Soon after breakfast on the morning after the wander in Beechy Wood, Mr
Inglis sent for his sons and Fred to come to the library, into which
room they all walked, after having almost a scuffle outside the door to
decide who should be the first to enter, the scuffle resulting in Fred
being made the advance-guard, and pushed in before his cousins; Harry,
being the most active, securing to himself the last place. The boys
were in a dreadful fidget: they had done wrong, and they knew it well,
and therefore felt prepared to receive a terrible scolding; but the
anticipation proved worse than the punishment itself, for Mr Inglis
looked up smiling when they entered, and seeing Harry's scheming to get
last, called him at once to the front, and said--
"Now, boys, you see that if you had behaved rightly yesterday all that
trouble and inconvenience would have been spared to us all. I cannot
say that you acted in direct disobedience to what you were told, for you
had no commands; but you all well knew that you had no right to go to
Beechy Wood, which is of course proved by your hiding your intentions
from Mamma. But, there, I am not going to scold, for you have all been
well punished; but, my boys, I want you to promise me one thing, and
that is, that full confidence shall always exist between us. I want my
boys to grow up men of honour--Englishmen whose word and every action
can be looked upon as the very essence of truth and openness. I want
you to love, and not to fear me; and, there now, that's all over, we
must not make Fred miserable, so we will dine early, and start this
afternoon for a couple of hours' fishing; so bustle about, boys, and get
all the baits and tackle ready."