"Stop, stop, stop; don't think that cousin Edmund means to give you leave to begin hating them." "Hating them? O no! but now you will tell me what I ought to do, since there is no possibility of getting away from them." "No, there is no possibility," said Edmund, considering; "I could not ask the Marchmonts again, though they did make the offer in the first fulness of their hearts. Besides, there are objections; I should not feel satisfied to trust you to so giddy a head as Selina's. No, Marian, it cannot be helped; so let us come to an understanding about these same Lyddells." "Well, then, why is it that we do not do better? I know there are faults on my side; but what are the faults on theirs?" "Marian, I believe the fault to be that they do not look beyond this present life," said Edmund, in a grave, low tone. Marian thought a little while, and then said, "Caroline does, but I see what you mean with the others." "Then your conduct should be a witness of your better principles," said Edmund. "You may stand on very high ground, and it entirely depends on yourself whether you maintain that position, or sink down to their level." "O, but that is awful!" cried Marian; and then in a tone of still greater dismay, "and Gerald? O, Edmund, what is to become of him?" "I must trust him to you, Marian." "To me!" "You have great influence over him, and that, rightly used, may be his safeguard. Many a man has owed everything to a sister's influence." Then, as Marian's eye glistened with somewhat of tender joy and yet of fear, he went on, "But take care; if you deteriorate, he will be in great danger; and, on the other hand, beware of obstinacy and rigidity in trifles--you know what I mean--which might make goodness distasteful to him." "O, worse and worse, Edmund! What is to be done? If I can do him so much harm, I know I can do him very little good; and what will it be when he is older, and will depend less on what I say?" "He will always depend more on what you _do_ than on what you say." "But what can I do? all the schoolboy temptations that I know nothing about. And Elliot--O, Edmund! think of Elliot, and say if it is not dreadful that Mr. Lyddell should have the management of our own Gerald? Papa never could have known--" "I think, while he is still so young, that there is not much harm to be apprehended from that quarter," said Edmund; "afterwards, I believe I may promise you that he shall not be left entirely to Oakworthy training." "And," said Marian, "could you not make him promise to keep away from the stables? Those men--and their language--could you not, Edmund?" "I could, but I would not," said Edmund. "I had rather that, if he transgresses, he should not break his word as well as run into temptation. There is no such moral crime in going down to the stables, as should make us willing to oblige him to take a vow against it." "Would it not keep him out of temptation?"