d, by the low murmuring
which Dick heard, to be talking to a dear friend; and though at first he
sobbed and cried, as he asked for help and strength, yet when he got up,
his face looked calm and bright, and he spoke quietly as he said to
Dick, "Now I'm ready to go and tell aunt."

"Aunt" meanwhile had missed her pitcher and her soap, and was in no
good-tempered mood when Tom came to make his confession. She had been
hindered in her morning's work by his taking her things away; and now he
was come to tell her of the pane being broken and that it must be
mended, and money must go all for a child's nonsense.

She gave him (as he had been led to expect) one or two very sharp blows.
Jack and Dick looked on with curiosity, to see how he would take it;
Jack, at any rate, expecting a hearty crying from "softy" (Jack himself
had cried loudly at his last beating), but Tom never shed a tear, though
his face did go very red, and his mouth did grow set with the pain. But
what struck the boys more even than his being "hard" in bearing such
blows, was his quietness afterwards. He did not grumble loudly, as Jack
would have done, nor did he turn sullen, as was Dick's custom; but the
minute afterwards he was ready to run an errand for his aunt; nor did he
make any mention of the hard blows, when his uncle came in to breakfast,
as his aunt had rather expected he would. She was glad he did not, for
she knew her husband would have been displeased to know how early she
had begun to beat his orphan nephew. So she almost felt grateful to Tom
for his silence, and certainly began to be sorry she had struck him so
hard.

Poor Tom! he did not know that his cousins were beginning to respect
him, nor that his aunt was learning to like him; and he felt very lonely
and desolate that first morning. He had nothing to do. Jack went to work
at the factory; and Dick went grumbling to school. Tom wondered if he
was to go to school again, but he did not like to ask. He sat on a
little stool, as much out of his terrible aunt's way as he could. She
had her youngest child, a little girl of about a year and a half old,
crawling about on the floor. Tom longed to play with her; but he was not
sure how far his aunt would like it. But he kept smiling at her, and
doing every little thing he could to attract her attention and make her
come to him. At last she was coaxed to come upon his knee. His aunt saw
it, and though she did not speak, she did not look displeased