THE LAST PENNY. 21

 

“It was kind in you to deny yourself.
for Lizzy’s sake.”

This was said in an approving voice, and
added another pleasurable emotion to those
he was already feeling. The mother sat
down, and, for a few moments, enjoyed the
sight of her sick child, as with unabated
eagerness she continued to extract the re-
freshing juice from the fruit. When she
went down-stairs, and resumed her house-
hold duties, her heart beat more lightly in
her bosom than it had beaten for a long time.

Not once through that whole day did
Thomas Claire feel the want of his pipe ;
for the thought of the orange kept his
mind in so pleased a state, that a mere
sensual desire like that for a whiff of to-
bacco had no power over him.

Thinking of the orange, of course, brought
other thoughts; and before the day closed,
Claire had made a calculation of how much
his beer and tobacco money would amount
to in a year. The sum astonished him.
He paid rent for the littlé house in which