"Well," I answered, "I think that rule applies to all promises. It is wrong to promise to do what is not right, but it is doubly wrong to keep our promise, and to do it; because, you see, that is only adding sin to sin. The making the promise is one wrong action, and the fulfilling the promise is only adding to it another and a still worse action."
"I never thought of that before," she said; "I have been wishing ever since that I had not promised not to tell papa. You see, May, I promised Donald that afternoon, before you came in, that some day or other I would be his little wife. I know I ought not to have promised him, but he was so nice and seemed to love me so much. He said he had brought that ring with him that I might always keep it near me, and that whenever I looked at it I might think of my promise. And then he said that I must not tell papa, because he would be so very angry if he knew. I told Donald that I should be obliged to tell papa, for how could we ever be married if papa did not know about it?"
"And what did Mr. Trafford say?" I asked.
"Oh, he said there was plenty of time for that—we could not be married for many a long day, and he would tell papa himself some day. So then he made me promise not to tell him till he gave me leave; and just then you came into the room, and we could not talk any more about it. I do wish I had never promised him."
"Yes, it was a great pity," I said; "but now I think the best thing you can do is to write to Mr. Trafford, and tell him you feel you were very wrong to make the promise, and that you feel it would be still worse to keep it."
"Do you think that would be a good plan?" she asked.
"Yes," I said, "I am sure it is what you ought to do, Evelyn."
She did not answer me at once, but sat looking into the fire and thinking.
I sent up an earnest prayer that she might be led to do what was right.
Presently she looked up at me, and said: "I can't do it, May, it is no use thinking of it; I can't tell papa. Donald would be so angry; I don't think he would ever forgive me."