boy; "he will not care. Besides, he will not
know it. He is busy picking by himself. He does not mind where you are."

Rollo thought this was not exactly the way that a good boy would speak
of obeying a father, but he wanted very much to see the place where the
berries were so much thicker.

"How far is it?" said he to the boy.

"O, it is only a little way-just around that rock."

By this time the other two boys came up, and they talked with Rollo a
little while, and endeavored to persuade him to go. He said finally that
he would go and ask his father. So he left his basket, and went and
asked his father if he might just go with those boys round the rock. He
said the blueberries were much thicker around there, and also that he
had been talking with the boys, and he was sure they were good boys.

"No, Rollo," said his father, decidedly, "I cannot think that any boys
that use bad language can be good boys, or safe companions for you. I
had rather you would keep with us. If they speak to you, answer them
civilly; but the less you have to say to them or do with them, the
better. In fact, I had rather you would not go back to them at all."

"I must," said Rollo, "to get my basket."

He accordingly returned to his basket, and told the boys that his father
preferred that he should stay where he was.

The biggest boy of the three was a ragged and dirty-looking boy; the
others called him Jim, and he talked with Rollo a good deal. Rollo's
conscience reproved him for not leaving them, and going back to his
father; but he wanted to stay and hear their talk, and he quieted his
conscience by saying to himself that his father told him to treat them
civilly. At first the boys were careful what they said to Rollo; but at
length Jim grew more and more hold. He used language which Rollo knew
was wrong, and he told Rollo that he was a fool to stick so close to his
father; that he was big enough to find his way alone all over the
mountain, if he was of a mind to.

All this Rollo was silly enough to believe, and, as his father only
required him to keep in sight, he thought he would show the boys that he
was not so much afraid as they thought he was; and so hi gradually moved
off farther and farther from his parents, as he went on gradually
filling up his basket. Lucy, in the mean time, went nearer and nearer to
them, and in a short time was safely gathering her blueberries by her
aunt's side.

Things went on so for an hour. Rollo