I lived here and there, most of the time looking to Eben Sproule as a prop and support, as a boy must look to some one, or fall into bad and dangerous waysand even then, maybe he will.

I moved through all this in a sort of daze, as if it did not concern me, not even thinking much less of Captain Sproule for his doings, some of which I did not even understand: for remember I was a very backward boy for my age.

They found Sproule in the room, and to him West spoke as follows: "Hello, Dickey!

Whenever I could I attached myself to Captain Sproule like a lost dog, not thinking that perhaps he would not care to be tagged around by a child like me; and thus I saw things that should not have been seen by a boy, or by any one elsethings that I never forgot, and that afterward had an influence on me at a critical time in my life.

howled Sproule through the door, in a passion of resentment.

This was the outcome of a refusal on Joel's part to give a portion of his precious study time to helping Sproule with his lessons.