Presently Ralph and George, who slept in the same chamber with him, came up to keep him company.

They amused themselves together for some time, and Oscar quite forgot that he had been sent to bed, until the door suddenly opened, and his father, whose attention had been attracted by the noise, stood before him.
"Did n't I tell you to go to bed an hour ago, Oscar ?" he inquired.
"Yes, sir." "Why have n't you obeyed me, then ?" "Because," said Oscar, "I 've got a lesson to get to-night, and I have n't studied it yet." "If you 've got a lesson to learn, where is your book ?" inquired his father.
"It 's down stairs; I was afraid to go after it, and so I was trying to coax Ralph to get it for me." "O, what a story!" cried George; "why, father, he has n't said one word about his book." This was true.

Oscar, in his extremity, had hastily framed a falsehood, trusting that his assurance would enable him to carry it through.

And he would probably have succeeded but for George; as Ralph, in his well-meant but very mistaken kindness for Oscar, would not have been very likely to expose him.

But the lie was nailed, and Oscar's bold and wicked push had only placed him in a far worse position than he occupied before.