h, do you?"

"No, I do not think so; I believe all your thought was to help Maggie.
It was not willful disobedience, so you see there is a difference
between the two cases."

Edna was thoughtful. "Yes, I see," she answered. But somehow that
"feeling sorry for people" made her get over her anger against Louis,
and she went up stairs singing a little song to herself. And a half
hour later the two might have been heard laughing merrily over their
play, and planning what they were going to do at the fair which was to
be held the next week.

Before then Edna found out more of Louis' misbehavior. It seems that
he had, more than once, gone out the back gate when he was supposed to
be studying his lessons in the afternoon, climbing the fence and
creeping in the house again just at dusk, being encouraged in this by
Phil Blaney. Uncle Justus coming home later than usual one evening
caught sight of Louis with a crowd of bad boys and grimly marched his
nephew home.

Phil Blaney was a wild, uncontrolled boy, who spent most of his time
in the street, played truant three days out of five, was a great
boaster, and sneered at anything like goodness. He was vastly amusing,
however, and generally was surrounded by a crowd of admiring lads who
thought him quite a hero. He had completely fascinated Louis, who was
blind to his faults and attached great weight to every word he
uttered. Phil encouraged the younger boy to be as defiant as possible,
telling him he was a coward to stand being badgered by old
"goggle-eyes," as he called Professor Horner. So Louis was under a
very bad influence, the real danger of which neither he nor Edna could
realize.

The next week, however, the fair was the great matter of interest.
Aunt Elizabeth had a table and allowed the children to go as helpers,
if not every day, at least quite often. Louis being the elder was
sometimes allowed to return in the evening, and Edna's great desire
was to be allowed also to go at that time.

"It is much more fun at night," Louis had told her. "There are so many
people there, and it is all lighted up, and there is always music,
singing, or something." But Aunt Elizabeth had not hinted at there
being a possibility of Edna's being allowed to sit up after eight
o'clock, and Edna was so very eager to go "just one evening."

Finally she summoned up courage to take her longing to Uncle Justus.
There appeared to be a very good understanding between the grave,
dignified man