to obey his stepmother."

"That he won't do, I am sure."

"Then what is the object of your visit?"

"To say that Carl wants and intends to earn his own living. But it is
hard for a boy of his age, who has never worked, to earn enough at first
to pay for his board and clothes. He asks, or, rather, I ask for him,
that you will allow him a small sum, say three or four dollars a week,
which is considerably less than he must cost you at home, for a time
until he gets on his feet."

"I don't know," said Dr. Crawford, in a vacillating tone. "I don't think
Mrs. Crawford would approve this."

"It seems to me you are the one to decide, as Carl is your own son.
Peter must cost you a good deal more."

"Do you know Peter?"

"I have met him," answered Gilbert, with a slight smile.

"I don't know what to say. You may be right. Peter does cost me more."

"And Carl is entitled to be treated as well as he."

"I think I ought to speak to Mrs. Crawford about it. And, by the way,
I nearly forgot to say that she charges Carl with taking money from her
bureau drawer before he went away. It was a large sum, too--twenty-five