went to school. He went
with some boys who were older than he was, and they took care of him in
the street. Little boys should not run about the street alone, or they
may be hurt.

Harry was a good boy at school. He tried to learn; and one day he got to
the top of his class. This was good news to carry home to his mamma, and
it made Harry feel proud, which was very wrong. Pride is a sin; and when
we give way to sin, it is sure to end in sorrow.

Harry said to his mamma, "I like you to praise me, mamma, and to call me
a good boy. I mean to be always good. I will keep at the top of my class
as long as I can, and I will never do any thing wrong."

His mamma said, "You must not say that you will never do wrong, but you
must ask God to help you to be good, for the sake of Jesus Christ his
Son; for that is the way to be kept from sin."

But Harry did not know that he had a sinful heart.

[Illustration]

Now his mamma had told him that when he came from school, he must not
stop to play by the way. The very day after he had this talk with her
about being good, as he was coming home, with his book-bag on his arm,
some of the boys began to play in the street. And Harry put down his
book-bag, to play with them, and they played so long that at last it
grew dusk, and then Harry set off home as fast as he could run. But he
forgot that he had left his book-bag lying in the street.

When he got to the door, he rang the bell, and Susan, the maid, let him
in. So Susan said, "Why, master Harry, where have you been till now?"
But Harry looked down, and rubbed his shoes very hard upon the mat, as
if he did not hear her.

His mamma had put away her work, and the tea-things were ready, and the
urn was on the table, and toast, and bread and butter, and cake. It was
very late indeed. His mamma said, "How is it you are so late, my dear? I
hope you did not stop to play in the street."

Then Harry told a lie; for he said that he had not stopped to play.

His mamma saw that he did not speak the truth, for his face was very
red, and he looked like a boy that was telling a lie. I cannot tell you
how sad she felt to think that her little Harry should be such a wicked
child.

But before she had time to say a word, all at once Harry missed his
book-bag off his arm, and he knew that he had left it lying in the
street. He could no longer hide his fault from his mamma, so he began
to cry, and said, "May I go back and look for my book-bag? I ha