t
in astonishment, he gets so much ahead of them that he eats them up
before they can again overtake him. At other times, when he sees a boy
beginning to eat his cake, he will come and talk carelessly to him for
a few moments, and then all of a sudden call out, "Look! look!
look!-there!" pointing his finger as if to show him something wonderful;
and when the other, without suspecting any mischief, turns his head to
see what has so surprised him, away he snatches the cake, and runs off
with it, cramming it into his mouth in a moment.

'And when he plays at Handy-dandy, Jack-a-dandy, which will you have,
upper hand or lower? if you happen to guess right, he slips whatever you
are playing with into his other hand; and that you know is not playing
fair; and so many of the boys tell him; but he does not mind any of us.
And as he is clever at his learning, and always does his exercise quite
right, Mr. Chiron (who indeed does not know of his tricks) is very fond
of him, and is for ever saying what a clever fellow he is, and proposing
him as an example to the rest of the boys; and I do believe many of
them imitate his deceitful, cheating tricks, only for the sake of being
thought like him.'

'Aye! it is a sad thing,' interrupted the gentleman, 'that people who
are blessed with sense and abilities to behave well, should so misuse
them as to set a bad, instead of a good example to others, and by that
means draw many into sin, who otherwise, perhaps, might never have
acted wrong. Was this Sharply, you have been speaking of, a dunce and
blockhead at his book, he would never gain the commendations that Mr.
Chiron now bestows upon him; and, consequently, no boy would wish to be
thought like him; his bad example, therefore, would not be of half the
importance it now is.

'Only think, then, my dear children, how extremely wicked it is, for
those who are blessed with understandings capable of acting as they
should do, and making people admire them, at the same time to be guilty
of such real and great sin. For, however children at play may like to
trick and deceive each other, and call it only play or fun, still, let
me tell you, they are much mistaken if they flatter themselves there is
no harm in it. It is a very wrong way of behaviour; it is mean, it
is dishonorable, and it is wicked; and the boy or girl who would ever
permit themselves to act in so unjustifiable a manner, however they
may excel in their learning, or exterior accom