any of you, give us that dreadful misery! I
hope, my dear Tom, I hope you will never learn any of those detestable
ways your brother has been telling you of. And if it was not that
you will often be obliged to see such things when you mix with other
children, I should be sorry you should even hear of such bad actions,
as I could wish you to pass through life without so much as knowing
such wickedness ever existed; but that is impossible. There are so many
naughty people in the world, that you will often be obliged to see and
hear of crimes which I hope you will shudder to think of committing
yourselves; and being warned of them beforehand, I hope it will put you
more upon your guard, not to be tempted, upon any consideration, to give
the least encouragement to them, much less to practise them yourselves.

'Perhaps, Tom, if your brother had not, by telling us of Sharply's
tricks, given me an opportunity of warning you how extremely wrong and
wicked they are, you might when you were at school, have thought them
very clever, and marks of genius; and therefore, like others of the
boys, have tried to imitate them, and by that means have become as
wicked, mean, and dishonourable yourself. And only think how it would
have grieved your mamma and me, to find the next holidays, our dear
little Tom, instead of being that honest, open, generous-hearted boy
he now is, changed into a deceiver, a cheat, a liar, one whom we could
place no trust or confidence in; for, depend upon it, the person who
will, when at play, behave unfair, would not scruple to do so in even
other action of his life. And the boy who will deceive for the sake of a
marble, or the girl who would act ungenerously, for the sake of a doll's
cap or a pin, will, when grown up, be ready to cheat and over-reach
in their trades, or any affairs they may have to transact. And you may
assure yourselves that numbers of people who are every year hanged,
began at first to be wicked by practising those little dishonourable
mean actions, which so many children are too apt to do at play, without
thinking of their evil consequences.

'I think, my dear,' said he, turning to his wife, 'I have heard you
mention a person who you were acquainted with when a girl, who at last
was hanged for stealing, I think, was not she?' 'No,' replied the lady,
'she was not hanged, she was transported for one-and-twenty years.'
'Pray, madam, how transported? what is that?' inquired one of the
children