How Willy Gets into Debt

W ILLY was sent to school at seven years old. The first time he came home, his Mother observed that he was more grave than usual and yet he declared that he liked school very well, was fond of his playmates, and stood high in his class. "Then what is the matter with you, my dear boy?" said his Mother, kindly. "Although you are happy at school, I am sure you cannot be sorry at coming home to see us." The child, touched by his Mother's fondness, burst into tears, and said, "Oh, no, Mamma; but I have done something I don't like, and I am afraid it is very wrong."

"Let me hear what it is, and I will tell you," said his Mother; "and even if it is wrong, I think I can forgive you, as I see you are sorry for it."

This encouragement cheered up Willy, and he began to explain the case. "The first day I was at school, Mamma, the apple-woman came, and I spent all my sixpence in apples; and you know it was to last me a week."

"Then I fear, Willy, that you got the natural punishment of your greediness, by making yourself sick."

"Oh, no, Mamma: I ate only one or two, and gave all the others away."

"Well, that is much better than being greedy," replied his Mother, patting his cheek.

"Oh! but, Mamma, I have not told you all yet," said Willy, colouring. "The next day the tartman came with a large basket of such nice tarts! You cannot think how good they looked, and the boys almost all of them bought one; but I had not a single penny left."

"I suppose, then," replied his Mother, "that one of the boys, to whom you had given an apple, gave you a tart?"

"Oh, no, Mamma; but they bought only one each; for they said somebody else would come the next day, and they would not spend all they had at once."

"As you did, my foolish little Willy; but you are not come to the wrong thing yet. I hope you did not take a tart from any of the other boys."

"Oh, no, Mamma; not so bad as that. I only borrowed a penny of one of the boys, and said I would pay him out of my next week's allowance."

"It would have been better to have been less prodigal of your apples, and not to have borrowed. However, this is a fault easily repaired by paying the debt."

"Ah! but, Mamma, that is not all. The next day came the toyman, with such a number of pretty toys!—oh, dear, how beautiful they did look!—and many of the boys had saved up as much as sixpence or a shilling, on purpose for the toyman, for he comes very seldom; and one boy bought a drum, and another a fife, and then they said, 'Let us make a regiment of soldiers,' so they each bought something fit for a soldier, and there was a gun left for me, but I had no money to pay for it. I was so vexed I thought I should have cried. I longed so much for the gun to march along with the rest. So, at last, the toyman said he would let me pay him the next time he came, if I would pay him a penny more than the price of the gun. So I had the gun, and was so glad and so happy, marching about with my comrades. But was it fair, Mamma, for the man to make me pay a penny over for giving me credit?"

"Quite fair," replied his Mother. "The toyman wants money to carry on his trade of buying and selling toys. He sells them for more than he gives for them, and it is thus he gains his livelihood. Now, the next time he buys toys, he must buy one toy less, because you did not pay him for the toy you bought; so he will have one toy less to sell, and he will make less profit."

Willy did not seem thoroughly to comprehend this, and his Mother said she would tell him a story that would make him understand it. "But first," said she, "I want to know whether you have told me of all your debts?"

"Oh dear, no! Mamma," exclaimed Willy, sighing; "for two days afterwards there came a man from a fair with a roundabout, and every boy who could pay a halfpenny had a ride: four at a time; one on a wooden horse, another in a gig, another in a boat, and another on a wild beast,—only made of wood. They whirled round merrily; oh, how I did long for a halfpenny! Tom Harley saw I did, and offered to lend me one. I could not refuse; so I leapt on the wooden horse, and off we went. When the ride was over the man called out, 'Won't you have another turn, young gentlemen?' They all said yes, and I did not know how to say no; so on and on we went till we had each had three pennyworth of rides, and I had only Tom's halfpenny to pay for them all! I did not know what to do, till some of the boys very good-naturedly lent me two pence halfpenny.

"Then, Mamma, there is but one thing more. A poor brick-layer's boy fell from a ladder and broke his leg; the boys clubbed sixpence each to hire a cart to send him to the hospital. And I did not mind borrowing for that; for I would rather have gone without my allowance for a month, than not have given my sixpence like the others."

"You were right there," said his Mother. "Let us now consider how all these debts are to be paid. We must first take an account of what they are. His Mother then took up a pen, and wrote as follows:—

"Oh, Mamma!" cried Willy, with a look of earnest entreaty, "you have so much money in your purse! If you would but give me two shillings I should pay it all, and have something over."

Willy's Mother would have been quite as glad to have given him the two shillings, as he would have been to receive them; but when she considered that he had spent his money thoughtlessly and extravagantly, she was convinced that if he felt the inconvenience which naturally arises from such a fault, he would be more likely to correct it, than if she paid his debts at once.

Willy observing his Mother hesitate, said, in a supplicating tone, "Only this once, Mamma, and I promise you I will never borrow any more."

"I am sure you believe so, Willy; but if a strong temptation came in your way, you cannot be sure you would be able to withstand it. You know that you could not resist the toyman, nor the tartman; so do not ask me, my dear boy, to do what I ought not. I know that you would wish to do what is right; and it is right for every one to pay his own debts."

"Well, Mamma, I can do that," said Willy; "only it will take such a long time! The boys said, that if I would lay by threepence a week out of my allowance, in two months there would be money enough to pay every body."

"That is a very good way," replied his Mother; "but do you think that you will be able to resist all temptation to spend it?"

"Oh, yes; I have got a little box to put it in, and Tom Harley will keep it for me, so that I shall not be able to spend it: but then, only think what a long time two months is, and I hate so to be in debt. I cannot help thinking the boys must despise me."

"You will be much more likely to regain their good opinion by paying your debts out of your own pocket, than if I assisted you: but it is true that it will require patience to get through these two long months: it is much easier to make debts than to pay them."