“I don’t care what I do!”

“Don’t you, indeed?”

The voice that uttered this sentence caused him to start.  It was the voice of his father, who had left his room soon after the expulsion of Andrew, and was at the moment passing near, unobserved by the boy.

“Don’t care what you do, ha!” repeated Mr. Howland, standing in front of the lad, and looking him sternly in the face.  “You’ve spoken the truth for once!”

For nearly a minute Mr. Howland stood with contracted brows, scowling upon the half-frightened child.  He then walked away, deeply troubled and perplexed in his mind.

“What is to become of this boy?” he said to himself.  “He really seems to be one of those whom Satan designs to have, that he might sift them as wheat.  I sadly fear that he is given over to a hard heart, and a perverse mind—­one predestinated, to evil from his birth.  Ah me!  Have I not done, and am I not still doing everything to restrain him and save him!  But precept, admonition, and punishment, all seem, thrown away.  Even my daily prayers for him remain unanswered.  They rise no higher than my head.  What more can I do than I am now doing?  I have tried in every way to break his stubborn will, but all is of no avail.”

While Mr. Howland mused thus, Andrew, oppressed by the sphere of his father’s house, was passing out at the street door, although expressly forbidden to go away from home after his return from school.  For some time he stood leaning against the railing, with a pressure of unhappiness on his heart.  While standing thus, a lad who was passing by said to him—­

“Come, Andy! there’s a company of soldiers around in the Square.  Hark!  Don’t you hear the music?  Come!  I’m going.”

This was a strong temptation, for Andrew loved music and was fond of sight-seeing.  It would be useless, he knew, to ask the permission of his father, who usually said “No,” to almost every request for a little liberty or privilege.  Especially at the present moment would (sic) be request of this kind be useless.

“Come, Andy! come!” urged the boy, for Andrew, restraining the first impulse to bound away at the word soldiers, was debating the question whether to go or not.

Just then the air thrilled with a wave of music, and Andrew, unable longer to control himself, sprung away with his companion.  For half an hour he enjoyed the music and military evolutions, and then returned home.

“Where have you been, sir?” was the sharp question that greeted him as he came in.

“Around in the Square, to see the soldiers,” replied Andrew.

“Who gave you permission to go?”

“No one, sir.  I heard the music, and thought I’d just go and look at them a little while.  I’ve not been doing anything wrong, sir.”

“Wrong!  Isn’t disobedience wrong?  Haven’t I forbidden you, over and over again, to leave the house after school without my permission?  Say!  You don’t care what you do!  That’s it!  Go off up stairs with you, to your own room, and you’ll get nothing but bread and water until to-morrow morning!  I’ll teach you to mind what I say!”