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@@ -1,38 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Lily Norris' Enemy, by Joanna Mathews - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Lily Norris' Enemy - -Author: Joanna Mathews - -Release Date: February 24, 2014 [EBook #44991] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LILY NORRIS' ENEMY *** - - - - -Produced by Melissa McDaniel, Chris Whitehead, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44991 *** _LITTLE SUNBEAMS._ @@ -924,7 +890,7 @@ You must bring me the scissors before you go, dear." "While you find them I'll go down and talk to your woman with the half-dozen children all just of your size," said Tom, who evidently had -his doubts on the subject of Lily's _protegee_; "and if she seems all +his doubts on the subject of Lily's _protégée_; "and if she seems all right you shall give her some food; but we won't give her money till we know more about her. That is mamma's rule, you know. Nora, please bring me the coat when it is done." @@ -2149,7 +2115,7 @@ two-year-old bit of mischief that ever found out she had ten fingers, and the number of uses they could be put to. A mischief! I should think she was! Such restless, busy little -fingers! "Mademoiselle Touche-a-tout" Uncle Ruthven named her. Such an +fingers! "Mademoiselle Touche-à -tout" Uncle Ruthven named her. Such an inquisitive little mind! Such never-tiring, pattering little feet! Such a sweet voice, and such a crooked, cunning tongue! @@ -4743,361 +4709,4 @@ original spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been left intact. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Lily Norris' Enemy - -Author: Joanna Mathews - -Release Date: February 24, 2014 [EBook #44991] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LILY NORRIS' ENEMY *** - - - - -Produced by Melissa McDaniel, Chris Whitehead, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -_LITTLE SUNBEAMS._ - - - -III. - -LILY NORRIS' ENEMY. - - - - -By the same Author. - - -I. - -LITTLE SUNBEAMS. - - 1. BELLE POWERS' LOCKET 1.00 - 2. DORA'S MOTTO 1.00 - 3. LILY NORRIS' ENEMY 1.00 - 4. JESSIE'S PARROT 1.00 - 5. MAMIE'S WATCHWORD 1.00 - - -II. - -THE BESSIE BOOKS. - - _Six vols. in a neat box._ $7.50. - -The volumes also sold separately; viz.: Bessie at the Seaside; City, -Friends; Mountains; School; Travels, at $1.25 each. - -"Really, it makes the heart younger, warmer, better, to bathe it afresh -in such familiar, natural scenes, where benevolence of most practical -and blessed utility is seen developing itself, from first to last, in -such delightful symmetry and completeness as may, and we hope will, -secure many imitators."--_Watchman and Reflector._ - - -III. - -THE FLOWERETS. - - A SERIES OF STORIES ON THE COMMANDMENTS. - - _Six vols. in a neat box._ $3.60. - -The vols. can also be had separately; viz.: 1. Violet's Idol; 2. -Daisy's Work; 3. Rose's Temptation; 4. Lily's Lesson; 5. Hyacinthe and -her Brothers; 6. Pinkie and the Rabbits, at 60 cents each. - -"The child-world we are here introduced to is delightfully real. The -children talk and act so naturally that we feel real live children must -have sat for their portraits."--_Baltimore Christian Advocate._ - - - - -[Illustration: Lily Norris. Frontis.] - - - - - LILY NORRIS' ENEMY. - - - "WHATSOEVER THY HAND FINDETH TO DO, DO IT - WITH THY MIGHT." - - - - - BY - - JOANNA H. MATHEWS, - - AUTHOR OF THE "BESSIE BOOKS" AND THE "FLOWERETS." - - - - - NEW YORK: - ROBERT CARTER AND BROTHERS, - 530 BROADWAY. - 1883. - - - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by - - ROBERT CARTER AND BROTHERS, - - In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. - - - - - CAMBRIDGE: - PRESS OF JOHN WILSON AND SON. - - - - - DEDICATED - - TO - - "AUNT JOSIE'S DAISY," - - THE SWEETEST LITTLE "SUNBEAM" THAT EVER BRIGHTENED - THE CLOUDS OF A DARK AND SORROWFUL WINTER. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I. THE "QUAKER LADY" 9 - - II. A MONKEY, A PUPPY, AND A BEGGAR 27 - - III. THE SILVER INKSTAND 48 - - IV. LILY'S PROVERB PICTURE 69 - - V. PROMISING 84 - - VI. BUT NOT PERFORMING 100 - - VII. WHAT CAME OF THAT 120 - - VIII. A LITTLE FABLE 142 - - IX. SATURDAY MORNING'S WORK 156 - - X. SATURDAY AFTERNOON'S PLAY 177 - - XI. A SAD ACCIDENT 198 - - XII. LILY'S NEW RESOLVE 220 - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -LILY NORRIS' ENEMY - - - - -I. - -_THE "QUAKER LADY."