"Yes, but it came near turning out otherwise. I would like to tell you about it."
"Do so," said Mr. Cameron, kindly. "I shall be interested in whatever affects you."
Herbert gave an account of Squire Leech"s attempts to get possession of their cottage.
"But for that letter of Aunt Nancy"s," he concluded, "we should have been obliged to part with our house."
"For the paltry sum of twenty-two dollars and a half?"
"It wasn"t paltry to us."
"No, to be sure. Why didn"t you tell me this morning? I would have lent you the money."
"You would?" exclaimed Herbert.
"With pleasure."
"Thank you, Mr. Cameron," said our hero; "but I shouldn"t have dared to ask such a favor of a stranger."
"I must tell you that this Squire Leech has probably taken advantage of your ignorance of business. I don"t know exactly how the law is in this State, but I presume that, so far from the squire being authorized to take immediate possession of your place, he would be obliged to give legal notice of sale, on foreclosure of mortgage, by advertis.e.m.e.nt in some weekly paper. This would allow of sale at auction to the highest bidder."
"I didn"t know that; I supposed the squire could order us out immediately and take possession."
"Squire Leech certainly knew better than that, but he evidently wanted to frighten your mother into selling to him at a sacrifice."
"That was mean," said Herbert, indignantly, "and he a rich man, too."
"I quite agree with you," said Mr. Cameron. "If you have any further difficulty with this grasping capitalist, come to me and I will give you the best advice I can."
"I will, Mr. Cameron, and thank you for your advice. You have relieved my mind. I will tell mother what you say. What would you like to have me read first?"
"We will put off the reading for a short time. I want to ask you a few more questions about yourself, not out of curiosity, but because I may, if I understand your circ.u.mstances, some time have it in my power to serve you."
"Thank you, sir. I shall be very glad to tell you anything. I was afraid you would not feel interested."
"You are my private secretary now and that insures my interest. How long since did your father die?"
"A little over a year."
"What was his business?"
"When he was a young man he was employed in a manufactory near Providence, but the confinement injured his health and he learned the carpenter"s trade."
"I shouldn"t think there would be much for a carpenter to do in a small village like this."
"My father managed to make a comfortable living but that was all. At the time he died, he considered that our house was mortgaged for only half its value, but Squire Leech thinks otherwise."
"Squire Leech wants to get possession of your place. So that was all your father was able to leave you?"
"No, not quite all; there was something else which father seemed to think was worth something, but I am afraid it will never do us any good."
"What is that?" asked Mr. Cameron.
"He was at work in his leisure for the last two years of his life on an invention."
"An invention! Of what nature?"
"You know I told you he was employed in a cotton manufactory when a young man. This made him familiar with spinning and weaving. He thought he could make an improvement in some of the machinery used and he worked out his idea in a wooden model."
"Have you the model?" asked Cameron, with interest.
"Yes, sir, and also a written paper describing the invention. A few days before he died father called me to his bedside and told me that he wanted me some day to show his invention to a manufacturer and get his opinion of it. He said that he hoped some time it would be a source of profit to mother and myself."
"Have you ever done as he advised?" asked Cameron.
"I have never had opportunity. There is no manufacturing town near here and I cannot afford to travel."
"I am myself the son of a cotton manufacturer," said Cameron, "and, though I have never been employed in the business, I have from my boyhood been accustomed to visit my father"s factory. My opinion may be worth something, therefore. If you are willing to show me your father"s model--"
"I shall be very much obliged to you if you will look at it," said Herbert. "I have been afraid that father exaggerated its value and that it might have defects which would prevent its being adopted anywhere."
"I will give you my opinion when I have seen it. And now suppose we set to work. Here is a treatise on logic. You may begin and read it very slowly, pausing at the end of every paragraph till I tell you to go on."
Herbert began to read as he had been requested. For the first two or three times he took very little interest in his subject and thought it very dry. In fact, it was not all he began to re-read the earlier portions that he could comprehend much of it.
"Now," said Cameron, after he had read half an hour, "I have something else for you to do. You are not only my reader, but I must make you my teacher, too."
Herbert laughed, saying: "I think you"ll have to get somebody that knows more than I, then; I wouldn"t venture to teach a college student."
"I mean that you shall hear my lessons. I want you to imagine yourself a college professor and ask me questions on what you have just read."
"Do you think I can?"
"You may bungle a little at first, but you"ll improve. If you do well, when I get through with you I will try to get you a professor"s chair at some college."
"I should like that, if professors get well paid."
"They generally get more than five dollars a week; but that is all that I can afford to pay at present." "I"m only an apprentice," said Herbert smiling, "and am quite satisfied."
Herbert began to question Cameron on what he had been reading. He did not find it altogether easy, partly from want of practice, partly because the subject was one he knew nothing about. But whenever blunders were made Cameron laughed good-naturedly and the young professor joined in the merriment.
"We"ll take political economy next," said the student. "You won"t find that so dry as logic."
Though political economy is generally studied in the junior or senior year at college, its principles, if familiarly ill.u.s.trated, are not beyond the comprehension of a boy of fifteen. He found himself reading with interest, and when he came to act the role of professor he acquitted himself more creditably than with logic.
"I think," said Cameron, "I shall recommend you for the chair of political economy."
"I like it much better," said Herbert.