Mr. West and his lady are warmly welcomed by Mr. Nason and his family. The ex-keeper is an old man now. He is a member of the church, and considered an excellent and useful citizen. He still calls Mr. West his "boy," and regards him with mingled pride and admiration.
Our friends dine at the cottage; and, after dinner, Mr. Nason and Mr. West talk over old times, ride down to Pine Pleasant, and visit the poorhouse. Great changes have come over Redfield. Squire Walker, Jacob Wire, and most of the paupers who were the companions of our hero, are dead and gone, and the living speak gently of the departed.
At Pine Pleasant, they fasten the horse to a tree, and cross over to the rock which was Harry's favorite resort in childhood.
"By the way, Harry, have you heard anything of Ben Smart lately?" asks Mr. Nason.
"After his discharge from the state prison, I heard that he went to sea."
"I believed he killed his mother. They say she never smiled after she gave him up as a hopeless case."
"Poor woman! I pity a mother whose son turns out badly. What a wreck of fond hopes!"
After visiting various interesting localities, Mr. West and his lady returned home. In their absence, a letter for Julia from Katy Flint has arrived. The Flint family are now in good circumstances. Joe is a steady man, and, with Harry's assistance, has purchased an interest in the stable formerly kept by Major Phillips, who has retired on a competency.
"What does she say, Julia?" asked Harry, as she broke the seal.
"Bad news, I am afraid. He was a hard boy."
"Yes; he has just been sent to the Maryland penitentiary for housebreaking."
"Katy says her mother feels very badly about it."
"No doubt of it. Mrs. Flint is an excellent woman; she was a mother to me."
"She says they are coming up to Rockville next week."
"Glad of that; they will always be welcome beneath my roof. I must call upon them to-morrow when I go to the city."
And, here, reader, I must leave them--not without regret, I confess, for it is always sad to part with warm and true-hearted friends; but if one must leave them, it is pleasant to know that they are happy, and are surrounded by all the blessings which make life desirable, and filled with that bright hope which reaches beyond the perishable things of this world. It is cheering to know that one's friends, after they have fought a hard battle with foes without and foes within, have won the victory, and are receiving their reward.