ay.'

From the happy day Laurence had thus described, there was an entire
blank in the journal; but between the leaves was placed a written paper,
from which Mr. Clayton read as follows:--

'August 23rd.--To-morrow is my birthday, and my father is preparing
gifts for me, which he thinks I deserve. My brothers and sisters are
rejoicing, but I am wretched; when my father smiles on me, I feel my
cheeks burn, and my heart swells as if it would burst; and when he
calls me his dear good Laurence, something rises in my throat, and seems
about to choke me. If these are the feelings that belong to guilt, I
wonder any one can bear the pain of being wicked: for no headache or
toothache ever gave me a quarter of the torment I have suffered since I
became a wicked boy. Oh, my dear, kind father, take pity on me, and this
once forgive me. I will tell you truly all I have done.

'On Tuesday, August 3rd, sir, I set out to go to school. It was the day
after I had been so happy with you in the boat and at Mr. Black's, and
as I met William Thompson, I could not help telling him what a pleasant
day I had spent. "Oh, then," said he, "you are fond of the water; I and
two or three more are just going to take a little row, and you shall go
with us." At first I refused, but William told me I was too early for
school, and as he was also going to school, and promised to be back in
time, I at last consented.

'Three dirty boys were waiting at the side of the river, and though I
did not like their company, I was then ashamed to go back, so we all
jumped into a boat and rowed away. For some time we went on very well;
both wind and tide were in our favour, and it was quite easy to manage
the boat.

'The fine day and the pleasant river soon made me forget school, till I
heard some distant clock strike twelve; then, distressed at what I had
done, I insisted we should go back. But it was very hard to row against
wind and tide, and they began to quarrel and were going to fight. I
sprang up to snatch the oar from a boy who was going to strike another,
and in suddenly raising my arm I knocked his hat off into the river. It
swam away, and as we were turning to row after it, we dropped one of the
oars, and trying to row with the other, we ran the boat aground upon a
bank of mud. There we were obliged to stay, for we could not force the
boat off, nor could we wade to the shore through that mud. I bore the
blame of these misfortunes; they all abused me sad