heard of him, till yesterday the police passed him home to
the Union as a vagabond. He looks very ill and ragged; but he is in
one of those sullen moods, when no one can get a word out of him. Smith
declines prosecuting for running away, being only too glad of the
riddance on any terms; so there he is at his grandfather's, ready for
any sort of mischief.'

'Mr. Holdsworth,' said Louis, raising himself on his elbow, 'you are
judging, like every one else, from appearances. If I were at liberty
to tell the whole, you would see what a noble nature it was that I
trifled with; and they have been hounding--Poor Tom! would it have been
better for him that I had never seen him? It is a fearful thing, this
blind treading about among souls, not knowing whether one does good or
harm!'

'If you feel so,' said Mr. Holdsworth, hoping to lead him from the
unfortunate subject, 'what must _we_ do?'

'My position, if I live, seems to have as much power for evil, without
the supernatural power for good. Doing hastily, or leaving undone, are
equally fatal!'

'Nay, what hope can there be but in fear, and sense of responsibility?'

'I think not. I do more mischief than those who do not go out of their
way to think of the matter at all!'

'Do you!' said the Vicar, smiling. 'At least, I know, for my own part,
I prefer all the trouble and perplexity you give me, to a squire who
would let me and my parish jog on our own way.'

'I dare say young Brewster never spoilt a Tom Madison.'

'The sight of self indulgence spoils more than injudicious care does.
Besides, I look on these experiments as giving experience.'

'Nice experience of my best efforts!'

'Pardon me, Fitzjocelyn, have we seen your best?'

'I hope you will!' said Louis, vigorously. 'And to begin, will you
tell this poor boy to come to me?'

Mr. Holdsworth had an unmitigated sense of his own indiscretion, and
not such a high one of Fitzjocelyn's discretion as to make him think
the interview sufficiently desirable for the culprit, to justify the
possible mischief to the adviser, whose wisdom and folly were equally
perplexing, and who would surely be either disappointed or deceived.
Dissuasions and arguments, however, failed; and Mrs. Frost, who was
appealed to as a last resource, no sooner found that her patient's
heart was set on the meeting, than she consented, and persuaded Mr.
Holdsworth that no harm would ensue equal to the evil of her boy lying
there distressin