would agree that you understand boys and girls better than she does.
However, I will take your opinion this time, and give Reuben a
chance."
The subject was not mentioned again in Kate's hearing, but she was
greatly pleased, one morning, at seeing Reuben at work in the gardens.
"Good morning, Reuben," she said.
"Good morning, miss," he replied, touching his hat.
"I am glad you have come in Tom's place, and I hope you will be good,
and not get into scrapes, for I told papa I thought you would not; and
you see, if you do, he will turn round and blame me."
"I will try not to get into scrapes, Miss Kate," Reuben said. "I don't do
it often, you know, and I don't think there will be much chance of it,
here."
Kate nodded and walked on, and Reuben went about his work.
There was, however, much more opportunity for getting into scrapes
than Reuben imagined, although the scrapes were not of the kind he
had pictured. Being naturally careless, he had not been there a week
before, in his eagerness to get home to a particularly interesting book,
he forgot to carry out his orders to shut the cucumber frames and, a
sharp frost coming on in the night, the plants were all killed; to the
immense indignation of the gardener, who reported the fact, with a very

serious face, to the squire.
"I am afraid that boy will never do, squire. Such carelessness I never
did see, and them plants was going on beautifully."
"Confound the young rascal!" the squire said wrathfully, for he was
fond of cucumbers. "I will speak to him myself. This sort of thing will
never do."
And accordingly, the squire spoke somewhat sharply to