He conceded so much, though reluctantly. "Yes, I'll sleep here, but as soon as I make a raise of any work I intend to pay for my board. As for carfare, I guess my junk will have to go into 'hock.'" He rose. "You see, I won a silver mug and a watch by being useful to the team. It's them to 'Uncle Jake's,'" he ended, with a return to the college youth's vocabulary, and going to his valise took out his reward for muscular merit and showed it to her. "Isn't that smooth?" Her eyes shone with pride. "How much do you suppose you can borrow on it?" she asked. "Oh, I don't know. Five dollars, maybe." "Well, I'll lend you ten dollars on it." He looked at her with musing eyes. "Say twenty, and you may have both mug and watch." She went to her purse and handed to him the money. He took it without hesitation. "Well, here's where I hit the pavement for a job." She confronted him in a final appeal. "Oh, Victor, I can't bear to have you doubt me even for an hour. Stay with me to-day. Stay and let me talk with you. I've had so little of you. Just think! for more than twelve years I've kept you away from me--I've starved myself--my mother-self--in order that you might grow to manhood untroubled by my faith, and I can't bear to have you doubt me now." He understood something of her emotion and responded to it. "You dear, faithful little mother, I realize now what I have cost you, and I'm grateful; but that's the very reason why I can't let you do any more of it. I must begin to pay you back." "All you need to do to pay me is to let me look at you," she fondly replied. "I'm proud of you, Victor. I was proud of you last night. I saw Leo admiring you, and Mrs. Joyce thinks you are splendid." He was interested. "By the way, who is Miss Wood?" "She's a niece of Mrs. Joyce. Mrs. Joyce is the widow of Joyce the lumberman." "She seems to have all kinds of money." His face was thoughtful again. "Yes, she's rich, and she has been very kind to me. She took me to California and to Europe. She is always doing things for me. It was just like her to come to me yesterday--she is not one to fail in time of trouble. I don't know what I should do without her." "She certainly is nice. What about Miss Wood? Does she believe in your--your Voices?" He asked this without direct glance. "Yes. She doesn't say much, but she is deeply grateful to my guides." "She's no ordinary girl, I can see that. Is she rich also?" "Not as Mrs. Joyce is rich, but The Voices have sort of adopted her. They say they will make her wealthy as a queen." "What do you mean by that?" "They are telling her from week to week just how to invest her money." "Do you mean to tell me that _you_ advise her how to invest her money?" "No, I mean _The Voices_ advise her." "Why should 'they' know anything about business?" She became evasive. "They do! They've proved it again and again. Mrs. Joyce's income has doubled in five years by following father's advice."