steal, I am sure," he said, throwing
his head back, and examining his friend's face with the most intense
anxiety. "I am sure, Hamilton, bad as I am, you could not believe it
of me. I have been very sinful, but oh, I am very sorry; and, Hamilton,
I _could_ not do so very wicked a thing. Do remember, please, how things
were against me before when I was not guilty. Though it seems all against
me now, I assure you, the only thing I have done wrong is going out of
bounds--oh, do let me keep my arms round you, Hamilton--don't believe
me guilty. I haven't--oh, I haven't had a friend for so long! I have
been very proud and self-willed--if I had been humble perhaps things
would not have gone so wrong. I never even said I was sorry I repeated
what you said to Mrs. Paget; but I was sorry, Hamilton--very, very sorry,
only I did not like to say so. Will you forgive me, and be my friend
again? I have been so ungrateful, I am afraid you will never love me
any more."

Hamilton was completely overcome by the vehemence of Louis' appeal.
He pressed the poor boy closer to him, and even kissed his forehead,
as if he were a little child.

"Love you, Louis! love you, dear boy!" he replied; "you have had reason
to doubt it, but I have always loved you. I forgive you from my heart,
but you have something to forgive in me. I have not been as kind to you
as I might have been."

"I am very sorry I spoke so unkindly of you this morning, Hamilton,"
sobbed Louis, laying his wet cheek on Hamilton's shoulder. "I was cross,
and didn't think of what I was saying."

"Don't think any more about it," said Hamilton, affectionately; "lie
down, and tell me quietly how you came to be on that wall just now."

"I was standing at the wooden door," said Louis, "when Sally Simmons
told me that she had seen my bag on the great hawthorn-tree, by the
wall on the other side. And when I asked her how it got there, she
said, she supposed I knew, but it was too high for her to reach; and
if I didn't get it, the doctor would find me out. At first, I thought
I wouldn't go," said Louis, hesitating; "and then I was afraid I should
be getting into a scrape--I am sometimes so unfortunate--and so I went
across the lane, and got over the gate, and went into the yard to see
if it were there. And there it was, Hamilton, with some apples in it,
too, hanging partly, and partly lying, near the top of the tree; it was
so high that I was obliged to get upon the cow-house roof, and