The little boy
resists as well as he can, and complains bitterly, but it is of no
avail.
At the close of the school that day, the teacher commences conversation
on the subject as follows:
"Boys, do you know what the difference is between stealing and robbery?"
"Yes, sir."
"What!"
The boys hesitate, and look at one another.
"Suppose a thief were to go into a man's store in the daytime, and take
away something secretly, would it be stealing or robbery?"
"Stealing."
"Suppose he should meet him in the road, and take it away by force?"
"Then it would be robbery."
"Yes; when that which belongs to another is taken secretly, it is called
stealing; when it is taken openly or with violence, it is called
robbery. Which, now, do you think is the worst?"
"Robbery."
"Yes, for it is more barefaced and determined--then it gives a great
deal more pain to the one who is injured. To-day I saw one of the boys
in this school taking away another boy's sled, openly and with
violence."
The boys all look round toward Richard.
"Was that of the nature of stealing or robbery?
"Robbery," say the boys.
"Was it real robbery?"
They hesitate.
"If any of you think of any reason why it was not real robbery, you may
name it."
"He gave the sled back to him," says one of the boys.
"Yes; and therefore, to describe the action correctly, we should not say
Richard robbed a boy of his sled, but that he robbed him of his sled
_for a time_, or he robbed him of the _use_ of his sled.
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