able to overlook his conduct as strictly as heretofore. Most fortunately he still confided implicitly in his sister, and told her all the scrapes (and they were pretty numerous) into which he had already fallen: in vain his schoolfellows, the boys who had led him so sadly astray, tried to laugh him out of his affection for his sister, by telling him it was not manly to be governed by a girl, and that he was a deal too big to mind what she said, and many pernicious pieces of advice of a similar nature: nothing hitherto had been able to shake his trust in his sister, or diminish his affection for his dear Fanny, and it was the one thing that gave her the most hope for the future, but at present he was a constant source of anxiety to her. He had naturally very amiable dispositions, and as long as he remained at home, and constantly under his mother's eye, and carefully guarded by Fanny from any evil influence (for she had always been fearful about him, knowing how very easily he was led), he had done very well, and every one said what a good boy he was, and what a comfort he must be to his mother and sister; but about two years ago, the lady who had bought Fanny's bullfinch, and been so interested in the success of her early efforts, had very kindly offered to put him to school at the neighbouring town, where there was a National School, a very superior establishment to the dame's day

school in the village; he was to return every night to his mother's cottage, and she, poor woman, thought that it would be the making of her darling Willie to get so much book learning as he would do at this school,-at least as she in her simplicity hoped and fancied he would; and so with a very grateful heart, and the most fervent blessing on the good lady who had so kindly helped her, Willie was despatched to school, and from that time poor Fanny's troubles thickened around her; all his boyish scrapes were confided to her; and as long as they were mere boyish scrapes, only caused by idleness or indiscretion, right gladly and willingly would Fanny lend her aid in extricating him, and warding off from him the punishments which must, but for her help have been given to him: and, perhaps, it would have been well if her heart had not been quite so tender, and she had suffered him to meet the just consequence of his misconduct; but she acted for the best, poor girl, and thought that with such a temper as his, gentleness would do more than severity, and that by always yielding him her ready assistance in all that befell him, she should the more surely establish her influence with him; and so far she was right, for, if he loved any one in the world, it was his own gentle sister Fanny, and she could do more in turning him away from any bad purpose he had in view, than

any one, even his mother; his boyish scrapes, as we before said, gave her great disquiet, but nothing at all to what she felt when she detected symptoms in him of deceit, and a want of regard to that downright straightforward honesty of purpose, which is the foundation of all that is good and noble in

man.

The first signs she perceived of this evil disposition was about six months ago, when he came home one evening looking, as she

thought, not like himself, but half ashamed,

vet half daring, as if determined, what

was, to brave it out, and not own

himself in the wrong: her mother had gone to bed early that day, being even at that time in a most weakened state of health; so after taking her a cup of tea, and seeing that she had every thing she wanted, Fanny came down stairs fully determined to find out what was amiss with Willie: he sat by the corner of the fire, as it was a bitter cold day in December, looking altogether very miserable. She immediately began by asking what was the matter; at first he sullenly refused to answer, and said nothing ailed him at all; but upon Fanny leaving her seat, and taking a low stool beside him, and putting one arm fondly round his neck, he began to look rather subdued; and when she kissed him with her. usual affection, and said he must tell his dear Fanny all about it, his boyish determination quite gave way, and, hiding his face on her shoulder, he burst into tears, and then it all came out, how the day before, two of his favourite schoolfellows, James Ross and David Maxwell, the two whose influence Fanny the most dreaded, for they were both turned sixteen, and looked up to by Willie with all the admiration he thought due to their superior knowledge and manliness: and, moreover, from all Fanny could learn from her brother's artless recitals of school adventures, they were lads who had been badly brought up, and without any regard to truth, or good principles, and who

only cared to please themselves, and what they called shirk their lessons whenever it was possible; they did not want for parts, but of what use is intelligence or ability, if it is not guided by good firm principles? it only, perhaps, serves to lead the possessor further astray, and certainly gives him greater means of influencing others in an evil manner. But we will return to our story: these two boys had, in the intervals of lessons, told Willie that if he could come with them in the evening, if he could get away from home, that they would have some fun together, and that they would show him what he had never seen before. He agreed, of course, though he felt sure it was something wrong, for at parting they said-" Now, don't go and be a fool, and tell your sister; girls have nothing to do with boys' amusements." When the evening came, Willie stole out, as his sister now remembered, for she felt rather surprised at his wanting to go out such a dark cold night, but he muttered something about wishing to take back a ball that had been lent to him, and she being, as she always was now, very much taken up with her mother, paid no further attention to it, which she now very much regretted; and so off Willie went, and met the two boys at the corner of the lane: they took him at once to a large empty barn, which was the scene of many of their exploits, and then took a little