The Apricot Tree | Page 6

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 he had, I was so much frightened, and so surprised at him for stealing all your fruit. He besides ordered me not to tell what he had done, and bullied me a great deal about it, till at last I got away from him. I was too much afraid to tell you for a good while, but I could not bear that you should think I had been so very wicked; and at last I made up my mind to tell you exactly how it was.
"I know that I have been very wrong," continued Tom; "and that if it had not been for me the apricots would not have been stolen. I can't be more sorry than I am.