_ - - -"If Lily Norris isn't just the most provoking child that ever lived!" -said Maggie Bradford, indignantly. - -"Yes, I b'lieve she just is," assented Bessie. - -"Why," said Mrs. Rush, who was that day making a visit to Maggie's and -Bessie's mamma, "how is this? Lily the most provoking child that ever -lived! I thought Lily was one of your best friends, and that you were -so fond of her." - -"Yes, Aunt May, so we are," said Maggie. "We're very fond of Lily -indeed; she's one of our dearly beloveds, and we like to have her with -us; but for all that, she's very trying to our patience." - -"Yes," sighed Bessie, "I think she's tryinger than any child we know; -and yet she's hardly ever naughty,--really naughty, I mean." - -"How does she try you?" asked Mrs. Rush, though she believed she could -herself have answered as to the cause of complaint. - -"She puts off so," said Bessie. "Aunt May, I think she's the greatest -put-offer we ever saw; and sometimes it makes things so hard to bear. -We try not to be provoked 'cause we love her so; but sometimes we can't -help being a little. I b'lieve it troubles people as much as if she was -real naughty in some way." - -"Yes, procrastination is a very troublesome fault," said Mrs. Rush. - -"Not a _fault_, is it, Aunt May?" asked Maggie. "I thought it was only -a habit of Lily's." - -"And Lily is a pretty good child," said Belle Powers. "She is -mischievous, and makes us laugh in school sometimes; but I b'lieve that -is about all the naughty things she does, and I think that is a pretty -good account for one child." - -"Putting off is not being naughty, is it, Aunt May?" pleaded Bessie, -unwilling, even amid her vexation, to have one of her favorite -playmates thus blamed. - -"Well, darling," answered Mrs. Rush, "I fear that procrastination and a -want of punctuality must be considered as rather serious faults. I see -you are vexed and troubled now; why, I cannot tell, more than that Lily -has caused it in some way; and I think that any habit which needlessly -tries and irritates other people can be called nothing less than a -fault, and a bad one, too. What is the matter now?" - -"Why," said Bessie, "you see we are all going to the party at Miss -Ashton's this afternoon, and Lily was to be here at four o'clock to go -with us; and when grandmamma was going home just now, she said she -would take us all around in her carriage; but Lily was not here, and -we did not like to go without her, and grandmamma could not wait. But -grandmamma said the carriage should come back for us, and it has; and -mamma says it is twenty minutes past four, and there Lily has not come -yet, and we don't know what to do, and we can't help being provoked." - -"It is just good enough for her to go, and leave her to come after by -herself," said Belle, with a pout. - -"But you see that would not be so very polite," said Bessie; "and we -have to be _that_ even if we are pretty provoked." - -"I should think people might be punctual when they're going to a party, -anyway," said Maggie, impatiently. "The idea of being so wasteful of a -party! I never heard of such foolishness! I should think that people -who couldn't be punctual at parties, and go just as soon as they are -invited, didn't deserve to go at all." - -"I should think her mother would send her in time," said Mabel Walton, -Belle's cousin. - -"Well, I suppose she would," said Maggie; "but you know she has gone -away just now, and there's no one at home to make Lily think about the -time. Mrs. Norris doesn't have such a bad habit herself, and she don't -like Lily to have it either. She is always talking to her about it." - -"What are you going to do, Maggie?" asked Bessie, as she saw her sister -take up a pencil and a bit of paper, and carry them to Mrs. Rush. - -"I am going to ask Aunt May to do a sum for me," said Maggie. "Aunt -May, will you please do the sum of four times twenty minutes, and tell -me how much it is?" - -"I do not want the paper, Maggie," said Mrs. Rush, smiling as she saw -what Maggie would be at. "Four times twenty minutes are eighty minutes, -or one hour and twenty minutes." - -"Why do you want to know that?" asked Belle. - -"I'm going to tell Lily a story when she comes, and let her take lesson -by it for herself," said Maggie, rather severely; the severity being -intended, however, for the delinquent