A NOBLE CONFESSION. 55

about confessing this accident,” said Phil Graham to
Frank Henley, as they walked together towards the hall.
“ Depend upon it, with all his bragging and preaching
about right and conscience, he has repented fifty times
of not accepting your offer to get him out of his scrape
without exposure.”

“Ido not agree with you there, Phil,” said Frank.
“He would not accept. it now, if it was made to him
this moment; but he is a character you cannot well
understand, Phil. Your motto has always been plain
enough to us all, ‘Make clean the outside of the cup
and the platter,’ but Maurice’s seems to be, Make clean
the inside. I must own he 1s a noble fellow. Though
I was provoked with him this afternoon for spurning
my assistance, I have got over it now, and I like him
all the better for it—and I wish I was like him.”

“ Well, we shall see how he’ll manage it,” answered
Philip. “Depend upon it, his heart will fail to-night,
and he will be glad to keep clean the outside, and let
the inside go.”

It was quite a large assembly that gathered at morn-
ing and evening prayer at Mr. Harding’s school. It
included his own family, his pupils, and the numerous
servants of his household. Mr. Harding was in his
accustomed place when the boys entered, and was
thoughtfully turning over the leaves of the sacred
volume that lay before him. The silence in the room
was interrupted by Maurice, who, leaving his seat,