good graces in a way that was wonderful to behold.  You were always good at planning, and it was you who did the most difficult part of the business, which was getting the money into his pocket.  It was very easy to get the money out of the desk.  The way I hurried through my dinner that day wasn’t slow I can tell you.  I ran every step of the way that I might reach the school-room before the other boys; and it took but a moment for me to secure the bill, and I am sure no one saw me slip it into your hand, and you know when the other boys came we were busy skating, so of course no one could suspect that we knew any thing about it.”

“Ha, ha,” laughed Reuben, “Walter thought I was very kind, and even thanked me with that high-bred manner of his when I spent so much time helping him to fix on his skates, and when you directed his attention to a team passing on the street, he little thought that while you were both admiring the fine horses, I generously slipped a ten-dollar bill into his vest pocket, for his future wants.  Wasn’t it fun though.  But we’ll see now who’ll be invited to tea at Mr. Oswald’s so often, and spend the evenings, studying with Rose and Willie.”  “But I can tell you one thing,” replied Thomas, “we’ve got to be on our guard, Mr. Oswald is very sharp-sighted, and a word, or even a look, would put him on our track, and then it makes me tremble to think of it.  The afternoon he talked to us and sent those searching glances round the room I could hardly draw my breath for terror lest he should detect us in some way.  You know I always feared those searching glances from Mr. Oswald.”  “I have no fears” replied Reuben.  “We can surely keep our own secret, and, as no one else knows any thing about it, we are safe enough.”  Poor misguided youths, they did not pause to think that their guilt was already known to Him without whose notice not even a sparrow falls to the ground, much less did they think how near they were to detection and exposure.  The plot by which they hoped so deeply to injure another was made instrumental in exposing the baseness of their own characters.  The two boys had a listener to their conversation whom they little suspected.  Mr. Oswald, having some exercises to correct, went to the school-room very early and shut himself in his private room, which opened out of the large class-room, that he might be free from interruption, and by this means lost not a word of the conversation which took place between the two guilty boys.  The color receded from their faces, and as quickly came again, when Mr. Oswald at nine o’clock coolly walked out of his room and called the school to order.  They at once knew by his grave and stern countenance that he had heard all that had passed between them; and they knew him too well to doubt that their guilt would be brought to light in a most humbling manner.  Had they paused before committing the act to consider the possibility of detection it is probable they would never have