Lily, and not for Belle. - -"Children," said Mrs. Bradford, coming into the room just at this -moment, "I do not want you to keep the carriage waiting. Since Lily is -not here you must go without her. It is long after the time fixed." - -"Oh yes, mamma, we know that; I should think we might," said Maggie, -with a sigh of despair. - -"There's the door-bell now," said Bessie, who was more patient under -her afflictions than the other children. "Maybe that is Lily." - -So it proved; and a moment later Lily was shown into the room, followed -by her nurse. A chorus of exclamations and reproaches greeted the -little new-comer; but she took them all with her usual careless -good-nature, though she did look half ashamed, too. Maggie, alone, -mindful of the arrow she held in reserve, had nothing to say beyond a -word or two of welcome. - -"Yes, just what I was saying to Miss Lily, that the young ladies would -be disappointed to be kept waiting, ma'am," said the nurse, speaking to -Mrs. Bradford; "and I came in to beg you'd not think it was my fault. -I was at Miss Lily a half-hour before I could coax her to come and be -dressed; and I knew she'd be late and vex them." - -"Oh, never mind. You can go now," said Lily, carelessly. "We'll be time -enough." - -"Come, let us go now," said Maggie, with an expression which showed -that she by no means agreed with Lily that it was "time enough;" and -good-by being said to mamma and Mrs. Rush, she led the way from the -room, followed by the rest of the young party, who were soon seated -snugly in the carriage. - -"Lily," said Maggie, as soon as they had fairly started, "I have a -story to tell you about punctuality." - -"Pooh! I don't want to hear about your old punctuality," said Lily. -"Everybody just bothers me 'most to death about being punctual. Tom has -been making a fuss about it just now." - -"But it is a story,--one of Maggie's stories," said Belle, who thought -it quite incredible that any one should decline an opportunity of -hearing one of those interesting and valuable narratives. - -"Let's hear it then," said Lily. - -"It is not a story of my own making up," said Maggie, with the -solemnity which befitted a teacher of moral lessons; "but it is very -interesting, and may do some good, if people choose to let it. But as -there are 'none so deaf as those who won't hear,' so I suppose there -are none so hard to teach as those who won't be taught." - -"But what is the story?" asked Belle. - -"The story is this," answered Maggie. "Once thirteen ladies went to a -meeting, or ought to go to a meeting. Well, twelve of them came at -the right time to the house of a very wise old Quaker lady, where the -meeting was; but the thirteenth lady did not come for a quarter of an -hour after she ought to. So the other ladies were as tired as they -could be, 'cause they couldn't begin to do what they had to do without -her--but I would have if I'd been there--and some of them yawned--which -wasn't polite for them to do, but they could hardly help it--and some -went to sleep, and some had headaches, and one who was sitting in a -breeze from the window, where she didn't like to sit, took cold, and -had a sore throat and a toothache, and she had to go and have her tooth -out; which was all the fault of the unpunctual lady, and I should think -she'd be very much ashamed of herself." - -"So should I," said Mabel, as Maggie paused to take breath. - -"What's the rest of the story?" asked Bessie, impatient of delay in -such a thrilling tale. - -"Well, when she came in," continued Maggie, giving point to her story -by the look she fixed upon Lily,--"when she came in, after doing such a -lot of mischief, she didn't seem to think it was any great harm after -all; but she just said, 'Ladies, I am sorry I kept you waiting, but it -is only a quarter of an hour.' Then the wise old Quaker lady stood up -and looked very severe at her, and she said, 'Friend, thee'--thee is -the way Quakers say you--'Friend, thee has wasted three hours of time -that did not belong to thee. Here are twelve of us, and a quarter of an -hour for each makes three hours, and you--thee, I mean--had no right -to do it, and thee ought to be ashamed of yourself.' And the lady was -ashamed of herself, 'cause it made her feel horridly to be talked to -that way before so many people; and she never did so again, which was -a great blessing to every one