Mr. Bhaer smiled, but shook his head.

"I have a better way than that, I tried it once before and it worked
well. See now, when you tell a lie I will not punish you, but you
shall punish me."

"How?" asked Nat, startled at the idea.

"You shall ferule me in the good old-fashioned way; I seldom do it
myself, but it may make you remember better to give me pain than
to feel it yourself."

"Strike you? Oh, I couldn't!" cried Nat.

"Then mind that tripping tongue of thine. I have no wish to be hurt,
but I would gladly bear much pain to cure this fault."

This suggestion made such an impression on Nat, that for a long
time he set a watch upon his lips, and was desperately accurate, for
Mr. Bhaer judged rightly, that love of him would be more powerful
with Nat that fear for himself. But alas! one sad day Nat was off
his guard, and when peppery Emil threatened to thrash him, if it
was he who had run over his garden and broken down his best hills
of corn, Nat declared he didn't, and then was ashamed to own up
that he did do it, when Jack was chasing him the night before.

He thought no one would find it out, but Tommy happened to see
him, and when Emil spoke of it a day or two later, Tommy gave
his evidence, and Mr. Bhaer heard it. School was over, and they