"I consider you a real friend to Hugh," said Mrs Proctor, one day, when they three were together. "I have dreaded seeing my boy capable only of a short effort of courage;--bearing pain of body and mind well while everybody was sorry for him, and ready to praise him; and then failing in the long trial afterwards. When other people are leaving off being sorry for him, you continue your concern for him, and still remind him not to fail." "Would not it be a pity, ma'am," said Holt, earnestly, "would it not be a pity for him to fail when he bore everything so well at first, and when he helped me so that I don't know what I should have done without him? He made me write to Mr Tooke, and so got me out of debt; and a hundred times, I am sure, the thought of him and his secret has put spirit into me. It would be a pity if he should fail without knowing it, for want of somebody to put him in mind. He might so easily think he was bearing it all well, as long as he could talk about his foot, and make a joke of being lame, when, all the while, he might be losing his temper in other ways." "Why, how true that is!" exclaimed Hugh. "I was going to ask if I was ever cross about being lame: but I know I am about other things, because I am worried about that, sometimes." "It is so easy to put you in mind," continued Holt; "and we shall all be so glad if you are brave to the very end--" "I will," said Hugh. "Only do you go on to put me in mind--" "And _you_ will grow more and more brave, too," observed Mrs Proctor to Holt. Holt sighed; for he thought it would take a great deal of practice yet to make him a brave boy. Other people thought he was getting on very fast. CHAPTER FIFTEEN. CONCLUSION. The longer these two boys were together, the more they wished they could spend their lives side by side; or, at least, not be separated by half the globe. Just before the Christmas holidays, some news arrived which startled them so much that they could hardly speak to one another about it for some hours. There was a deep feeling in their hearts which disposed them to speak alone to the Ruler of their lives, before they could even rejoice with one another. When they meditated upon it, they saw that the event had come about naturally enough; but it so exactly met the strongest desire they had in the world, that if a miracle had happened before their eyes, they could not have been more struck. Holt's father wrote a letter to Mr Proctor, which reached its destination through Mr Tooke's hands; and Mr Tooke was consulted in the whole matter, and requested by Mr Proctor to tell the two boys and Phil all about it. These three were therefore called into Mr Tooke's study one day, to hear some news.