who knew her, because she made herself a -great inconvenience." - -And here Maggie closed her story, which she had one day lately found in -some book or paper, and had brought it up on this occasion for Lily's -benefit, adding to it sundry embellishments of her own, which, as she -thought, made it more telling and serviceable. - -"But," said Lily, who took the moral to herself as it was intended she -should do, "but we're not a meeting, and you're not a Quaker lady, -Maggie. It's only a party." - -"_Only_ a party!" echoed Maggie, in an aggrieved tone, which told that -this was adding insult to injury; "she says, 'Only a party'! Now, -Lily, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I just want to tell you -something." - -And Maggie held up the bit of paper on which she had taken the pains to -note down the sum Mrs. Rush had done for her, lest she should forget -the number of minutes. - -"You kept us waiting more than twenty minutes, Lily. Miss Ashton -invited us at four, and you did not come till twenty minutes after; and -there are four of us besides yourself, so there's one whole hour, and -forty minutes,--which is 'most three-quarters of an hour,--one whole -hour and forty minutes of party wasted, and only twenty minutes of it -was your own." - -"And I'm sure it's a great deal harder to have a party wasted than it -is a meeting," said Belle. - -"I never thought about it," said Lily, by no means offended, but -considerably astonished at the way in which her short-comings were -brought home to her. "I never thought of that, and I'm real sorry. I'll -never do it again." - -"Did the lady with the toothache ever tell the late lady she made her -have it?" asked Bessie. - -"Well, I'm not very sure," said Maggie, not willing to confess to total -ignorance on this subject; "but I think she did." - -"Then she wasn't very kind," said Bessie. "It would have been kinder -if she hadn't spoken about it. She had lesson enough. I think that old -Quaker lady was pretty cross, and I'm glad she's not my grandmamma." - -"Maggie," said Lily, as the carriage drew up at Miss Ashton's door, -"couldn't you make me a proverb picture about putting off? I would -like one ever so much." - -For Lily took great delight in these same "proverb pictures," and was -very glad to receive one even when it held up her own failings to -reproof. - -"Is there any proverb about putting off?" asked Belle. - -"Yes, to be sure," said Lily. "There's 'Sufficient unto the day is the -evil thereof.'" - -"Um--I don't know," said Maggie, doubtful if this adage were quite -applicable to the case in question. "I don't think that will do; but if -we can't find one, we'll make one, and draw you a proverb picture about -it. I'll ask mamma if she knows of any that will do." - -"And make it for me very soon, will you?" said Lily, jumping from the -carriage with the assistance of Mrs. Ashton's maid, who had come to -take them out. "I'll try to have it do me some good." - -This was encouraging, and Maggie's imagination was at once put to work; -but not to much purpose for this evening, since as yet she knew of no -proverb that would answer for the object she had in view. - -Our young party was greeted with a chorus of welcome, not only from -Mrs. and Miss Ashton, but also from the other little girls who had -all arrived before them; for children are generally punctual to such -engagements, whatever their elders may be. Indeed, they usually prefer -to be before, rather than after the time. - -"How late you came!" - -"What kept you?" - -"It's more than half-past four!" - -"We've been here ever so long." - -"We've been waiting for you"--and such like exclamations met them on -all sides. - -"It's my fault," said Lily. "I was not ready in time, and kept them -waiting." - -"O Lily!" said Carrie Ransom. "You always do keep people waiting." - -"Well, I can't help it," said Lily. - -"Yes, you can," said Gracie Howard; "at least, you could if you would -do things in time; but you never will." - -"I'll grow out of it when I'm bigger," said Lily. "People 'most always -cure up their faults before they're grown up." - -"Not if they don't take pains with them when they're little," said -Bessie, solemnly. "Lily, if you keep on per-cas-ter-nating now, maybe -you won't be able to help it when you're grown up, and then people will -be provoked with you." - -"Were you much provoked with me to-day?" asked