The Last Penny. Edwin Lefèvre

      “My son, I—I should like to shake hands with you.”

      Tommy would have been happier if he could have thrown his arms about his mother's neck and told her his craving to comfort himself by being comforted. But he rose quickly, grasped his father's hand, and shook it vehemently. He kept on shaking it, gripping it very tightly the while and gulping as he shook, until Mr. Leigh said:

      “I'll be going now, Thomas. I must be at the bank before the—”

      Tommy dropped his father's hand very suddenly.