Left with a trust

by Nellie Hellis

On the Friday in question the thermometer had been steadily falling, and as Robert and Jack went to school in the afternoon, the sight of some venturesome skaters, hurrying with skates in hand towards the parks, had made their feet "itch to be doing likewise," as Jack expressed it, and he had declared that he and Robert must spend the next day on the ice.

Robert, however, had listened in silence, and as there was no time for more talk—for they just then arrived at school, and, if they would be in their places before the bell rang, had not a moment to lose—Jack was not certain whether he intended to fall in with the arrangement, but he very well knew how to manage his friend. And though Robert had resolved that he would never be persuaded to go on the ice again, the temptation proved too strong, and once more he became not conqueror but conquered in a struggle for moral victory over self.

The weather next morning was everything that could be desired. It had been freezing all night, and the sun rose in the grey sky like a large ball of red fire. Robert had asked and obtained permission to spend the day with Jack Turner on the previous evening, and as soon as he had finished breakfast, he rose to get his hat and coat.

"You will be home early, dear?" said Mrs. Grainger. "Remember it is not holiday time, and you have Monday's lessons to prepare."

"I'll come back to tea, mother. That'll give me all the evening to do them in."

"Perhaps it will be best, as Jack will then have a fair opportunity of learning his; from what you tell me, I think he requires longer time than you," and with not unnatural pride, Mrs. Grainger looked at the son whose good abilities and aptitude for his studies were well-known both at home and at school.

Robert experienced a sensation of shame beneath that proud, loving glance. How unworthy he was of it! Would she have given it him had she known? Then he hated himself for the mean, deceitful part he was playing, and for a moment a strong desire to go to Jack and tell him he could not keep his engagement entered his mind. He would say that he must do right, even if it necessitated the breaking of his word. But alas! that still small voice was quenched almost as soon as he had let himself hear it. No, he must go with his friend to-day, but this should be the last occasion. He could not again meet his mother's fond, earnest gaze with that horrible feeling of guilt which made him drop his own eyes, and with a hasty good-bye, hurried from the room.

That look haunted him during the whole of the journey to Hendon, and the wish that he had been strong to resist temptation rose again and again in his heart. But his remorse grew less when he found himself gliding along over the smooth frozen surface of the water. He had learnt to skate with remarkable quickness, and on the larger space and clearer ground which he now for the first time enjoyed, he was gradually able to increase his speed, till in the excitement and the exhilaration caused by the delightful exercise, everything else was forgotten. And the scene was a very charming one. The sun was shining brightly, the air was clear, and the figures of the ladies, as they glided gracefully hither and thither in their furs and bright feathers and ribbons, lent a very pretty and cheerful effect.

But many of these took their departure when, as the afternoon advanced, the number of skaters increased. Eager to avail themselves of the Saturday half-holiday, and hoping to find the water at Hendon less crowded than the lakes in the London parks, many passengers came down by rail, and soon the ice was thickly covered. Then warnings were heard that in one part it was showing signs of weakness beneath the heavy weight brought to bear upon it. Some of the older and wiser people came off the water; and Robert and Jack, as they passed an elderly gentleman who had been on the lake when they arrived, and had kindly given a hint or two to the boys when they were trying to do the outside edge, advised them to be satisfied with the pleasure they had had, and so make greater space for those who had more recently arrived on the scene. Perhaps Robert would have heard without heeding if at these words the promise he had given his mother had not flashed to his memory. If he would keep it, his time on the ice must be short.

"We'll leave the fancy skating, old boy," he said to Jack, "and take a straight turn or two just to get up our circulation before I go home. The mater seemed to think Monday's lessons would come off badly if I spent the whole of the day with you and so I said I'd be back to tea."