Lily. - -"Um-m, pretty," said Bessie; "but we're quite over it now." - -"Well, I don't care much then," was Lily's thought; but she said aloud, -"I don't think it can do much harm when we're little. You see we're all -here now. But I will begin pretty soon to correct myself of it." - -"She had better begin to-day," thought Bessie; but no more was said on -the subject, and they were all soon engaged in a merry game of play. - -The party passed off pleasantly, so pleasantly that Maggie found more -and more cause for regret that she and her own particular friends had -been unjustly defrauded, as she considered it, of so large a portion -of it; but she was too forgiving and good-natured to reproach Lily any -farther, especially as Bessie privately confided to her that she did -not like "that severe old Quaker lady one bit, and am very glad that -she is not one of my friends." - -Maggie thought that perhaps she had been rather severe herself, and -took pains to be especially agreeable to Lily for the rest of the day. - -But perhaps this ready forgetfulness of their vexation was not the -best thing for heedless, light-hearted Lily. At first she had felt a -little self-reproachful, but when she saw the other children forget -their momentary displeasure, she thought her own troublesome want of -punctuality did not matter much after all; they were all glad and happy -now, and some of these days she would try to break herself of this bad -habit. - -Ah! you see, that was Lily's way; it was always "one of these days," -"some other time," "by and by;" and here lay the root of the trouble -which proved so vexatious to those about her, and very often to herself. - -"Mamma," said Maggie, as soon as they reached home, "do you know of any -proverb that would be a good correction of the habit of putting off, -and never being ready in time?" - -Mrs. Bradford laughed. - -"Yes, I think I do, Maggie. What do you want to do with it?" - -"To make a proverb picture for Lily, mamma; she wants us to. She likes -our proverb pictures very much, and never is provoked when we give her -one. And I think I shall write her a piece of poetry about it too. What -is the proverb, mamma?" - -"I will tell you in the morning, dear." - -"Why not to-night, mamma?" - -"Because I want you to go to sleep now, Maggie. If I tell you a proverb -to-night, you will lie awake, turning it over in your mind, and making -verses and pictures for it; and I do not wish you to do that. Wait till -morning, dear." - -Maggie submitted, like the docile and obedient little girl she was, -though she was disappointed; for as mamma knew, she would have liked -to spend part of her proper sleeping time in composing verses, and -inventing pictures for Lily's benefit. - -"Shall you make the poetry a divine song, or a moral poem?" asked -Bessie, who took the greatest possible interest and pride in Maggie's -poetical attempts. - -"I think I'll mix the two," said Maggie, after a little deliberation. -"It might be better, because Lily don't care much to read things that -are _very_ pious; but she needs them a little. Yes, I'll do that." - -And now, according to mamma's orders, they ceased talking; and Maggie, -obeying not only the letter, but the spirit of her mother's command, -tried to put from her all thought of the lesson she was to teach Lily, -and both she and Bessie were soon fast asleep. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -II. - -_A MONKEY, A PUPPY, AND A BEGGAR._ - - -"Lily!" - -"Yes, mamma!" - -"Can I trust you to do something for me?" - -"Yes, indeed, mamma! you know I like to help you." - -"I want it done immediately, dear." - -"Oh, yes, mamma, I'm ready. I'll do it right away." - -Mrs. Norris sat at the library table, writing. As she said the last -words she hastily folded the note she had just finished, and slipped it -into its envelope; then, as she put the address upon it, she said,-- - -"I have an appointment to keep, Lily; and there is Mrs. Bradford now, I -believe. I am going with her, and I would like you to lay these papers -smoothly in my writing-case, those others in this box,--you know where -they belong,--and to put my silver inkstand carefully in the secretary. -There, I have closed it, so you cannot spill the ink. Will you be a -helpful little girl, and see to that for me, my daughter?" - -"Yes, indeed, mamma," said Lily again. "I'm glad you let me do it for -you. I'll be very careful with the inkstand." - -"And at once, remember, dear," said Mrs. Norris, rising from her chair. -"I do not wish the inkstand left here on the table, or the paper to lie -scattered about. It will be a great help to mamma if you do it nicely. -Ah! good afternoon, Mrs. Bradford," as that lady was shown into the -room. "I am all ready, and will not detain you. I had just received a -note which needed an immediate answer, before I left home; but it is -finished, and I shall trust Lily to put by my writing materials for -me." - -Lily looked up at Mrs. Bradford, rather proud of being trusted by her -mother; and the lady smiled as she stooped to kiss her. - -"Lily likes to help mamma as well as Maggie and Bessie do, I see," she -said. - -"Yes: and she can often be of great assistance when she is prompt and -punctual," said Mrs. Norris, drawing on her gloves. - -"Are Maggie and Bessie well, Mrs. Bradford?" asked Lily. - -"Yes, dear; and they wished me to ask you to come and see them very -soon. I do not know when they want you to come, for they have some -plans to arrange with their Aunt Annie, but they will let you know. -They are drawing some pictures for you, I believe, and want to explain -it to you." - -"Oh, yes," said Lily; "they promised me a proverb picture, and their -proverb pictures are so interesting. I should think any one might be -glad to have them." - -"They certainly seem to give great satisfaction, both to themselves, -and to those whom they are intended to benefit," said Mrs. Bradford, -laughing. "Good-by, Lily. The children will see you soon. I gave them -leave to ask you when they pleased; and you must come early, whenever -that may be." - -"Thank you, ma'am," said Lily. "I'll come just as soon as mamma will -let me." - -She followed her mother and Mrs. Bradford to the front door, where the -former turned, and said a little uneasily,-- - -"Lily, attend to the inkstand at once, my darling." - -"I am going to, mamma," answered the little girl, meaning what she said -at the moment, though she afterwards came so far short of it, as you -shall see. - -As the door closed after the two ladies, Lily caught the notes of a -hand-organ in the street; and running back to the library, she went to -the window to look out for the strolling musician who carried it. - -She had not forgotten her mother's orders, or the help she had promised -to be to her; and as she passed by the table on her way to the window, -the scattered papers and the silver inkstand caught her eye, and -reminded her of her promise. - -But she did not pause. - -"Just a moment; I'll put them away in one moment," she said to herself. -"I'll just look and see if that organ man is coming here; 'cause I -have some pennies in my pocket, and I'll give him some. Oh, yes! there -he is, and he has a monkey. I like monkey organ men the best, 'cause -the monkeys are so funny. What a funny fellow! Why, he's 'most the -cunningest monkey I ever saw;" and Lily had quite forgotten her promise. - -She was in great glee over the monkey, who certainly was a droll, -though a very ugly little beast, as monkeys generally are; and she -amused herself with him for some time, as he climbed the balcony -railings, stoop, and blinds, hopped up and down the broad stone steps, -and every now and then came close to the window where she stood, and -mouthed and jabbered away at her. Amused though she was, she was glad -that the glass was between her and the grinning creature; and she -always took the opportunity of his little excursions to open the window -and quickly thrust out the pennies, for which he immediately sprang -down, and taking them up in his paw hurried with them to his master. -Lily treated him also to a cake, which he greedily nibbled; and then, -seeing that the poor creature lapped his tongue upon a damp spot on the -stone pavement, where a little water had been spilled, as though he -were thirsty, she called a servant to bring a cup of water, and gave -him a drink. - -Finding that she thus provided entertainment for man and beast, and -that he was reaping quite a harvest, the organ-grinder stayed for some -time; and all the while, the inkstand remained unheeded on the table. -Not quite forgotten, either; for every now and then the recollection -of it would come to her; but Lily kept saying to herself, "In one -minute; I'm going in just one minute." - -But