Page:Sylvester Sound the Somnambulist (1844).djvu/191

 "In order that you may understand the imminent peril to which it appears you habitually expose yourself."

"The first ted verses of chapter the fifth! Allow be to look at theb dow, that I bay see at odce what they are about."

The New Testament was handed to him promptly, and when Tom had turned to the chapter in question, and found that it related to Ananias and Sapphira, he looked at Mr. Terre, and inquired what he meant.

"You say," said he, "that I habitually expose byself to the peril here described; do you bead thed to say that I'b ad habitual liar."

"I merely mean to say that it appears—"

"What appears?"

"That you are in the habit of telling falsehoods."

"Do you wadt be to kick you," said Tom, indignantly. "What do you bead? How does it appear? Tell be that."

"It appears, sir, from what your good mother has told me."

"Frob what by bother has told you!" cried Tob. "Stop a bidite," he added, approaching the door; "I'll sood settle this affair. Bother; just step here a bobedt."

Mrs. Delolme walked solemnly in.

"Have you beed tellidg this bad," inquired Tom, "that I'b ad habitual liar?"

"I told him," replied Mrs. Delolme, "that you were in the habit of telling falsehoods."

"Bother," said Tom, "I ab, by prescriptiod, boudd to respect every word you utter; but as I ab udcodscious of ever havidg told a deliberate falsehood, I caddot respect the words you have just prodoudced. I kdow, of course, what you allude to: you allude to the proeeedidgs of last dight; but I agaid declare, upod by sacred hodour, that every word of by dedial was true."

Here Mr. Terre turned up the whites of his eyes, until the pupils were lost to view.

"As to that iddividual," continued Tom, pointing to Mr. Terre with an expression of contempt, "I respect the sacred office which he holds, but id this case, I caddot respect the holder. Arrogadce add igdoradce forb his chief characteristics: arrogadce id presubidg to address be as he did, add ignoradce id supposidg that if eved I had beed guilty of falsehood, I could, by the beads he adopted, be boved. You are a teacher, sir; but you have buch to leard; the hubad heart should be your study."

Mrs. Delolme was shocked! and on turning to Mr. Terre, as Tom quitted the room, she perceived, by the awful expression he assumed, that he had given Tom up for lost. The reverend gentleman had nevertheless words of consolation for Mrs. Delolme, and when he had delivered those words in the most impressive style of which he was capable, she rejoined Aunt Eleanor—who was, alas! laughing with Tom at the time—with the view of inducing her to subscribe to a fund for the diffusion of blankets and tracts among the poor—to which fund the reverend gentleman, in order to save all unnecessary expense, kindly acted as secretary and treasurer, and which diffusion he, with infinity