Charles was the name of the honest boy; and Ned was the name of the
thief.
Charles never touched what was not his own: _this_ is being an honest
boy.
Ned often took what was not his own: this is being a thief.
Charles's father and mother, when he was a very little boy, had taught
him to be honest, by always punishing him when he meddled with what was
not his own: but when Ned took what was not his own, his father and
mother did not punish him; so he grew up to be a thief.
Early one summer's morning, as Charles was going along the road to
school, he met a man leading a horse, which was laden with panniers.
The man stopped at the door of a public-house which was by the road
side; and he said to the landlord, who came to the door, "I won't have
my horse unloaded; I shall only stop with you whilst I eat my
breakfast.--Give my horse to some one to hold here on the road, and let
the horse have a little hay to eat."
The landlord called; but there was no one in the way; so he beckoned to
Charles, who was going by, and begged him to hold the horse.
"Oh," said the man, "but can you engage him to be an honest boy? for
these are oranges in my baskets; and it is not every little boy one can
leave with oranges."
"Yes," said the landlord, "I have known Charles from the cradle upwards,
and I never caught him in a lie or a theft; all the parish knows him to
be an honest boy; I'll engage your oranges will be as safe with him as
if you were by yourself."
"Can you so?" said the orange man; "then I'll engage, my lad, to give
you the finest orange in my basket, when I come from breakfast, if
you'll watch the rest whilst I am away."--
"Yes," said Charles, "I _will_ take care of your oranges."
So the man put the bridle into his hand, and he went into the house to
eat his breakfast.
Charles had watched the horse and the oranges about five minutes, when
he saw one of his school-fellows coming towards him. As he came nearer,
Charles saw that it was Ned.
Ned stopped as he passed, and said, "Good-morrow to you, Charles; what
are you doing there? whose horse is that? and what have you got in the
baskets?"
"There are oranges in the baskets," said Charles; "and a man, who has
just gone into the inn, here, to eat his breakfast, bid me take care of
them, and so I did; because he said he would give me an orange when he
came back again."
"An orange!" cried Ned; "are you to have a whole orange?--I wish I was
to have one! However, let me look how large they are." Saying this, Ned
went towards the pannier, and lifted up the cloth that covered it. "La!
what fine oranges!" he exclaimed, the moment he saw them: "Let me touch
them, to feel if they are ripe."
"No," said Charles, "you had better not; what signifies it to you
whether they are ripe, you know, since you are not to eat them. You
should not meddle with them; they are not yours--You must not touch
them."
"Not touch them! surely," said Ned, "there's no harm in _touching_ them.
You don't think I mean to steal them, I suppose." So Ned put his hand
into the orange-man's basket, and he took up an orange, and he felt it;
and when he had felt it, he smelled it. "It smells very sweet," said he,
"and it feels very ripe; I long to taste it; I will only just suck one
drop of juice at the top." Saying these words, he put the orange to his
mouth.
Little boys, who wish to be honest, beware of temptation; do not depend
too much upon yourselves; and remember, that it is easier to resolve to
do right at first, than at last. People are led on, by little and
little, to do wrong.
The _sight_ of the oranges tempted Ned to _touch_ them; the touch
tempted him to _smell_ them; and the smell tempted him to _taste_ them.
"What are you about, Ned?" cried Charles, taking hold of his arm. "You
said, you only wanted to smell the orange; do, put it down, for shame!"
"Don't say _for shame_ to me," cried Ned, in a surly tone; "the oranges
are not yours, Charles!"
"No, they are not mine; but I promised to take care of them, and so I
will:--so put down that orange!"
"Oh, if it comes to that, I won't," said Ned, "and let us see who can
make me, if I don't choose it;--I'm stronger than you."
"I am not afraid of you for all that," replied Charles, "for I am in
the right." Then he snatched the orange out of Ned's hand, and he pushed
him with all his force from the basket.
Ned, immediately returning, hit him a violent blow, which almost stunned
him.
Still, however, this good boy, without minding the pain, persevered in
defending what was left in his care; he still held the bridle with one
hand, and covered the basket with his other arm, as well as he could.
Ned struggled in vain, to get his hands into the pannier again; he could
not; and, finding that he could not win by strength, he had recourse to
cunning. So he pretended to be out of breath and to desist; but he
meant, as soon as Charles looked away, to creep softly round to the
basket, on the other side.
Cunning people, though they think themselves very wise, are almost
always very silly.
Ned, intent upon one thing, the getting round to steal the oranges,
forgot that if he went too close to the horse's heels, he should startle
him. The horse indeed, disturbed by the bustle near him, had already
left off eating his hay, and began to put down his ears; but when he
felt something touch his hind legs, he gave a sudden kick, and Ned fell
backwards, just as he had seized the orange.
Ned screamed with the pain; and at the scream all the people came out
of the public house to see what was the matter; and amongst them came
the orange-man.
Ned was now so much ashamed, that he almost forgot the pain, and wished
to run away; but he was so much hurt, that he was obliged to sit down
again.
The truth of the matter was soon told by Charles, and as soon believed
by all the people present who knew him: for he had the character of
being an honest boy; and Ned was known to be a thief and a liar.
So nobody pitied Ned for the pain he felt. "He deserves it," says one.
"Why did he meddle with what was not his own?"--"Pugh! he is not much
hurt, I'll answer for it," said another. "And if he was, it's a lucky
kick for him, if it keeps him from the gallows," says a third. Charles
was the only person who said nothing; he helped Ned away to a bank: for
brave boys are always good-natured.
"Oh, come here," said the orange-man, calling him; "come here, my honest
lad! what! you got that black eye in keeping my oranges, did
you?--that's a stout little fellow," said he, taking him by the hand,
and leading him into the midst of the people.
Men, women, and children, had gathered around, and all the children
fixed their eyes upon Charles, and wished to be in his place.
In the mean time, the orange-man took Charles's hat off his head, and
filled it with fine China oranges. "There, my little friend," said he,
"take them, and God bless you with them! If I could but afford it, you
should have all that is in my basket."
Then the people, and especially the children, shouted for joy; but as
soon as there was silence, Charles said to the orange-man, "Thank'e,
master, with all my heart; but I can't take your oranges, only that one
I earned; take the rest back again: as for a black eye, that's nothing!
but I won't be paid for it; no more than for doing what's honest. So I
can't take your oranges, master; but I thank you as much as if I had
them." Saying these words, Charles offered to pour the oranges back
into the basket; but the man would not let him.
"Then," said Charles, "if they are honestly mine, I may give them away;"
so he emptied the hat amongst the children, his companions. "Divide them
amongst you," said he; and without waiting for their thanks, he pressed
through the crowd, and ran towards home. The children all followed him,
clapping their hands, and thanking him.
The little thief came limping after. Nobody praised him, nobody thanked
him; he had no oranges to eat, nor had he any to give away. _People must
be honest, before they can be generous._ Ned sighed as he went towards
home; "And all this," said he to himself, "was for one orange; it was
not worth while."
No: it is never worth while to do wrong.
Little boys who read this story, consider which would you rather have
been, _the honest boy_, or _the thief_.