to be disrespectful to his father, and he bore the
thunder with the certainty that it was transient; but in the mean time it was
disagreeable to see his mother cry, and also to be obliged to look sulky instead
of having fun; for Fred was so good-tempered that if he looked glum under
scolding, it was chiefly for propriety's sake. The easier course plainly, was to
renew the bill with a friend's signature. Why not? With the superfluous
securities of hope at his command, there was no reason why he should not have
increased other people's liabilities to any extent, but for the fact that men
whose names were good for anything were usually pessimists, indisposed to
believe that the universal order of things would necessarily be agreeable to an
agreeable young gentleman.
    With a favour to ask we review our list of friends, do justice to their more
amiable qualities, forgive their little offences, and concerning each in turn,
try to arrive at the conclusion that he will be eager to oblige us, our own
eagerness to be obliged being as communicable as other warmth. Still there is
always a certain number who are dismissed as but moderately eager until the
others have refused; and it happened that Fred checked off all his friends but
one, on the ground that applying to them would be disagreeable; being implicitly
convinced that he at least (whatever might be maintained about mankind
generally) had a right to be free from anything disagreeable. That he should
ever fall into a thoroughly unpleasant position - wear trousers shrunk with
washing, eat cold mutton, have to walk for want of a horse, or to »duck under«
in any sort of way - was an absurdity irreconcilable with those cheerful
intuitions implanted in him by nature. And Fred winced under the idea of being
looked down upon as wanting funds for small debts. Thus it came to pass that the
friend whom he chose to apply to was at once the poorest and the kindest -
namely, Caleb Garth.
    The Garths were very fond of Fred, as he was of them; for when he and
Rosamond were little ones, and the Garths were better off, the slight connection
between the two families through Mr. Featherstone's double marriage (the first
to Mr. Garth's sister, and the second to Mrs. Vincy's) had led to an
acquaintance which was carried on between the children rather than the parents:
the children drank tea together out of their toy tea-cups, and spent whole days
together in play. Mary was a little hoyden, and Fred at six