"The little girl in the story had to talk a good deal
more. Are you sure that you are going to be good now?"
Samuel could not keep back a smile. "Truly I will," he said.
"I guess you were brought up to be good," reflected the other. "I
don't think you were very bad, anyway. It must be very hard to be
starving."
"It is indeed," said the boy with conviction.
"I never heard of anyone starving before," went on the other. "If that
happened to people often, there'd be more burglars, I guess."
There was a pause. "What is your name?" asked the little girl. "Mine
is Ethel. And now I'll tell you what we'll do. My papa's on his way
home--his train gets here early in the morning. And you come up after
breakfast--I'll make him wait for you. And then you can tell it all to
him, and then you won't have any more troubles. Will you do that?"
"You think he won't be angry with me?" asked Samuel.
"No, I'm sure of it."
"And he won't want to have me arrested?"
"Oh, dear me!" exclaimed Ethel with an injured look. "Why, my papa
goes to see people in prison, and tries to help them get out! I'll
promise you, truly."
"Very well," said Samuel, "I'll come."
And so they parted. And Samuel found himself out upon the street
again, with the open sky above him, and a great hymn of relief and joy
in his soul. He was no longer a burglar!
CHAPTER XV
Samuel walked the streets all that night.
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