fine face clearing up under the
consciousness of probity. (But, reader, mark you this--it was the
amiable trait inherited from his father--the pain in giving pain; the
pleasure in giving pleasure. But we know that this propensity which had
proved so fatal to the father was guided by conscience to all good ends
in the son.)

While Ishmael gave this little explanation, the examiners listened,
whispered, and nodded to each other with looks of approval.

And Walter came to his friend's side, and affectionately took and
pressed his hand, saying:

"I knew it, as soon as I had heard both theses read, and saw that they
seemed to make mistakes only in yours. It was very generous in you,
Ishmael; but you seemed to leave out of the account the fact that I
ought not to have profited by such generosity; and also that if I had
lost the prize, and you had won it, my mortification would have been
alleviated by the thought that you, the best pupil in the school, and my
own chosen friend, had won it."

"Order!" said Mr. Middleton, interrupting this whispered conversation.
"Ishmael," he continued, addressing the youth, "your act was a generous
one, certainly; whether it was a righteous one is doubtful. There is an
old proverb which places 'justice before generosity.' I do not know that
it does not go so far as even to inculcate justice to ourselves before
generosity to our fellows. You should have been just to yourself before
being generous to your friend. It only remains for us now to rectify
this wrong." Then turning to Professor Adams, he said:

"Sir, may I trouble you to take this fair copy and read it aloud?"

Professor Adams bowed in assent as he received the paper. Ishmael and
Walter returned to their seats to await the proceedings.

Professor Adams arose in his place, and in a few words explained how it
happened that in the case of the first thesis read to them, he had given
the rough draft instead of the fair copy, which in justice to the young
writer he should now proceed to read.

Now, although not half a dozen persons in that room could have perceived
any difference in the two readings of a thesis written in a language of
which even the alphabet was unknown known to them, yet every individual
among them could keenly appreciate the magnanimity of Ishmael, who would
have sacrificed his scholastic fame for his friend's benefit, and the
quickness and integrity of Walter in discovering the generous ruse and
refusing the sa