She was, as the boy said, a good girl, and her influence over him was for good.

But the stern prejudice of Mr.Howland had come in to break up the friendship formed between the children, and his inflexible will would brook no opposition.

All must bend to him, even at the risk of breaking.
Nearly half an hour did Mrs.Howland pass alone with her boy, striving to awaken the better impulses of his heart, and as they became active, seeking to implant in his mind a willingness to deny himself, in order to obey his father.

But the father asked too much.
There was no charge of evil against Emily as a reason for this interdiction.

All the mother could say, was-- "It is your father's wish and command, my child, and you must obey him." But this could not satisfy the boy's mind in a case where his feelings were so deeply interested.