The Apricot Tree | Page 6

I read as fast as I can, to
get it the sooner over. Father commonly says, he's too tired to listen."
Ned said no more on the subject then; but when they had both done

work, he asked Tom if he would like to walk home with him, and look
at his garden.
Tom hesitated at first; there seemed to be something in the idea that
made him uncomfortable. But he had been gradually growing fond of
Ned, and Ned's account of the pleasures and comfort of his home had
made him wish to go there; so he told his companion that he would go
with him.
Ned's grandmother received the two boys very kindly, and gave them
some tea and bread and butter. Having learned from Tom that his
parents would not be uneasy at his absence, she asked him to stay with
them all the evening.
The next day Tom looked wistfully at Ned, as if he wished to go home
with him, but did not like to say anything about it. Ned observed this,
and told him that his grandmother had said he might come whenever he
liked.
"Then I'll go to-night," said Tom.
And accordingly he went home with Ned that evening, and almost
every evening afterwards for some time. He helped Ned to work in his
garden, and took a part in all his other employments. Ned always read
the Bible after tea, which Tom at first thought very tiresome; and he
would not have stayed, had he not wished for Ned's company
afterwards to walk part of the way back with him to the village; but
soon he became so much interested in what he heard read, as well as by
the improving and interesting conversation of Ned's grandmother, that
he looked forward to the evening's reading as one of the pleasantest
events of the day.
One afternoon, as the two boys were digging a bed in the garden, Tom
said to his companion--
"I have long been going to tell you of something that makes me very
uncomfortable; but I have never yet had courage to do it. I know you
think that I stole your apricots, don't you?"

Ned did not immediately reply. His good-nature made him unwilling to
own that he did suspect Tom; and he could not tell an untruth, by
saying that he did not suspect him.
"Well," continued Tom, "I am sure you must; and I do not wonder at it.
Now the truth is, that when you told me about your apricots, I thought
to myself that I would come when it was dusk, and take two or three of
them just to eat, thinking that you would not miss such a small number.
But I did not like to go by myself; so I asked Fred Morris if he would
go with me. He said, 'O yes; he would go anywhere, or do anything, to
get some apricots.' He did not know of your tree, he added; or he
should have paid it a visit before. I began to be sorry I had told him,
and made him promise that he would not take more than three. When it
got dark, and we were set out, I felt that I was doing very wrong. I
wished to turn back; but Fred would not let me. He said I need not take
any fruit myself if I wanted to back out; but that if I did not go with
him to show him the tree, he would beat me within an inch of my life.
So we came to the wicket together; it was fastened, and we clambered
over the hedge. Fred had a large basket with him, which I had several
times asked him about, and tried to make him say what he brought it
for. He told me that I should see when the time came. As soon as he got
to the tree, he began gathering the apricots as fast as he could, and
putting them into his basket. I tried to hinder him, and said I would
shout and wake you; but he declared that, if I did, he would kill me;
and you know, Ned, he is nearly twice as big as I am, and terribly
violent; so all I could do was to hold my tongue, and let him alone. Just
as we were going away, he caught up a saw that was lying in the garden,
and spoiled the tree with it. I do believe he did this just for the love of
mischief, or maybe partly to spite me, because I had told him not to
steal all the apricots. He would not let me have one for my share;
though I do not think I could have eaten it if