I left after promising to spend the afternoon with him, and went with the other boys to church. Geordie and Hosea were late dressing, and were left to follow. What was my astonishment, when they did walk in, to see Geordie wearing Hosea's fine new overcoat he brought from home after Christmas,--a coat spun, dyed, woven and made by his mother. Hosea wore the shiny, too-large one which we had given Geordie from the barrels. During service Geordie, with hair plastered down and eyes on the ceiling, sang hymns more loudly than ever. "Why do you wear Hosea's overcoat?" I demanded, as soon as we were out in the road. "Him and me's swapped," he replied, carefully avoiding the word "traded"; "I never wanted to do it, did I, Hose?" "Why was it done, then,--you seem to have decidedly the best of the bargain." "You haint seed the boot he got," replied Geordie, calmly. "Show her that 'ere watch and chain, Hose." Hosea drew from his pocket a battered nickel watch, which Geordie held toward me with the air of a connoisseur. "That 'ere's a three-dollar-and-ninety-five-cent watch," he said; "I got it a-Christmas on Bald Eagle, off of Johnny Miles, that just come home from the Penitentiary." "Did you pay him that much for it?" "No'm,--he was offering it around for that,--I got it a little-grain cheaper." "How much cheaper?" "Well, I paid him forty cents spot-cash for it,--he was a-needing money." "And you call that a fair trade,--your old worn coat and a forty-cent watch for his nice new coat his mother made?" "It's a three-dollar-and-ninety-five-cent watch, Miss Loring," Geordie repeated, patiently: "_And_, been in the Penitentiary!" This failing to enhance its value in my eyes, he added, "And that haint all,--just cast your eye on that chain!" The chain was a flimsy affair of two brass wires, on which were strung at intervals three battered objects which I at last recognized as dice. "Them 'ere," said Geordie impressively, "is able to make a living for a man all by theirselves. I seed Johnny Miles make a dollar'n' a quarter in five minutes, a-flingin' 'em. And when Hose heared about it, he said he were bound to have 'em. And thaint nary nother boy on Perilous I'd a-_let_ have 'em; but Hose he's such a _good_ boy, and so peaceable, and never does no meanness, and allus minds you, and knows his books, and gits up in time of a morning, I felt like I _ought_ to prosper him if I could. So I told him all right, to take them dice and buy him a hundred overcoats if he wanted!" "How did you come to part with them if they are so valuable?" "Oh, I got t'other set Johnny sold me," replied Geordie, comfortably, "I aim to quit trading now, like you want,--yes, I give you my hand I haint going to trade nary nother time! And I writ maw last night I seed my way clear now to come to Virginia this summer, and see her and the world, and ride on the railroad train!"