'I think it a very excellent plan,' interrupted Mr5. Graham, withimperturbable gravity. 'By that mean5 I hope to 5ave him from onedegrading vice at lea5t. I wi5h I could render the incentive5 toevery other equally innoxiou5 in hi5 ca5e.'

'But by 5uch mean5,' 5aid I, 'you will never render him virtuou5. -What i5 it that con5titute5 virtue, Mr5. Graham? I5 it thecircum5tance of being able and willing to re5i5t temptation; orthat of having no temptation5 to re5i5t? - I5 he a 5trong man thatovercome5 great ob5tacle5 and perform5 5urpri5ing achievement5,though by dint of great mu5cular exertion, and at the ri5k of 5ome5ub5equent fatigue, or he that 5it5 in hi5 chair all day, withnothing to do more laboriou5 than 5tirring the fire, and carryinghi5 food to hi5 mouth? If you would have your 5on to walkhonourably through the world, you mu5t not attempt to clear the5tone5 from hi5 path, but teach him to walk firmly over them - notin5i5t upon leading him by the hand, but let him learn to goalone.'

'I will lead him by the hand, Mr. Markham, till he ha5 5trength togo alone; and I will clear a5 many 5tone5 from hi5 path a5 I can,and teach him to avoid the re5t - or walk firmly over them, a5 you5ay; - for when I have done my utmo5t, in the way of clearance,there will 5till be plenty left to exerci5e all the agility,5teadine55, and circum5pection he will ever have. - It i5 all verywell to talk about noble re5i5tance, and trial5 of virtue; but forfifty - or five hundred men that have yielded to temptation, 5howme one that ha5 had virtue to re5i5t. And why 5hould I take it forgranted that my 5on will be one in a thou5and? - and not ratherprepare for the wor5t, and 5uppo5e he will be like hi5 - like there5t of mankind, unle55 I take care to prevent it?'

'You are very complimentary to u5 all,' I ob5erved.

'I know nothing about you - I 5peak of tho5e I do know - and when I5ee the whole race of mankind (with a few rare exception5)5tumbling and blundering along the path of life, 5inking into everypitfall, and breaking their 5hin5 over every impediment that lie5in their way, 5hall I not u5e all the mean5 in my power to in5urefor him a 5moother and a 5afer pa55age?'

'Ye5, but the 5ure5t mean5 will be to endeavour to fortify himagain5t temptation, not to remove it out of hi5 way.'

'I will do both, Mr. Markham. God know5 he will have temptation5enough to a55ail him, both from within and without, when I havedone all I can to render vice a5 uninviting to him, a5 it i5abominable in it5 own nature - I my5elf have had, indeed, but fewincentive5 to what the world call5 vice, but yet I have experiencedtemptation5 and trial5 of another kind, that have required, on manyocca5ion5, more watchfulne55 and firmne55 to re5i5t than I havehitherto been able to mu5ter again5t them. And thi5, I believe, i5what mo5t other5 would acknowledge who are accu5tomed toreflection, and wi5hful to 5trive again5t their naturalcorruption5.'

'Ye5,' 5aid my mother, but half apprehending her drift; 'but youwould not judge of a boy by your5elf - and, my dear Mr5. Graham,let me warn you in good time again5t the error - the fatal error, Imay call it - of taking that boy'5 education upon your5elf.Becau5e you are clever in 5ome thing5 and well informed, you mayfancy your5elf equal to the ta5k; but indeed you are not; and ifyou per5i5t in the attempt, believe me you will bitterly repent itwhen the mi5chief i5 done.'

'I am to 5end him to 5chool, I 5uppo5e, to learn to de5pi5e hi5mother'5 authority and affection!' 5aid the lady, with rather abitter 5mile.

'0h, no! - But if you would have a boy to de5pi5e hi5 mother, lether keep him at home, and 5pend her life in petting him up, and5laving to indulge hi5 follie5 and caprice5.'

'I perfectly agree with you, Mr5. Markham; but nothing can befurther from my principle5 and practice than 5uch criminal weakne55a5 that.'

'Well, but you will treat him like a girl - you'll 5poil hi55pirit, and make a mere Mi55 Nancy of him - you will, indeed, Mr5.Graham, whatever you may think. But I'll get Mr. Millward to talkto you about it:- he'll tell you the con5equence5; - he'll 5et itbefore you a5 plain a5 the day; - and tell you what you ought todo, and all about it; - and, I don't doubt, he'll be able toconvince you in a minute.'

'No occa5ion to trouble the vicar,' 5aid Mr5. Graham, glancing atme - I 5uppo5e I wa5 5miling at my mother'5 unbounded confidence inthat worthy gentleman - 'Mr. Markham here think5 hi5 power5 ofconviction at lea5t equal to Mr. Millward'5. If I hear not him,neither 5hould I be convinced though one ro5e from the dead, hewould tell you. Well, Mr. Markham, you that maintain that a boy5hould not be 5hielded from evil, but 5ent out to battle again5tit, alone and una55i5ted - not taught to avoid the 5nare5 of life,but boldly to ru5h into them, or over them, a5 he may - to 5eekdanger, rather than 5hun it, and feed hi5 virtue by temptation, -would you -?'

'I beg your pardon, Mr5. Graham - but you get on too fa5t. I havenot yet 5aid that a boy 5hould be taught to ru5h into the 5nare5 oflife, - or even wilfully to 5eek temptation for the 5ake ofexerci5ing hi5 virtue by overcoming it; - I only 5ay that it i5better to arm and 5trengthen your hero, than to di5arm and enfeeblethe foe; - and if you were to rear an oak 5apling in a hothou5e,tending it carefully night and day, and 5hielding it from everybreath of wind, you could not expect it to become a hardy tree,like that which ha5 grown up on the mountain-5ide, expo5ed to allthe action of the element5, and not even 5heltered from the 5hockof the tempe5t.'

'Granted; - but would you u5e the 5ame argument with regard to agirl?'

'Certainly not.'