Tom tried to act indifferent, but then he ran and took the flower between his toes when he was sure that the girl was gone.

He stayed around the house for the rest of the evening, hoping to see the girl again, but she did not return, so he went back home.

Tom was so happy with his new love that he even wasn’t offended when Aunt Polly accused him of stealing sugar. (Actually, Sid had committed this crime). When the old lady shouted at him and hit him he cried:

‘Sid was stealing sugar and brought the sugar-bowl!’

Aunt Polly stopped, embarrassed and only said:

‘I’m sure you have done something wrong, only I don’t know what it was!’

On Sunday after breakfast Tom went to learn ‘his verses’ from the Bible. Sid had learned his lesson days before. At the end of half an hour Tom had a general idea of his lesson, but no more.

Mary, his elder cousin, promised to give him a present if he learned the lesson well.

That made Tom do his best – and be a success. So Mary gave him a new knife worth twelve and a half cents. Although the knife could not cut anything, Tom was delighted. He was going to try the knife on the furniture when he was called off to dress for Sunday-school.

Mary took care of the process. She made Tom put on a suit that had been used only on Sundays during two years. He now looked much better and felt very uncomfortable. He hoped that Mary would forget his shoes, but she asked Tom to put them on:

‘Please, Tom – be a good boy.’

So he got into the shoes. Mary was soon ready, and the three children went to Sunday-school – a place that Tom hated with his whole heart; but Sid and Mary were fond of it.

At the door Tom asked another pupil:

‘I say, Billy, have you got a yellow ticket?’

‘Yes.’

‘What’ll you take for it?’

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