ns at a costly hotel in Brunswick. His money being gone, he
went to the house of an uncle until he was sent away; then, at another
expensive hotel, he ran up bills until, payment being demanded, he had
to leave his best clothes as a security, barely escaping arrest. Then,
at Wolfenbuttel, he tried the same bold scheme again, until, having
nothing for deposit, he ran off, but this time was caught and sent to
jail. This boy of sixteen was already a liar and thief, swindler and
drunkard, accomplished only in crime, a companion of convicted felons
and himself in a felon's cell. This cell, a few days later, a thief
shared: and these two held converse as fellow thieves, relating their
adventures to one another, and young Muller, that he might not be
outdone, invented lying tales of villainy to make himself out the more
famous fellow of the two!

Ten or twelve days passed in this wretched fellowship, until
disagreement led to a sullen silence between them. And so passed away
twenty-four dark days, from December 18, 1821, until the 12th of January
ensuing, during all of which George Muller was shut up in prison and
during part of which he sought as a favour the company of a thief.

His father learned of his disgrace and sent money to meet his hotel dues
and other "costs" and pay for his return home. Yet such was his
persistent wickedness that, going from a convict's cell to confront his
outraged but indulgent parent, he chose as his companion in travel an
avowedly wicked man.

He was severely chastised by his father and felt that he must make some
effort to reinstate himself in his favour. He therefore studied hard and
took pupils in arithmetic and German, French and Latin. This outward
reform so pleased his father that he shortly forgot as well as forgave
his evil-doing; but again it was only the outside of the cup and platter
that was made clean: the secret heart was still desperately wicked and
the whole life, as God saw it, was an abomination.

George Muller now began to forge what he afterward called "a whole chain
of lies." When his father would no longer consent to his staying at
home, he left, ostensibly for Halle, the university town, to be
examined, but really for Nordhausen to seek entrance into the gymnasium.
He avoided Halle because he dreaded its severe discipline, and foresaw
that restraint would be doubly irksome when constantly meeting young
fellows of his acquaintance who, as students in the university, wou