“O, we were out long ago,” said David, who could not help smiling at the mistake Silas made in supposing that tea, coffee and sugar appeared on his mother’s table every day.  “We haven’t had any in our house for almost a month.”

“Is that so?” exclaimed the grocer, “Then I’ll put up some for you, and lend you a basket to carry it home in.”

David leaned upon the counter and began a little problem in mental arithmetic, with the view of ascertaining how much of his money it would take to keep his mother supplied with the luxuries the grocer had mentioned for one month, and how much he would have left to invest in clothing for her; but before the problem was solved the grocer had placed three neat packages, good-sized ones, too, on the counter, and was looking for a basket to put them in.

“Now, then,” said he, briskly, “what next?  A dress for mother or a pair of shoes for yourself?  The mornings are getting to be pretty cold now, and you can’t run around barefooted much longer.  Ah, Dan! how do you do?”

David looked up and was surprised to see his brother standing by his side.  He was surprised, too, to notice that the grocer greeted him almost as cordially as he had greeted himself but a few minutes before.  David was not glad that he was there, for the expression on Dan’s face told him that he had seen and heard more than he had any business to know.  David made haste to finish his trading after that, and when he had purchased a dress and a pair of shoes for his mother, and a pair of shoes and stockings for himself, he handed out his ten-dollar bill in payment.  Dan’s eyes seemed ready to start from their sockets at the sight of it.

“Never mind that, now,” said the grocer, pushing it back.  “Perhaps you will need it some day and I can wait six months, if you are not ready to settle up before.”

Dan’s eyes opened still wider, and when his brother, after thanking the grocer for his kindness and confidence, gathered up his purchases and left the store, he followed slowly after him, so wholly lost in wonder that he never recollected that he had six dollars in his own pocket, and that he had come there to spend the best part of five of it.  He walked along at a little distance behind his brother, looking thoughtfully at the ground all the while, as if he were revolving some perplexing question in his mind, and then quickened his pace to overtake him.

“Le’ me carry some of them things,” said he, as he came up with David.

“No, I thank you,” replied the latter, who knew that Dan never would have offered to help him, if he had not hoped to gain something by it.  “I can get along very well by myself.  The load is not a heavy one.”

“You’re an amazin’ lucky feller, Davy,” continued Dan.  “What you been a doin’ to Silas, to make him speak so kind to us poor folks?”

“I haven’t done anything to him.  I don’t know how to account for it, any more than you do.”