“It seems to me strange to get a wagon-maker to work on a boat,” said Marco.

“In New York, I suppose you would go to a boat-builder,” said Forester.

“Yes,” replied Marco, “to be sure.”

“There are no boat-builders here,” rejoined Forester.  “In fact, there are very few trades represented here, and workmen are willing to do any kind of jobs that they can.”

As only a small part of the afternoon was yet passed away, Marco asked Forester if he might go down to the river a-fishing.  “I can keep within my bounds, you know,” said he.

“Yes,” said Forester, “you can keep within your bounds.”

“And I will,” said Marco.  “Don’t you suppose I will?”

“Why, you can tell better than I can about that,” said Forester.  “You have been here now some weeks, and I have treated you with considerable trust and confidence,—­have I not?”

“Why, yes,” said Marco.

“I have given you leave to go a-fishing, trusting to your fidelity in keeping within your bounds.  I have left you alone in your study, several times in the forenoons.  I have let you go up on the mountains with other boys, and lent you my watch, so that you might know when it was time to come back.  Now you can tell better than I, whether you have been faithful to all of these trusts.”

Marco did not answer.  He did not know what to say.  He walked along in silence.

“I will leave it with you to decide,” said Forester.  “Here we are just home; now you may go into the study and reflect a few moments upon the subject.  Call to mind all the cases in which I have treated you with trust and confidence, and consider whether you have always been faithful to the trust.  If, on reflection, you think that you have, you may take your fishing-line and go a-fishing.  If you feel conscious that you have at any time betrayed my confidence, you must not go this afternoon.  You may go out to play wherever you please about the house and garden, but you must not go a-fishing.  If you are in doubt whether you have betrayed my confidence or not, and wish to ask my opinion about some particular case which comes up to your mind, you may remain in the study till I come in, and ask me, and I will tell you.  I shall be in, in a few minutes.”

There was a pause here.  Marco looked very serious, and walked along in silence.  Such a turn to the conversation was entirely unexpected to him, and he did not know what to say.

“It is possible,” continued Forester, “that you may be conscious that you have clearly been guilty of betraying the confidence which I have placed in you in some instance which I know nothing of, or which you suppose I know nothing of, and you may wish to confess it to me.  If you have been guilty of any such act, the best thing that you can do is to confess it to me at once; and if you wish to do it, you may wait till I come, for that purpose.  So you may wait till I come either to ask me a question, or to confess a fault.  If you do not wish to do either, you may go out without waiting for me; but you must not go a-fishing unless you can truly say that you have been faithful and honest, whenever I have trusted you before.”