e was black you'd believe him."

"I'd consider it," said Ben, gravely.

"If you want any supper it's in the cupboard," said Miss Betsey, rising,
"I've had supper and dinner too, up to Mr Fleming's, and we went to
meeting at the Scott school-house. It wasn't Clif's fault this time,
Aunt Betsey, and we haven't done anything very bad either. And Clif,
he's going to be awful steady, I expect, and stick to his books more
than a little, and he sent his respects to you, Aunt Betsey, and he
says--"

"There, that'll do. Go to bed if you don't want to drive me crazy."

"I'll go to bed right off if you'll come and take away my candle, Aunt
Betsey. No, I don't want a candle; but if you'll come in and tuck me up
as you used to, for I haven't been doing anything this time, nor Clif
either. Will you, Aunt Betsey?"

"Well, hurry up, then," said Aunt Betsey, with a break in her voice,
"for this day has been long enough for two, and I'm thankful it's done,"
and then she added to herself:

"I sha'n't worry about him if I can help it. But it is so much more
natural for boys to go wrong than to go right, that I can't help it by
spells. After all I've seen, it isn't strange either."

"Ben," said she, when she took his candle in a little while, "you
mustn't think you haven't done wrong because the day turned out better
than it might have done. It only happened so. It was Sabbath-breaking
all the same to leave meeting and go up the river. There, I aint going
to begin again. But wrong is wrong, and sin is sin whichever way it
ends."

"That's so," said Ben, penitently.

"And there is only one way for sin to end, however it may look at the
beginning, and it won't help you to have Clif fall into the same
condemnation. There, good-night."

"I don't know about that last," said Ben to himself. "It would seem
kind o' good to have Clif round 'most anywhere. But he's going to work
straight this time, I expect, and I guess he'll have all the better
chance to walk straight too."

CHAPTER FIVE.

THE MINISTER.

The event of the summer to the people of Gershom was the coming of the
new minister. It is not to be supposed that with a population of a good
many hundreds there was uniformity of opinion in religious matters in
the town. To say nothing of the North Gore people, the people of
Gershom generally believed in the right of private judgment, and
exercised it to such purpose that, within the limits of the township, at