It was with a heavy-heart that I performed my usual tasks that evening;
and, before I could summon courage to relate my trouble to uncle Nathan,
Mr. Oswald called, and himself acquainted him with the matter. Free from
the presence of the other scholars, he said he had not the slightest
belief in my guilt, but looked upon it as a mischievous plot formed
among some other members of the school. "I know not," said he, "whether
or no the mystery will over be cleared up; but I shall spare no pains to
that end, for I must in someway or other have Walter cleared from blame;
but how it is to be brought about the future alone most tell." Uncle
Nathan, and even Aunt Lucinda, did not for a moment believe me guilty,
and felt for me a deep sympathy as I sat by, in a dejected attitude,
with my arms resting on the table and my face buried in my hands. Aunt
Lucinda defended me in her usual sharp positive manner, and was for
proceeding at once to some severe measures; but Mr. Oswald reminded her
that, if such were the case, the truth would in all probability never
come to light.
Good old Grandma Adams rose from her seat and, walking with uncertain
steps to the table were I sat, placed her hands upon my bowed head, and
repeated the following words from the Psalmist: "Commit thy way unto the
Lord, trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass." "And he shall
bring forth thy righteousness as the light and thy judgment as the
noonday." "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him, fret not thyself
because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who
bringeth wicked devices to pass." "Though he fall, he shall not be
utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand." These
verses from Scripture, repeated as they were by my aged grandmother had
the effect to soothe my mind. It was so like what my own mother would
have done under the same circumstances; and, raising my head I tried
to be hopeful, and trust to time to prove my innocence. With all my
resolves to be patient I found it very hard to bear up as day after day
glided by and nothing took place to throw any light upon the matter. I
could never have borne it, but for Mr. Oswald's assertion that he
believed me innocent. He exercised the utmost vigilance to obtain some
clue to the mystery, but two weeks (which to me seemed two years) glided
by and nothing was gained.
There were two boys among the pupil, named Reuben Mayfield and Thomas
Pierce, they were both older than I and for a long time had evinced
toward me a strong feeling of dislike. From the first Mr. Oswald had
suspected these two boys of having a hand in the affair, but said
nothing to any one of his suspicions; but he never for a moment gave up
the idea that, sooner or later, the truth would come to light. It was
nearly three weeks from the time the affair happened that these two boys
entered the school-room a full half-hour before the usual time for
school to open. No other pupil was present, and they felt free to
indulge in a confidential conversation, which I copy for the benefit of
the reader. "I wonder," began Thomas Pierce, "what Mr. Oswald expects
to gain by waiting. I know his eyes are pretty sharp, but hardly sharp
enough to see to the bottom of this affair. It takes you to plan Reuben.
I was as willing as you to do any thing to bring Harland down a peg or
two, for he has carried his head rather high this winter, and walked
into Mr. Oswald's good graces in a way that was wonderful to behold. You
were always good at planning, and it was you who did the most difficult
part of the business, which was getting the money into his pocket. It
was very easy to get the money out of the desk. The way I hurried
through my dinner that day wasn't slow I can tell you. I ran every step
of the way that I might reach the school-room before the other boys; and
it took but a moment for me to secure the bill, and I am sure no one saw
me slip it into your hand, and you know when the other boys came we were
busy skating, so of course no one could suspect that we knew any thing
about it."
"Ha, ha," laughed Reuben, "Walter thought I was very kind, and even
thanked me with that high-bred manner of his when I spent so much time
helping him to fix on his skates, and when you directed his attention to
a team passing on the street, he little thought that while you were both
admiring the fine horses, I generously slipped a ten-dollar bill into
his vest pocket, for his future wants. Wasn't it fun though. But we'll
see now who'll be invited to tea at Mr. Oswald's so often, and spend
the evenings, studying with Rose and Willie." "But I can tell you one
thing," replied Thomas, "we've got to be on our guard, Mr. Oswald is
very sharp-sighted, and a word, or even a look, would put him on our
track, and then it makes me tremble to think of it. The afternoon he
talked to us and sent those searching glances round the room I could
hardly draw my breath for terror lest he should detect us in some way.
You know I always feared those searching glances from Mr. Oswald." "I
have no fears" replied Reuben. "We can surely keep our own secret, and,
as no one else knows any thing about it, we are safe enough." Poor
misguided youths, they did not pause to think that their guilt was
already known to Him without whose notice not even a sparrow falls to
the ground, much less did they think how near they were to detection
and exposure. The plot by which they hoped so deeply to injure another
was made instrumental in exposing the baseness of their own characters.
The two boys had a listener to their conversation whom they little
suspected. Mr. Oswald, having some exercises to correct, went to the
school-room very early and shut himself in his private room, which
opened out of the large class-room, that he might be free from
interruption, and by this means lost not a word of the conversation
which took place between the two guilty boys. The color receded from
their faces, and as quickly came again, when Mr. Oswald at nine o'clock
coolly walked out of his room and called the school to order. They at
once knew by his grave and stern countenance that he had heard all that
had passed between them; and they knew him too well to doubt that their
guilt would be brought to light in a most humbling manner. Had they
paused before committing the act to consider the possibility of
detection it is probable they would never have done the deed; but it
was too late now, and they must meet the consequences of their own
wrong-doing. After offering the morning prayer, by which our school
invariably opened, Mr. Oswald addressed us, saying: "I happened this
morning to overhear a conversation between two of my pupils, which (as
nearly as I can recollect it) I wish to repeat in presence of you all."
