“I believe you think Ben.  Wright is a little angel,” said Oscar, who never liked to hear his humble but diligent classmate praised.

“I think he has some traits that you would do well to imitate,” replied his mother.

“I shall think I am imitating him, when I get that thing on,” added Oscar, in a contemptuous manner, alluding to the jacket.

“There, that will do, Oscar,” replied Mrs. Preston, “You’ve said enough about the jacket; don’t let me hear another word of complaint.  I took a great deal of pains to mend it neatly, and it looks well enough for you or any other boy.  You may put it on to-morrow morning, and don’t you leave off wearing it till I tell you to.”

Oscar nodded his head in a way that seemed to say, “You ’ll see how long I wear it;” but his mother did not observe the motion.  He had a short and easy way of getting rid of garments that he disliked.  Somehow other they were sure to waste away in a much faster manner than those he had a fancy for; or, perhaps they would be rendered suddenly useless, by some mysterious accident.  But he would never admit that their period of usefulness had been purposely shortened, though suspicions of this kind were occasionally hinted.

Soon after this, Mr. Preston entered the room, and took a seat by the fire He pulled out his watch to wind it up, as was his custom just before bed-time, when Oscar said: 

“Father, I wish you would buy me a watch.  Frank King, and Bill Andrews, and Charlie Grant, and almost all the large boys that I know, have got watches, and I should think I might have one too; why can’t I, father?”

“What do they do with watches?” inquired Mr. Preston.

“Why, what does anybody do with them?  They carry them to tell the time of day, of course,” replied Oscar.

“And to make a display of watch-chain,” added his father.

“No, that isn’t it,” replied Oscar; “but it’s convenient to have a watch with you.  You don’t know how I ’m plagued to tell what time it is, sometimes.  It would make me a good deal more punctual, if I had one.  I was late to school this morning, but it was n’t my fault, for I did n’t know what time it was until I got to the school-house, and found that the boys had all gone in.”

“When I was of your age,” said Mr. Preston, “boys never thought of carrying watches, and yet they were taught to be as punctual as the clock, in their attendance at school.  If I had been tardy, and tried to excuse myself by saying that I had no watch, I should have got laughed at by the whole school.  But where were you this morning, that you did not know when it was school-time?”

“Over to Alf.  Walton’s.”

“And couldn’t find a time-piece about the premises?”

“Why—­no—­I—­forgot—­” replied Oscar, somewhat embarrassed by the question.

“Just as I supposed,” added his father; “you got along with that boy, and forgot all about your school; and it would have been just the same, if you ’d had half a dozen watches in your pocket.”