DEEPER AND DEEPER. 8T

of money from Reynolds, and which, being but a
scanty allowance, was always hoarded and husbanded
with the greatest economy. From Mr. Isaacs he
dared not borrow ; nor, just then, when the memory
of his blunder was fresh in his mind, durst he ask
money from his uncle. There was, however, the
cash in the shop-safe. His uncle placed the greatest
confidence in him as regarded money—a great deal
more than Mr. Isaacs had done for a long time.

“Shall I or shall I not ?” questioned he with him-
self. Oh, how bad it is when we begin to parley with
principle! |

“* No, I will not !” said he ; but he said it feebly,
as if he were not at all sure—as if he wanted, if he
could, to deceive himself into a notion of his own
virtue. “No, I will not!” said he, again and again
-—“ at least, not to-day!” he should have added, to
be quite honest to himself.

The next week was Christmas week, and it had
been long an understood thing that Williams was to
have a holiday on Christmas-day : he ventured to
mention it to Mr. Osborne, spite of the unpleasant
“memory of the prescription. He had heard, he said,
how beautiful the gardens at Alton ‘Towers looked in
the winter, with snow on the ground and hoar-frost
on the trees; he hoped he might be permitted to go
there on Christmas-day. ‘‘ He would be very indus-
trious,” he said, “in future ;” and being once on the
subject, he launched out freely. “He was so sorry,
so ashamed,” he said, “‘of the blunder he had made.
Mr. Osborne had touched him so by his patience
and forbearance.” Mr. Osborne, himself, thought
that he had not shown much; but so the young
man said— “and would he only grant him this