CHAPTER IV.
"Just look, Miss Layton, how Ella Clinton has torn my book," said Sallie Barnes, displaying her arithmetic, several leaves of which were missing.
"How do you know that it was Ella that did it?" asked Miss Layton.
"Why, because she hates me; and I heard her say, the other day, that she'd tear my books or do something to spite me, and when I came to school this morning, she was standing right beside my desk, and Abby Reed says she saw her turning my things over before I came, so I'm sure she must have done it."
"It does look like it, certainly," said Miss Layton, "but still I can hardly believe Ella would do such a thing. Come here, Ella. Did you tear this? or do you know how it came to be torn."
"No, ma'am," said Ella, indignantly, "I didn't touch it, and I don't know anything about it."
"Did you go to Sallie's desk, and turn over her things, this morning before school commenced?"
"I didn't turn over the things, Miss Layton. I went to her desk, and looked in her pencil box to see if my slate-pencil was there, but I didn't touch anything else."
"What made you think of looking for your pencil in Sallie's box?"
Ella coloured, and remained silent.
"I want an answer, Ella," said Miss Layton. "You must have had some reason for supposing your pencil was there; what was it?"
"I thought may-be she had hidden it; because the other day I told her something she said was a lie, and she was very angry, and said she would pay me for it," replied Ella.
"And were your suspicions correct? did you find your pencil there?"
"Yes, ma'am," said Ella.
"If she did, she must have put it there first, for I never touched it," said Sallie.
"Hush, Sallie," said Miss Layton. "Ella, are you sure it was your pencil? slate pencils are very much alike, you may have been mistaken."
"No, ma'am, I know it was mine, because I had cut some letters on it," replied Ella.
"I wish you'd look in her desk, Miss Layton," said Sallie, "and see if she hasn't got the leaves of my arithmetic hid there."
Miss Layton rose and went to Ella's desk, raised the lid and examined the contents, while the two girls stood looking on. Presently moving a pile of books, she found several leaves, which had been tucked away behind them, and which, on being compared with Sallie's book, proved to be evidently the missing portion; though one of them had been torn in half, and, from the stains of ink upon it, seemed to have been used for wiping a pen. "I told you so! I knew she'd done it!" exclaimed Sallie, exultingly; while Ella gazed at the leaves in her teacher's hand with an expression of unfeigned astonishment that did not escape Miss Layton's quick eye.
"And she's been using this leaf for a pen-wiper," continued Sallie, "she's always wanting a piece of paper to wipe her pen, because she's so careless she can never keep a pen-wiper."
"How do you account for this strong circumstantial evidence against you, Ella?" asked her teacher.
"I don't know, Miss Layton, I don't know at all how they got there," said Ella, with a bewildered look. "I've been in the school-room ever since it was opened this morning, and I didn't see any body put them there."
"I believe you, Ella," said Miss Layton, "for whatever other faults you may have, I know you to be a perfectly truthful child."
"Oh yes, it's a fine thing to be the teacher's pet!" said Sallie, tossing her head. "You'd be ready enough to believe that I had done such a thing, because you don't like me."
"I should be more ready to believe it of you, than of Ella, Sallie; because, and only because, you have not established the same character for truth. I have more than once had great reason to doubt your word, but never Ella's. A teacher soon discovers whose word she can trust and whose she cannot."
"It's just because she's your favourite," said Sallie, angrily.
"Go to your seat," said Miss Layton, "I will not allow such impertinence, and shall mark you for it in your weekly report. Can any of the rest of you throw any light upon this subject?" she inquired, turning to the other scholars.
"Miss Layton," said the girl who sat next to Sallie, "I think, perhaps Sallie tore her book herself, for I heard her say yesterday, that she would tear out those leaves because she couldn't do the sums."
The girl who kept the key and attended to the room, now came up, and told Miss Layton that Sallie had come to her to borrow the key on the previous evening, saying that she had forgotten her books, and must get them, or she should not know her lessons. "Yes, and I was going after the cows," said Charley Owen, "and I saw the school door open, and I thought may-be somebody was breaking in, so I ran and looked in at the door, and I saw Sallie sitting by Ellie's desk a writing, and she tore a leaf out of a book, and wiped her pen on it, and then she looked at the book awhile, and then tore out some more leaves, and then she raised up the lid and put the ink in the desk, and I guess she put the leaves in too."
"It's all a lie," exclaimed Sallie; "there was nobody here when I was getting my books."
"I just peeped in at the door, and then I ran off, and she didn't see me," said Charley.
"The proof of your guilt is too plain to admit of a doubt," said Miss Layton, turning to the now abashed and confused Sallie. "You will of course remain with me after the rest are dismissed."
"Oh, how shall I talk to that hardened girl!" was the thought which many times presented itself to Miss Layton's mind, while engaged in the duties of the day; and many a silent petition for assistance went up to Him who hath promised wisdom to them that ask it.
