Poor child!  His feeble frame had been fearfully over-tasked, and so the heat of the fire and the stillness of the room, both acting upon his exhausted nature, sent him also to sleep, and he was soon nodding.

He was aroused by the voice of Hannah, who had quietly awakened.

“Is that you, Ishmael?” she said.

“Yes, aunt,” he exclaimed, starting up with a jerk and rubbing his eyes; “and I have got the tea and things; and the kettle is boiling; but I thought I wouldn’t set the tea to draw until you woke up, for fear it should be flat.”

“Come here, my child,” said Hannah, in a kindly voice, for you see the woman had had a good sleep and had awakened much refreshed, with calmer nerves and consequently better temper.

“Come to me, Ishmael,” repeated Hannah; for the boy had delayed obeying long enough to set the tea to draw, and cut a slice of bread and set it down to toast.

When Ishmael went to her she raised herself up, took his thin face between her hands and gazed tenderly into it, saying: 

“I was cross to you, my poor lad, this morning; but, oh, Ishmael, I felt so badly I was not myself.”

“I know that, Aunt Hannah; because when you are well you are always good to me; but let me run and turn your toast now, or it will burn; I will come back to you directly.”  And the practical little fellow flew off to the fireplace, turned the bread and flew back to Hannah.

“But where did you get the tea, my child?” she inquired.

Ishmael told her all about it in a few words.

“And so you walked all the way back again to Baymouth, tired and hungry as you were; and you sold your precious book, much as you loved it, all to get tea for me!  Oh, my boy, my boy, how unjust I have been to you!  But I am so glad Mr. Middleton bought it back and gave it to you again!  And the pocketbook was his! and you gave it to him and would not take any reward for finding it!  That was right, Ishmael; that was right!  And it seems to me that every good thing you have ever got in this world has come through your own right doing,” was the comment of Hannah upon all this.

“Well, aunt, now the tea is drawn and the toast is ready, let me fix it on the stand for you,” said Ishmael, hurrying off to perform this duty.

That evening Hannah enjoyed her tea and dry toast only as a woman long debarred from these feminine necessaries could enjoy them.

When Ishmael also had had his supper and had cleared away the tea service, he took down his book, lighted his little bit of candle, and—­as his aunt was in a benignant humor, he went to her for sympathy in his studies—­saying: 

“Now, aunt, don’t mope and pine any more!  George Washington didn’t, even when the army was at Valley Forge and the snow was so deep and the soldiers were barefooted!  Let me read you something out of my book to amuse you!  Come, now, I’ll read to you what General Marion did when—­”