Ishmael was half stunned, exhausted, and bleeding; but his confused

senses had gathered the meaning of the false accusation made against

him. And, through the blood bursting from his mouth, he gurgled forth

the words: "I didn't, sir! The Lord above, he knows I didn't!"

"He did! he did! Didn't he, Ben?" cried Master Alfred.

Ben was silent.

"And we beat him! Didn't we, Ben?" questioned the young villain, who

well understood his weak younger brother.

"Yes," replied Ben, who was always willing to oblige his elder brother

if he could do so without telling an out and out falsehood; "we did beat

him."

The gentleman raised the battered boy to his feet, took a look at him

and murmured to himself: "Well! if this lad is a thief and a liar, there is no truth in

phrenology or physiognomy either."

Then, speaking aloud, he said: "My boy! I am very sorry for what has just happened! You were placed

here to guard my property. You betrayed your trust! You, yourself, stole

it! And you have told a falsehood to conceal your theft. No! do not

attempt to deny it! Here are two young gentlemen of position who are

witnesses against you!"

Ishmael attempted to gurgle some denial, but his voice was drowned in

the blood that still filled his mouth.

"My poor boy," continued the gentleman--"for I see you are poor, if you

had simply eaten the fruit and nuts, that would have been wrong

certainly, being a breach of trust; but it would have been almost

excusable, for you might have been hungry and been tempted by the smell

of the fruit and by the opportunity of tasting it. And if you had

confessed it frankly, I should as frankly have forgiven you. But I am

sorry to say that you have attempted to conceal your fault by falsehood.

And do you know what that falsehood has done? It has converted the act,

that I should have construed as mere trespass, into a theft!"

Ishmael stooped down and bathed his bloody face in the stream and then

wiped it clean with his coarse pocket handkerchief. And then he raised

his head with a childish dignity most wonderful to see, and said: "Listen to me, sir, if you please. I did not take the fruit or the nuts,

or anything that was yours. It is true, sir, as you said, that I am

poor. And I was hungry, very hungry indeed, because I have had nothing

to eat since six o'clock this morning. And the oranges and figs did

smell nice, and I did want them very much. But I did not touch them,

sir! I could better bear hunger than I could bear shame! And I should

have suffered shame if I had taken your things! Yes, even though you

might have never found out the loss of them. Because--I should have

known myself to be a thief, and I could not have borne that, sir! I did

not take your property, sir, I hope you will believe me."




readonlinefreebook.com Copyright 2016 - 2024