, and as he went about making ready for sleep he
discussed his plans aloud.

"I'll go into business, just as sure as you live, I will. I'll keep a
hotel myself; I'll begin to-morrow; I'll have cakes and pies and
crackers and wine. Oh bless me, no, I can't have wine, but coffee.
_Jolly_, I can make tall coffee, I can, and that's what I'll have
_prezactly_. This ten dollar patch will buy a whole stock of goodies,
and I won't clerk it another day, _see_ if I do."

By and by he quieted down, so that by the time his candle was blown out
and he was settled for the night, graver thoughts began to come.

"'Tain't right to steal," he said aloud. "I know 'tain't right, 'cause a
fellow always feels mean and sneaking after it, and 'cause he's so awful
afraid of being found out. When I've done a nice decent thing, I don't
care whether I'm found out or not; but then I didn't steal. I didn't go
into his pocket-book, it blew down to me--no fault of mine; all I did
was just to pick a piece of paper off the floor, no harm in that. How
did _I_ know it was worth anything? What's the use of me thinking about
it anyhow? He'll never miss it in the world; he's rich--my! as rich as
the President."

Tode turned uneasily on his pillow, shut his eyes very tight, and
pretended to himself that he was asleep. No use, they flew open again.
He began to grow indignant.

"I hope I'll never have another ten dollars as long as I live, if it's
got to make all this fuss!" he said in a disgusted tone. "I wish I'd
never picked up his old rag--I don't like the feeling of it. I didn't
steal it, that's sure; but I've got it, and I wish I hadn't."

"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the
good." That verse again, coming back to him with great force, beholding
the evil and the good. Which was this? Was it good? Tode's uneducated,
undisciplined conscience had to say nay to this. Well, then, was it
evil?

"I feel mean," he said, reflectively. "As mean as a thief, pretty near.
I wouldn't like to have anybody know it. I wouldn't tell of it for
anything. S'pose I go down there to that prayer-meeting and tell it.
Would I do _it_? No, _sir_--'cause why? I'm ashamed of it. But then I
didn't _steal_ it; I didn't even know it was money. Oh bah! Tode Mall,
don't you try to pull wool over your own eyes that way. Didn't you
s'pose it was, and would you have took the trouble to get it if you
hadn't s'posed so? Come now. And then see here, I wo