Part 4 (1/2)

”I should like to go, very well,” said Charley; ”but I know father will be greatly displeased, if he finds it out, and I am afraid he will get to know it, in some way.”

”How could he get to know it? Isn't he at his store all the time?”

”But he might think to ask me if I was at school. And I never will tell a lie.”

”You could say yes, and not tell a lie, either,” returned Archy. ”You were at school yesterday.”

”No, I couldn't. A lie, father says, is in the intent to deceive. He would, of course, mean to ask whether I was at school to-day, and if I said yes, I would tell a lie.”

”It isn't so clear to me that you would. At any rate, I don't see such great harm in a little fib. It doesn't hurt any body.”

”Father says a falsehood hurts a boy a great deal more than he thinks for.

And one day he showed me in the Bible where liars were cla.s.sed with murderers, and other wicked spirits, in h.e.l.l. I can't tell a lie, Archy.”

”There won't be any need of your doing so,” urged Archy; ”for I am sure he will never think to ask you about it. Why should he?”

”I don't know. But whenever I have been doing any thing wrong, he is sure to begin to question me, and lead me on until I betray the secret of my fault.”

”Never mind. Come and go with me. It is such a fine day. We shan't have another like it. It will rain on Sat.u.r.day, I'll bet any thing. So come along, now, and let us have a day in the woods, while we can.”

Charles was very strongly tempted. When he thought of the confinement of school, and then of the freedom of a day in the woods, he felt much inclined to go with Archy.

”Come along,” said Archy, as Charles stood balancing the matter in his mind. And he took hold of his arm, and drew him in a direction opposite from the school. ”Come! you are just the boy I want. I was thinking about you the moment before I saw you.”

The temptation to Charles was very strong. ”I don't believe I will be found out,” he said to himself; ”and it is such a pleasant day to go into the woods!”

Still he held back, and thought of his father's displeasure if he should discover that he had played the truant. The word ”truant,” that he repeated mentally, decided the matter in his mind, and he exclaimed, in a loud and decided voice, as he dragged away from the hand of Archy, that had still retained its hold on his arm, ”I've never played truant yet, and I don't think I ever will. Father says he never played truant when he was a boy; and I'd like to say the same thing when I get to be a man.”

”Nonsense, Charley! come, go with me,” urged Archy.

But Charles Murray's mind was made up not to play the truant. So he started off for school, saying, as he did so--

”No, I can't go, Archy; and if I were you, I would wait until Sat.u.r.day. You will enjoy it so much better when you have your fathers consent. It always takes away more than half the pleasure of any enjoyment to think that it is obtained at the cost of disobedience. Come! go to school with me now, and I will go into the woods with you on Sat.u.r.day.”

”No, I can't wait until Sat.u.r.day. I'm sure it will rain by that time; and if it don't, the hogs will eat up every nut that has fallen before that time.”

”There'll be plenty left on the trees, if they do. It's as fine sport to knock them down as to pick them up.”

But Archy's purpose was settled, and nothing that Charles Murray could say had any influence with him. So the boys parted, the one for his school, and the other for a stolen holiday in the woods.

The moment Charles was alone again, he felt no longer any desire to go with Archy. He had successfully resisted the temptation, and the allurement was gone. But even for listening to temptation he had some small punishment, for he was late to school by nearly ten minutes, and had not his lessons as perfect as usual, for which the teacher felt called upon to reprimand him.

But this was soon forgotten; and he was so good a boy through the whole day, and studied all his lessons so diligently, that when evening came, the teacher, who had not forgotten the reprimand, said to him:

”You have been the best boy in the school to-day, Charles. To-morrow morning try and come in time, and be sure that your lessons are all well committed to memory.”

Charles felt very light and cheerful as he went running, skipping, and singing homeward. His day had been well spent, and happiness was his reward. When he came in sight of home, there was no dread of meeting his father and mother, such as he would have felt if he had played the truant.

Every thing looked bright and pleasant, and when Juno came bounding out to meet him, he couldn't help hugging the favorite dog in the joy he felt at seeing her.