with excitement and distress. He was too delicate a child to long
endure such a strain. They thought that once at home his mother might
be able to do what none of the rest had.

All the others were getting worn out also. A good many tears had been
shed by the older members of the company. Poor Mrs. Perry took much
blame to herself for giving the coat to the boy, and so opening the
way for the difficulty.

"Mr. Perry says he thinks I ought not to have given the coat to him,
he's nothing but a child, any way," she said tearfully once.

It was Monday afternoon when Willy was shut up in his room, and all
the others were talking the matter over downstairs.

Tears stood in aunt Annie's blue eyes. "He's nothing but a baby,"
said she, "and if I had my way I'd call him downstairs and give him a
cookie and never speak of the old coat again."

"You talk very silly, Annie," said Grandmother Stockton. "I hope you
don't want to have the child to grow up a wicked, deceitful man."

Willy's grandparents gave up going to the silver wedding. Grandpa had
no good coat to wear, and indeed neither of them had any heart to go.

So the morning of the wedding-day they started sadly to return to
Ashbury. Willy's face looked thin and tear-stained. Somebody had
packed his little bag for him, but he forgot his little cane.

When he was seated in the cars beside his grandmother, he began to