Al explained.
"It is not, then, quite as bad as I thought," said his companion.
"It might be a heap worse," responded the boy, laconically.
"But still," went on the reverend gentleman, "a position such as that you hold may lead to something worse. You may in time—pardon me, if I hurt your feelings—you may in time become an actor."
"I guess not," said Al, who had some difficulty in repressing a smile.
"You cannot tell, my dear young friend; one wrong step leads to another, and once on the road to destruction, there is no knowing where or when the end will come."
"I hope I am not on the road to destruction yet," said Al, "and I feel pretty sure that I am not."
"Pride cometh before a fall, my dear young friend," said the doctor, impressively. "The moment you begin to be too sure of yourself, you have taken the first downward step. You may not be conscious of it, but it is taken."
Al began to shift about uneasily in his seat.
"I know that what I say is not pleasant for you to hear," continued the old gentleman, "but I speak for your own good."