o him. Oscar declared that he had none.

"Let me look into your mouth," said the teacher.

Oscar had a small piece of the weed in his mouth, which he tucked
behind his upper lip with his tongue, and then opened his mouth. The
teacher of course saw nothing but what belonged there. He _smelt_
something, however, that left him no longer in doubt that Oscar had
told a falsehood.

"I can't see your cud, but I can smell it plain enough," said the
master; "and I 'll examine your pockets, if you please."

Oscar was far from pleased with this proposition, and tried to prevent
its being carried into effect. The master, however, easily overcame
the difficulties he put in the way, and running his hand into the
pocket which he seemed most anxious to defend, brought forth a piece of
tobacco large enough to kill a horse!

"What is that?" he inquired, holding the contraband article before
Oscar.

Oscar neither looked at it nor made any reply.

"And you are the boy who said a moment ago that you had no tobacco
about you," continued the master "I declare I don't know what to do
with you. I have said and done all that I can to make a better boy of
you, and now I shall report this matter to your father, and let him
settle it with you. But I want you to remember one thing. When you
tell me a lie, you break God's law, and not mine; and you can't settle
the matter in full with me, or any other human being."

The teacher then threw the piece of tobacco out of the open window, and
taking Oscar's writing-book, told him he would set a new copy for him.
He soon returned, with the following line written upon the top of a
clean page:

"_Lying lips are abomination to the Lord._"

As Oscar wrote this fearful sentence over and over again, he could not
fully escape the force of its meaning. It reminded him of his feelings
during his recent illness, when at times the terrible thought that his
sickness might possibly be unto death intruded upon his mind. But
thoughts of God, and death, and a future world, were alike unpleasant
to him, and he banished them as speedily as possible.

During the afternoon, the principal of the school wrote a letter to Mr.
Preston, informing him of Oscar's indolence and bad conduct, and
referring particularly to the incident that had just occurred. By way
of offset to the complaint, he spoke in very high terms of Ralph, who
attended the same school, but was in another department and another
room. He se