f you were in my case?" said Mr. George. "I will
leave it to you, Waldron. Suppose a strange boy, that you know no more
about than I do of you, were to come to you with a promise that he would
be _very careful_ if you would let him go somewhere, and that he would
not go into any dangerous places, or expose himself to any risks,--would
you think it safe to trust him?"

"Why, no, sir," said Waldron, reluctantly. "I don't think I should.
Perhaps I might _try_ him."

"According to my experience," said Mr. George, "you can't trust to boys'
promises in the least. It is not that they make promises with the
intention of breaking them, but they don't know what breaking them is. A
boy who is not careful does not know the difference between being
careful and being careless; and so he breaks his promise, and then, if
he gets into any trouble by his folly, he says, 'I did not think there
was any harm in that.'

"No," added Mr. George, in conclusion, shaking his head gravely as he
spoke. "I never place any reliance on such promises."

"Then how can you tell whether to trust a boy or not?" asked Rollo.

"I never can tell," said Mr. George, "until he is proved. When he is
tried and proved, then I know him; but not before."

"Well," said Rollo, "then let Waldron and me go down the river
to-morrow, if it is pleasant, and let that be for our trial."

"It might, possibly, be a good plan to let you go, on that ground," said
Mr. George. He said this in a musing manner, as if considering the
question.

"I will think of it," said he. "I'll see if I can think of any
conditions on which I can allow you to go, and I will tell you about it
at the hotel. And now, in regard to going up to Glasgow. I'll leave it
to you and Waldron to decide. You must go and ascertain all the
facts--such as how soon the train leaves after we arrive, and how much
sooner we shall get up there, if we go in it. Then you must take charge
of all the baggage, too, and see that it goes across safe from the
steamer to the station, and attend to the whole business."

"Yes, sir," said Waldron, "we will. We'll get a cab, and put the baggage
right in."

"Can't you get it across without a cab?" said Mr. George. "I don't see
how I can afford to take a cab, very well; for you see we have to incur
an extra expense as it is, to go in the cars at all, since we have
already paid our passage up by the steamer."

"Well, sir," said Waldron, eagerly, "we can carry the baggage ac