Conscience.—"That will be a lie all the same. You have often been told that what makes a lie is the intention to deceive, and not the words only." Answer.—"What's the use of telling now that I really am very sorry it has happened. It's not any good confessing to Aleck that I might have prevented it. After all, it was Frisk who did it, and I did not even see Frisk do it. And Aleck's in such a towering passion; I could never face him and have him know the whole."
Conscience, more feebly.—"That's bad reasoning; you ought simply to find out what is right, and do it." Answer.—"And now that I come to think of it, it's a great shame that Aleck should fly out so at me, and I won't stand it." And at this point the voice of conscience became perfectly silenced, and, turning defiantly to my cousin, I exclaimed,—
"I don't know what you mean, Aleck, by accusing me of it; I never touched the rope, and I never touched the boat; I'm quite certain that I did not, and it's a lie of yours to say that I did."
"O Master Willie, Master Aleck," gasped old George, in consternation. "Young gentlemen, these words are not fit to come from such as you; what would your parents say?"
But our brows lowered angrily, and we made no response; whilst George continued, abandoning in his dismay the usual form of address, and speaking as from age to youth, "My boys, children, have you not been taught of Him 'who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not.' Christian boys should try to be like their Master, and such words as passed between you should never be heard amongst them. You've forgotten yourselves, young gentlemen, and you'll be very sorry soon for what you have said to each other. Master Aleck, you're wrong, sir, to say that Master Willie did it when he denies it. I've known Master Willie since he was born, and he speaks the truth. He's told me with the greatest of honestness when he's done things which was wrong, and no one else knowed of; as, for instance, when he ate the cherries and swallowed the stones, and when he got the cat's tail all over pitch—I can remember a score of things he's told me of, quite frank and open, and I'm sure he's spoken the truth now."
I felt somewhat self-condemned whilst George thus enumerated the instances of my candour in simple unconsciousness of the fact that confessions of scrapes were generally received by him with such indulgence that it required the smallest possible amount of moral courage to make them.
"Shake hands, young gentlemen," he added, after another pause, "and be friends, and let us all do what we can to find the schooner—she's cost me many an hour's work."
And at this moment, for the first time, it flashed upon me painfully how great the disappointment was to George as well as to Aleck, and I was sorry, more sorry than I had hitherto felt.
The pair of small chubby hands that met in the old sailor's rugged palm were unused to so ceremonious a meeting, and their owners were somewhat solemnized at being treated like grown-up gentlemen. But a fierce look of suspicion still lingered in Aleck's face, and I doubt not a glow of anger and excitement in mine, which showed that Groves's peacemaking had not been thoroughly effectual—we felt still as we had spoken before.