"O God, who made the flowers, please make me a good boy. I don't mean to steal apples any more, or tell stories."
A little later on, Dick learnt to ask for God's help to keep him from stealing and lying and doing wrong things.
And old Walters had his prayer that morning about Dick—
"O God, I am old and not able to do much for Thee, but help me to teach the little boy Thy ways. Amen."
He was very glad when Dick came running in, for he was half afraid he might shirk the business of taking the apples back to the woman. It showed that he was really sorry, and willing to punish himself by doing a disagreeable thing; for it was of course very disagreeable to go and own that he had stolen the apples. Let all children who read this little tale remember, that when we do any wrong thing, it is right that we should suffer for it. It is not enough merely to tell God we are sorry and to ask His forgiveness; we must prove to God and to ourselves that we really are grieved for our sin by humbling ourselves to ask pardon of those to whom we have done wrong, and by trying to repair the wrong. If we shrink from this when it is in our power to do it, we may be pretty sure that our penitence is not of the kind to lead us to hope that our fault will be forgiven by God; and if He does not forgive our fault, then it will rise up before us in that day when all, both small and great, must appear before the judgment-seat of God.
The woman, Mrs. Needham by name, was greatly surprised when Walters came to her stall as she was laying it out, and told her that Dick wished to return her three apples he had been tempted to put into his pockets the day before. Poor Dick scarcely said a word himself, he felt so frightened lest Mrs. Needham should be very angry; but she only spoke kindly to him, and said she hoped he would never do such a thing again. Indeed, she was just going to give him back one of the apples; but Walters was wiser, and shook his head at her and led Dick away. He knew it would be bad for the boy to be rewarded for taking back the stolen fruit. That afternoon when Mrs. Needham and Walters happened to be together for a few minutes, she talked to him about Dick, and he told her how he had tried to show the boy the sin of stealing.
"After all, though," said the soft-hearted woman, who was more kind than wise, "it was no such great thing he did. An apple or two he just slipped into his pocket when he had the chance, that was all."
But Walters turned to her, and laying his hand on her arm, said almost solemnly—
"And what turned Adam and Eve out of Paradise and brought sin upon millions and millions of us, Mrs. Needham? Why, the taking of an apple, and 'that was all!'"
"Well, Walters, you've your own way of talking about these things, and you understand them better than I do, because you're so Bible-read."