as free.

'I will; follow it, and in a year you'll be a man and not a meal-bag.
Now, Dolly'; and Mrs Jo turned to the other culprit, who shook in his
shoes and wished he hadn't come.

'Are you studying French as industriously as you were last winter?'

'No ma'am; I don't care for it--that is, I, I'm busy with G-Greek just
now,' answered Dolly, beginning bravely, quite in the dark as to what
that odd question meant till a sudden memory made him stutter and look
at his shoes with deep interest.

'Oh, he doesn't study it; only reads French novels and goes to the
theatre when the opera bouffe is here,' said Stuffy, innocently
confirming Mrs Jo's suspicions.

'So I understood; and that is what I want to speak about. Ted had a
sudden desire to learn French in that way, from something you said,
Dolly; so I went myself, and was quite satisfied that it was no place
for a decent boy. Your men were out in full force; and I was glad to
see that some of the younger ones looked as ashamed as I felt. The older
fellows enjoyed it, and when we came out were waiting to take those
painted girls to supper. Did you ever go with them?'

'Once.'

'Did you like it?'

'No 'm; I--I came away early,' stammered Dolly, with a face as red as
his splendid tie.

'I'm glad you have not lost the grace of blushing yet; but you will
soon, if you keep up this sort of study and forget to be ashamed. The
society of such women will unfit you for that of good ones, and lead you
into trouble and sin and shame. Oh, why don't the city fathers stop that
evil thing, when they know the harm it does? It made my heart ache to
see those boys, who ought to be at home and in their beds, going off for
a night of riot which would help to ruin some of them for ever.'

The youths looked scared at Mrs Jo's energetic protest against one of
the fashionable pleasures of the day, and waited in conscience-stricken
silence--Stuffy glad that he never went to those gay suppers, and
Dolly deeply grateful that he 'came away early'. With a hand on either
shoulder, and all the terrors smoothed from her brow, Mrs Jo went on
in her most motherly tone, anxious to do for them what no other woman
would, and do it kindly:

'My dear boys, if I didn't love you, I would not say these things. I
know they are not pleasant; but my conscience won't let me hold my peace
when a word may keep you from two of the great sins that curse the world
and send so many young men to destruction. You