At length the hour had arrived, school was dismissed, and the children, always glad to be released from study and confinement, were not long in leaving the teacher alone with her refractory pupil. "Sallie," said Miss Layton, "you know that borrowing is against the rules, how then do you account for the fact of Ella's pencil having been found in your box?"
"What's the use of my answering? you won't believe me, if I do," said Sallie, angrily.
"You must speak more respectfully, Sallie," said Miss Layton, "or I shall feel obliged to inform your parents of your very bad behaviour. I wish you now to answer my question, and tell me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
"I don't know anything about it," replied Sallie, "I didn't put it there, and if Ella Clinton found it in my box, she must have put it there herself."
"Well, Sallie, I cannot tell whether you are speaking the truth or not, but I want you to remember that God knows all about it; for the Bible tells us that 'all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do;' and the Psalmist says, 'O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down sitting, and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways, for there is not a word in my tongue, but lo! O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.' God, who is the searcher of the heart, knows all your motives, has seen all your actions, and heard all your words, and in his book of remembrance all these things are written, and for them all, he will call you to account in the day of judgment. Sallie, do you ever read the Bible?"
"I read it sometimes of a Sunday, when I can't find anything I like better."
"I am sorry, Sallie, to hear you speak so slightingly of God's word, which is the Book of books and the one which we should value above all others. But it seems you do read it occasionally—have you ever read the story of Ananias and Sapphira?"
"I don't remember," said Sallie, sulkily.
Miss Layton opened her Bible, and read aloud the story of that wicked man and woman whom God struck dead for telling a lie. As I suppose my little readers have all read this sad story, I shall not repeat it here; but if they have not read it, they will find it in the fifth chapter of Acts, and I hope they will get their Testaments, and read it now, and that they will take warning by the awful punishment of Ananias and Sapphira, and never, never dare to tell a lie.
When Miss Layton had finished reading, she proceeded to talk to Sallie of the great wickedness of her conduct, the dreadful sin of lying, quoting a number of texts to show God's hatred of that sin, such as, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord," "The lip of truth shall be established for ever; but a lying tongue is but for a moment," "A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish," "All liars shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone," and many others.
"Sallie," said she, "I do not think there is any sin which is mentioned more frequently in the Holy Scriptures, as being exceedingly hateful to God, than that of lying; and we are expressly told that no liar shall be allowed to enter the holy city, the New Jerusalem. 'For,' says the apostle John, 'without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.' You would look with abhorrence upon a murderer—one who had dipped his hands in the blood of his fellow-man—and yet you see that liars are put in the same catalogue, as being no better than they. But have you not really been a murderer in heart this day, Sallie? Have you not felt hatred to Ella, and a desire to do her harm? and is not that the very spirit of murder? 'Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer;' and was not that the very feeling that led Cain to kill his brother? You have to-day broken several of God's commandments; the sixth, which is: 'Thou shalt not kill,' for the Bible tells us that anger is a breach of that command; and the ninth, which is: 'Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.'
"Sallie, I should not be doing my duty, if I did not speak to you of the great wickedness of which you have been guilty; if I did not warn you of the necessity of repentance. 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die,' says God. 'He that, being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.' 'Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity: I will mock when your fear cometh.' But again, he tells us, 'I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, but rather that he turn from his evil way and live. Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die, O house of Israel!' O Sallie, can you refuse to listen to these awful threatenings, or to accept of these gracious invitations? Would that I could persuade you to turn from your evil ways now—now while you are young, and while you have health and strength and reason—for 'now is the accepted time, and now is the day of salvation,' and you can be sure of no time but the present."
Much more Miss Layton said to Sallie, but she went home that night with a sad heart, for she could not perceive that her words had made any impression.
When Miss Layton entered her school-room next morning, she found her pupils in quite a state of excitement. "O Miss Layton, Miss Layton!" they exclaimed on seeing her, "Sallie Barnes and her mother have been here getting Sallie's books, and they took them all away, and Mrs. Barnes says, Sallie shan't come to school to you another day, because you talked to her just as if she was the greatest sinner in the world, and she's just as good as other folks. And she's not going to have her abused; she won't let her stay where she's called a liar and a murderer. And Mrs. Barnes says, Sallie never told a lie in all her life, for she knows she'd get half killed if she did; her children are all brought up to speak the truth; and we all know that that's not so, for nobody believes a word that either Sallie or her mother says. Oh, she was very mad, Miss Layton, and scolded away ever so long, and swore too; and she says she's going to give you a piece of her mind when she sees you."
"I am very sorry indeed to hear that any one would behave so wickedly," said Miss Layton, "but if Sallie is such a very bad girl, I am glad she is gone, for the Bible says, 'Evil communications corrupt good manners,' and I fear she might have made some of the rest of you as bad as herself. But if Sallie has such a wicked mother, there is great allowance to be made for her, poor girl! and you should feel very thankful that you have been blest with good mothers, who, instead of encouraging you in wickedness, try to teach you to do right."