A mother one day returned home very sorrowful, and lamented bitterly to
her husband that she had heard that one of their sons had beaten a poor
child.
"This," said she, "must have certainly been done by our naughty Caspar,
but he will deny it if I put the question to him."
"I will answer for it," said the prudent father, "that I will put the
question to him in a way in which he cannot answer with a lie; and
thereby come at the truth."
They soon after went to the supper table, and Caspar was very still and
quiet: he ate little, and spoke still less. He seldom looked at his
parents, who were very grave and serious, and then only with stolen
glances.
The sons soon after went to bed.--They all slept in separate beds, but
in the same room.
About half an hour after, when they were gone to sleep, their father
entered the chamber, and took pains to make a great noise in shutting
the door. Caspar instantly sprang out of bed, and full of fear cried
out, "What is it? What is the matter?"
"Nothing," answered the father, "I was only wishing to see who among you
was asleep." The two other brothers were sleeping softly and sweetly,
and did not awake until they were aroused by Caspar's cry. The father
then went out again.
The next day the father called Caspar to him, and, before his mother and
all the children, said to him, "You beat a poor child, yesterday, did
you?" Caspar, who thought that it had all come out, began to excuse
himself.--"He struck me too, and--" His father would not suffer him to
proceed any farther. "Caspar!" said he "why do you make us so much
trouble and sorrow? Yesterday, we heard that one of our sons had beaten
a poor child, but we did not then know who had done it. But when I saw
you eating in so much fear and trouble, and still more, when you could
not sleep from uneasiness and your _guilty conscience_ drove you from
your bed as soon as I opened the door, I was convinced that you were the
guilty one. See, how miserable wickedness can make us. You have been
sufficiently punished by your anxiety and fear, but you must now
endeavor to do some good to the poor child, and make atonement for your
faults. What will you do?"
Caspar acknowledged his fault, and promised to do every thing that his
father commanded him.
He who does wrong is always sure to repent of it, for he is punished by
his own conscience, if in no other way.