You
will enjoy it so much better when you have your fathers consent. It always
takes away more than half the pleasure of any enjoyment to think that it is
obtained at the cost of disobedience. Come! go to school with me now, and I
will go into the woods with you on Saturday."
"No, I can't wait until Saturday. I'm sure it will rain by that time; and
if it don't, the hogs will eat up every nut that has fallen before that
time."
"There'll be plenty left on the trees, if they do. It's as fine sport to
knock them down as to pick them up."
But Archy's purpose was settled, and nothing that Charles Murray could say
had any influence with him. So the boys parted, the one for his school, and
the other for a stolen holiday in the woods.
The moment Charles was alone again, he felt no longer any desire to go with
Archy. He had successfully resisted the temptation, and the allurement was
gone. But even for listening to temptation he had some small punishment,
for he was late to school by nearly ten minutes, and had not his lessons as
perfect as usual, for which the teacher felt called upon to reprimand him.
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