Mr. Oswald then repeated, word for word the above-related conversation,
without giving the names of the boys, till he said by way of conclusion,
"If I have made a wrong statement, or varied in the slightest degree
from the truth, Reuben Mayfield and Thomas Pierce will please come
forward and point out my error, for it was between them the conversation
took place." It would take a more able pen than mine to describe the
countenances of those boys as Mr. Oswald ceased speaking. Reuben did
attempt to stammer out a denial, but Mr. Oswald silenced him at once. "I
will not allow you, in my presence, to add to your sin, by repeating a
denial. So base an action never before came under my notice. You must
surely have forgotten the overruling Providence which allows no sin to
go unpunished. Had your plot succeeded according to your wishes you
would have ruined as fine a boy as ever entered this school, both in my
eyes, and his fellow pupils, as well as the community at large. But,
from the first, something seemed to whisper to me that he was innocent
of the crime of which, to all appearance, he was proved guilty. When I
listened to your conversation this morning I fully decided in my own
mind to expel you both from school in disgrace; but I have since
reflected that even justice should be tempered with mercy; and, if you
are willing both to come forward in presence of all the school and ask
my pardon, as well as that of your deeply-injured school-mate, and
promise good conduct for the future, we will allow the matter to rest,
and you can remain my pupils. I would, if possible, spare your parents,
as well as yourselves, the disgrace which would follow your being
expelled from school under such circumstances, and I would also grant
you the opportunity to prove the sincerity of your promises of good
conduct for the future."
There was a severe struggle in the breast of the two boys; they were
aware of the justice of their teacher's decision, but pride pled for
them to brave the matter out in bold defiance. But their hearts were not
entirely wicked and the good in them finally triumphed. Coming forward
they craved Mr. Oswald's forgiveness in a truly humble and penitent
manner. Then, turning to me, who felt truly happy that my innocence
was thus proved beyond a doubt, Reuben addressed me, saying: "Can you
forgive us, Walter. It was envy which first caused us to dislike you and
we cherished the feeling till it led us to commit this wicked action;
but that feeling has all passed away. You never injured us, and I know
not what spirit of evil tempted us to injure you as we have done. We
feel thankful to our teacher for the lenity he has shown us, and I hope
our future conduct will bear witness that we appreciate his kindness,
and, if you can forgive us and be friends again, I hope you will find
that we are not altogether bad."
I had no inclination to withhold the forgiveness so humbly sought. I
shook hands warmly, with both the boys, saying, "I forgive you with all
my heart, let us be friends. I am proved innocent, and am too happy to
cherish anger towards any one." When order was again restored Mr. Oswald
made some instructive and useful remarks upon the folly and sin of
harboring a feeling of envy and ill-will toward others. "I advise you,"
said he, "when you detect a feeling of envy and malice rising in your
heart, to remember the sin and wrong, to which the indulgence of this
feeling led these two boys, and pray to your Heavenly Father to
preserve you from a bitter and envious spirit. We will talk no more of
the unhappy affair at present; it is my wish that each one of you treat
Reuben and Thomas the same in every respect as though this circumstance
had never taken place. I intend retaining them still as my pupils, and
they must be treated as such by you all. I trust this lesson will not be
lost upon any, for it speaks loudly of the necessity of guarding our own
hearts from evil, and it also teaches us how to exercise a spirit of
forbearance and forgiveness, and now we must proceed to the work of the
day."
It is, somewhat singular that evil designs against one, either old
or young, often, instead of working harm, prove the means of their
advancement and promotion. It was so in this case. I did not forgive
these two boys without a struggle with my own temper and pride, but I
_did_ do it, and it came from my heart, and this forgiveness accorded by
me, as well as the thought of what I had suffered, caused me to stand
higher than ever in the good opinion of my teachers, and the kindness
extended to me on all sides more than repaid my past suffering, when
moving under a cloud of suspicion and disgrace. Had I allowed a feeling
of revenge to find a place in my heart it might have been gratified by
the mortification of Reuben and Thomas, but I tried to rise superior to
this feeling, and endeavoured, by repeated acts of kindness, to convince
them that my forgiveness was genuine. When I returned home that day at
noon Grandma Adams said she knew by the joyous bound with which I
entered the house I was the bearer of good news; and when I had told my
story, they were all happy to know that the dark shadow which had rested
over me was lifted, and my sky was again bright. Grandma listened
attentively while I told of the guilty ones being detected, and my own
innocence made clear as the light of day. When I had finished she called
me to her side and said, "I hope, my boy, you remember the verses I
repeated to you the other evening from the thirty-seventh Psalm. That
whole Psalm has been a favourite one with me all my life-long; when
weighed down by trouble and anxiety during my long and eventful life,
I have often derived consolation and encouragement from that beautiful
portion of the Bible; and I have often thought if there is one portion
of that Book more blessed and cheering than another it must be the
thirty-seventh Psalm. If you live to my age, Walter, you have yet a long
journey before you, and when the troubles of life disturb your mind--as
doubtless they often will--when trials beset you and the way looks dark,
remember that old Grandma Adams told you to turn to this Psalm; read it
carefully, and you will be sure to find something which will cheer and
support you." I looked with a feeling of deep veneration upon my aged
relative, indeed I could not have helped it, as she sat in her arm-chair,
with her mild and pleasant countenance, her hair of silvery whiteness
smoothly parted beneath the widow's cap, and as I listened to the words
of pious hope and trust which fell from her lips, I felt that I had
never before sufficiently valued her counsels and advice, and I resolved
that for the future I would endeavour to be doubly attentive and
respectful to this aged and feeble relative, who was evidently drawing
near the close of her life-journey.