He was turning the obstruction round and round in his pocket, and wishing with all his sentiments that he had owned up like a man when Albert's uncle asked him before tea to tell him all about what had happened during the night.
When they had told all, Albert's uncle told us four still more plainly, and exactly, what we had done, and how much pleasure we had spoiled, and how much of my father's money we had wasted--because he would have to pay for the coals being got up from the bottom of the river, if they could be, and if not, for the price of the coals.

And we saw it ALL.
And when he had done Alice burst out crying over her plate and said-- 'It's no use! We HAVE tried to be good since we've been down here.
You don't know how we've tried! And it's all no use.

I believe we are the wickedest children in the whole world, and I wish we were all dead!' This was a dreadful thing to say, and of course the rest of us were all very shocked.

But Oswald could not help looking at Albert's uncle to see how he would take it.
He said very gravely, 'My dear kiddie, you ought to be sorry, and I wish you to be sorry for what you've done.

And you will be punished for it.' (We were; our pocket-money was stopped and we were forbidden to go near the river, besides impositions miles long.) 'But,' he went on, 'you mustn't give up trying to be good.