Sy

52 THE CHERRY STONES.

which were now valueless to him—but
all he had in the world, if he could only
undo the work of the last quarter of an
hour! But this, he sadly reflected, was
impossible. He might be sorry for it—
he might resolve never to be led into such
guilt again—he might do all in his power
to atone for it; but he could not undo it.
He became painfully conscious of that most
terrible feature in an act of sin, that it is
irrevocable. “Oh!” said he, “if I can
only get back quietly to my room again,
this will be a lesson I shall not soon
forget.”

But there was much to be done before
he could, with any safety, think of retir-
ing to rest. His first care was to remove
the bench, and place it in its former
position. In the next place the fruit
was to be disposed of; and here, again,