Chapter 5 - Page 2

"I'm hunting for the Greek for awful whopper," Morgan dropped.

"Find that rather for gross impertinence and disabuse your mind. What do
I want of money?"

"Oh that's another question!"

Pemberton wavered--he was drawn in different ways. The severely correct
thing would have been to tell the boy that such a matter was none of his
business and bid him go on with his lines. But they were really too
intimate for that; it was not the way he was in the habit of treating
him; there had been no reason it should be. On the other hand Morgan had
quite lighted on the truth--he really shouldn't be able to keep it up
much longer; therefore why not let him know one's real motive for
forsaking him? At the same time it wasn't decent to abuse to one's pupil
the family of one's pupil; it was better to misrepresent than to do that.
So in reply to his comrade's last exclamation he just declared, to
dismiss the subject, that he had received several payments.

"I say--I say!" the boy ejaculated, laughing.

"That's all right," Pemberton insisted. "Give me your written
rendering."

Morgan pushed a copybook across the table, and he began to read the page,
but with something running in his head that made it no sense. Looking up
after a minute or two he found the child's eyes fixed on him and felt in
them something strange. Then Morgan said: "I'm not afraid of the stern
reality."

"I haven't yet seen the thing you _are_ afraid of--I'll do you that
justice!"

This came out with a jump--it was perfectly true--and evidently gave
Morgan pleasure. "I've thought of it a long time," he presently resumed.

"Well, don't think of it any more."

The boy appeared to comply, and they had a comfortable and even an
amusing hour. They had a theory that they were very thorough, and yet
they seemed always to be in the amusing part of lessons, the intervals
between the dull dark tunnels, where there were waysides and jolly views.
Yet the morning was brought to a violent as end by Morgan's suddenly
leaning his arms on the table, burying his head in them and bursting into
tears: at which Pemberton was the more startled that, as it then came
over him, it was the first time he had ever seen the boy cry and that the
impression was consequently quite awful.

The next day, after much thought, he took a decision and, believing it to
be just, immediately acted on it. He cornered Mr. and Mrs. Moreen again
and let them know that if on the spot they didn't pay him all they owed
him he wouldn't only leave their house but would tell Morgan exactly what
had brought him to it.

"Oh you _haven't_ told