He took no part in the evening conversation, but sat in the shadow, so busy with his own thoughts that he scarcely seemed to hear what was going on.

When Mrs.Jo showed him an unusually good report in the Conscience Book, he looked at it without a smile, and said, wistfully, "You think I am getting on, don't you ?" "Excellently, Dan! and I am so pleased, because I always thought you only needed a little help to make you a boy to be proud of." He looked up at her with a strange expression in his black eyes an expression of mingled pride and love and sorrow which she could not understand then but remembered afterward.
"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, but I do try," he said, shutting the book with no sign of pleasure in the page that he usually liked so much to read over and talk about.
"Are you sick, dear ?" asked Mrs.Jo, with her hand on his shoulder.
"My foot aches a little; I guess I'll go to bed.

Good-night, mother," he added, and held the hand against his cheek a minute, then went away looking as if he had said good-bye to something dear.
"Poor Dan! he takes Nat's disgrace to heart sadly.

He is a strange boy; I wonder if I ever shall understand him thoroughly ?" said Mrs.Jo to herself, as she thought over Dan's late improvement with real satisfaction, yet felt that there was more in the lad than she had at first suspected.
One of things which cut Nat most deeply was an act of Tommy's, for after his loss Tommy had said to him, kindly, but firmly, "I don't wish to hurt you, Nat, but you see I can't afford to lose my money, so I guess we won't be partners any longer;" and with that Tommy rubbed out the sign, "T.

Bangs & Co." Nat had been very proud of the "Co.," and had hunted eggs industriously, kept his accounts all straight, and had added a good sum to his income from the sale of his share of stock in trade.
"O Tom! must you ?" he said, feeling that his good name was gone for ever in the business world if this was done.
"I must," returned Tommy, firmly.