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 done the deed; but it
was too late now, and they must meet the consequences of their own
wrong-doing. After offering the morning prayer, by which our school
invariably opened, Mr. Oswald addressed us, saying: "I happened this
morning to overhear a conversation between two of my pupils, which (as