ough the
pocket.

Albert's uncle said--and his voice made Oswald hot all over, but not
with shame--he said--

I shall not tell you what he said. It is no one's business but Oswald's;
only I will own it made Oswald not quite so anxious to run away for a
soldier as he had been before.

That owning up was the hardest thing I ever did. They did put that in
the Book of Golden Deeds, though it was not a kind or generous act, and
did no good to any one or anything except Oswald's own inside feelings.
I must say I think they might have let it alone. Oswald would rather
forget it. Especially as Dicky wrote it in and put this:

"Oswald acted a lie, which, he knows, is as bad as telling one. But he
owned up when he needn't have, and this condones his sin. We think he
was a thorough brick to do it."

Alice scratched this out afterwards and wrote the record of the incident
in more flattering terms. But Dicky had used father's ink, and she used
Mrs. Pettigrew's, so any one can read _his_ underneath the scratching
outs.

The others were awfully friendly to Oswald, to show they agreed with
Albert's uncle in thinking I deserved as much share as any one in any
praise there might be going.

It was Dora who said it all came from my quarrelling with Noel about
that rotten cricket-ball; but Alice, gently yet firmly, made her shut
up.

I let Noel have the ball. It had been thoroughly soaked, but it dried
all right. But it could never be the same to me after what _it_ had done
and what _I_ had done.

I hope you will try to agree with Albert's uncle and not think foul
scorn of Oswald because of this story. Perhaps you have done things
nearly as bad yourself sometimes. If you have, you will know how "owning
up" soothes the savage breast and alleviates the gnawings of remorse.

If you have never done naughty acts, I expect it is only because you
never had the sense to think of anything.

THE CIRCUS

The ones of us who had started the Society of the Wouldbegoods began, at
about this time, to bother.

They said we had not done anything really noble--not worth speaking of,
that is--for over a week, and that it was high time to begin
again--"with earnest endeavor," Daisy said. So then Oswald said:

"All right; but there ought to be an end to everything. Let's each of us
think of one really noble and unselfish act, and the others shall help
to work it out, like we did when we were Treasure Seekers. Then when
everybody's had