And Tommy made it tighter, vowing, “I never meant it; I was a bad un to say it.  If Reddy were to come back wanting for to squeeze you out, I would send her packing quick, I would.  I tell yer what, I’ll kiss you with folk looking on, I will, and no be ashamed to do it, and if Shovel is one of them what sees me, and he puts his finger to his nose, I’ll blood the mouth of him, I will, dagont!”

Then he prayed for forgiveness, and he could always pray more beautifully than Elspeth.  Even she was satisfied with the way he did it, and so, alack, was he.

“But you forgot to tell,” she said fondly, when once more they were in the wardrobe together—­“you forgot to tell as you filled your pockets wif things to me.”

“I didn’t forget,” Tommy replied modestly.  “I missed it out, on purpose, I did, ’cos I was sure God knows on it without my telling him, and I thought he would be pleased if I didn’t let on as I knowed it was good of me.”

“Oh, Tommy,” cried Elspeth, worshipping him, “I couldn’t have doned that, I couldn’t!” She was barely six, and easily taken in, but she would save him from himself if she could.

CHAPTER IX

AULD LANG SYNE

What to do with her ladyship’s threepence?  Tommy finally decided to drop it into the charity-box that had once contained his penny.  They held it over the slit together, Elspeth almost in tears because it was such a large sum to give away, but Tommy looking noble he was so proud of himself; and when he said “Three!” they let go.

There followed days of excitement centred round their money-box.  Shovel introduced Tommy to a boy what said as after a bit you forget how much money was in your box, and then when you opened it, oh, Lor’! there is more than you thought, so he and Elspeth gave this plan a week’s trial, affecting not to know how much they had gathered, but when they unlocked it, the sum was still only eightpence; so then Tommy told the liar to come on, and they fought while the horrified Elspeth prayed, and Tommy licked him, a result due to one of the famous Thrums left-handers then on exhibition in that street for the first time, as taught the victor by Petey Whamond the younger, late of Tillyloss.

The money did come in, once in spate (twopence from Bob in twenty-four hours), but usually so slowly that they saw it resting on the way, and then, when they listened intently, they could hear the thud of Hogmanay.  The last halfpenny was a special aggravation, strolling about, just out of reach, with all the swagger of sixpence, but at last Elspeth had it, and after that, the sooner Hogmanay came the better.

They concealed their excitement under too many wrappings, but their mother suspected nothing.  When she was dressing on the morning of Hogmanay, her stockings happened to be at the other side of the room, and they were such a long way off that she rested on the way to them.  At the meagre breakfast she said what a heavy teapot that was, and Tommy thought this funny, but the salt had gone from the joke when he remembered it afterwards.  And when she was ready to go off to her work she hesitated at the door, looking at her bed and from it to her children as if in two minds, and then went quietly downstairs.