Chapter VI: Robert's Spelling

IN the afternoon, a lady named Bowles, a cousin of Mrs. Woodward's, came with her little daughter to pass a few weeks. As she was also a cousin of Robert's father, she expressed much interest in him. It needed, however, a great deal of persuasion on the part of Mrs. Woodward to induce her husband to consent to one more trial of the boy, previously to his being sent home to his mother.

"For my sake, Frederick," was the plea that at last prevailed, and then it was only on conditions. Robert's lessons were to be recited to him, and his aunt was to have nothing to do with urging him to study; and that he was to be restricted in his diet, taking the food which his uncle sent him from the table in his own chamber, and nothing more.

Mr. Woodward had a long talk with his nephew before he went to bed, and explained to him exactly where his idleness and disregard of God's commands would lead him, to the gallows and eternal separation from God in heaven. He then said:

"Robert, for your aunt's sake, I have consented to give you one more trial. If you resolve with God's help to overcome your besetting sins, you may yet become a useful man, a blessing to your mother and all connected with you. Beginning to-morrow, you will recite your lessons to me; and I forbid you to ask any help from your aunt.

"You will also eat in your room, the food which I shall send you from the table. And I may as well tell you now that until you better deserve the indulgence, you will have none of the luxuries of which you are so fond."

While his uncle was speaking, Robert cried softly, saying occasionally:

"I mean to be good, uncle, 'deed I do;" or "I'm right sorry, uncle; I never will be naughty again."

But when the gentleman spoke of denying him the nice puddings, pies, sweet meats and cake, he burst into loud, passionate remonstrance:

"'Please,' please, uncle, don't. I will be good, 'deed I will. Only try me, try me one day."

"Pshaw," exclaimed the gentleman turning away in disgust.

"What a dear, obliging little fellow Robert is," remarked Mrs. Bowles the next day. "He must be a real treasure to his mother."

"Have you seen her lately?" asked Mrs. Woodward quickly.

"Doesn't Robert eat dinner with you, cousin Ellen?" inquired Marion Bowles after they were seated at the table.

"Robert is unfortunately under dieting orders at present," remarked his uncle giving a plate of meat and vegetables to the table girl to carry to the boy.

After dinner, uncle and nephew met in the library for the lessons.

"Very well," remarked the gentleman when every question with the exception of two had been correctly answered. "You have convinced me that it is not for want of ability you have failed so often. Get the next lesson to-morrow, and do twenty examples in arithmetic. The remainder of the afternoon, you may have for play or whatever you choose. This evening, I wish you to take your slate and write upon it a confession of what occurred yesterday. Consult the dictionary, and see that every word is spelled correctly. Have it ready for me to-morrow morning."

After a game of parlor croquet with his cousins, Robert went out into the street, and did not return till tea was on the table. When questioned by his aunt as to how he had employed himself, he answered promptly:

"I and another boy went fishing. And then we started off to Camp Scott to see a regiment start off to the war. Uncle said I might do what I pleased."

"That is true," remarked the gentleman, "but I prefer you should not go there again. There are too many rough fellows among them, and too much profanity to make it a profitable place for you."

"Mother lets me go at home," urged the boy. "I'm going to be a soldier when I'm grown up."

They all smiled at the manner in which he swelled himself out as though the epaulets were already on his shoulders.

After tea, he asked his aunt for a sheet of paper saying:

"I'm going to write a letter to mother!"

He had not written one since he left home, and his aunt was quite pleased that he did it of his own accord.

The next morning the slate containing his confession was presented for his uncle's inspection. The writing filled one side and the gentleman counted thirty different words spelled wrong. He dashed them, told Robert to make a correct copy, and give it to him at noon. When corrected, it read thus:

"Yesterday, I 'gut' into an awful scrape. I 'gut' into aunty's closet
without 'hur' seeing me and hooked 'rasins' and 'cooky's' and apples.

"She shut me up in my 'rume' to 'lern' my lessons; and I 'gut' awful tired, and lay down on the bed, and 'et' the things. Then I opened the window, and 'thort I'de' have some fun. I Jumped out and ran off, and found a drunken man, and 'thru' dirt in his face.

"When I 'cam' home to dinner I told awful lies about it. The hardest part of all I 'thort' was to go without my dinner. I 'wunder' who 'et' up what was on my plate.

"ROBERT WEEKS."

"Sixteen mistakes still," said Mr. Woodward severely. "I am very glad, however, that you have not said in your confession that you were penitent in view of your sin."

"Why, uncle? Why are you so glad?"

"Because it would be another lie added to the many you have already told, and for which you must one day give an account to God. Now I will hear your lessons. Before you go to play, you must look out in the dictionary again the words I have marked. I shall be greatly displeased if I find one word wrong next time."

The lesson in grammar proved to be only half learned. The book was given back to him, with the words:

"If you wont work, you mustn't eat. Not a mouthful till that lesson is committed."

Robert had a very special reason for wishing to go out this afternoon. He had engaged to meet a boy on business of great importance. Under these circumstances, he took the book, and studied as he had never done before. Then he ran to the dictionary, looked out the marked words, altered them, and carried book and slate to his uncle with a smiling face.

"Let me see, have I time before dinner," asked the gentleman, laying aside his newspaper with some reluctance.

"Well, if you are sure, I'll try."

"A perfect lesson this time. Now you are at liberty till evening, when I wish you to copy the confession as neatly as possible."

"That boy is capable enough," remarked Mr. Woodward to his wife, when Robert had gone to his room to wait for his dinner. "I wish I could feel more confidence in him."

"Let us hope and pray he may become worthy of confidence," was her gentle reply.