the one minute multiplied itself into twenty before the man moved -off with his organ and his monkey, and Lily felt at leisure to attend -to her mother's wishes. - -But it seemed after all that the time had not yet come. - -"Miss Lily," said a servant man, putting his head in at the library -door, "is Master Tom at home?" - -"No, I b'lieve not; I think he didn't come from school yet," answered -Lily, with her hand on the inkstand. - -"I'd like to know what time he'll be in," said the man, lingering, -"for my brother is below with the puppies Master Tom wanted to see. -There's a gentleman wants to buy both; but seeing Master Tom had spoken -about one if it suited, he thought it was only fair to bring them here -first, and let him make up his mind. But the gentleman must know this -afternoon. Wouldn't you like to see 'em, Miss Lily? They're such -pretty little dogs." - -"Yes, indeed I would," answered the child; and she followed the man -to the basement hall, where his brother waited with the puppies,--not -without another thought of her still unperformed duty; but again she -contented herself with the excuse, "I shan't be half a minute, and the -inkstand is shut up. It can't spill the ink." - -Alas, alas! it was long before the recollection of it again crossed -Lily's mind. - -If she had found the monkey bewitching, what did she find the little -dogs,--playful, pretty creatures, which seemed delighted with a -playmate frolicsome and mischievous as themselves? - -Then her brother Tom came in; and, hearing that the dogs were there for -his approval, came down to look at them and decide which he would have. - -Of course Lily must stay and help him to make his choice; and now that -vexatious little feeling that there was something wrong, some duty -unfulfilled, had altogether passed away. Lily was quite at her ease by -this time. - -The matter was at last settled; the dog chosen, the man paid and sent -away, leaving the selected puppy in a very low and melancholy state of -mind at the parting. He whined and cried piteously, first scratching -and barking at the door where his former owner and his puppy brother -had passed out; and at last, after refusing to be comforted by all the -petting that was lavished upon him, retiring into private life behind -the kitchen coal-scuttle, and resolutely declining to be coaxed out. - -"Never mind," said Tom, "he'll be all right by and by, Lily. Wait till -he's hungry, and he'll come out and be glad enough to make friends. Now -I am going to buy a house for him. I saw some pretty little dog-houses -down at Bruner's this morning, and I'll go look at them, and see if -they'll answer." - -"Oh, Tom! could I go with you?" asked Lily. - -"Yes, if you like," said Tom; "I'll be glad to have you; only make -haste to be dressed, Lily. Will you go to Nora _at once_?" - -"Yes, yes," said Lily, clapping her hands; and away she flew to beg her -nurse to make her ready as soon as possible. - -Nothing presenting itself just then to take up her attention, or which -looked more attractive than the promised walk with Tom, she made no -delay, but obeyed his direction to go and be dressed _at once_. - -How many boys do you think would have consented as readily, cheerfully, -and kindly as Tom Norris did to such a request from a little sister? -But that was Tom's way. When he granted a favor or bestowed a kindness, -it was done in a manner which made it seem as if it were a pleasure -to himself. And if he were obliged to refuse Lily any thing that she -asked, she never grumbled nor fretted, because she knew well that Tom -would grant it if he could, or if it were best for her to have it. Tom -never said he couldn't be "bothered with girls," or "catch me doing -it," or ran off with some other contemptuous or unkind speech, such as -boys too often use toward their little sisters. Tom was a true man, and -a true gentleman, kindly and courteous in his manner and words toward -all women and children, but especially to his mother and little sister: -free, fearless, and generous; daring to do and to speak the right; yet -so bright, so gay, so manly that not one among his companions ever -thought of calling him a "Miss Nancy," a "muff," or other like names. - -No, indeed! and was not Tom Norris the king of Mr. Peters' school, the -judge in all disputes, the one to settle all difficulties, to "help a -fellow out of a scrape"? - -Nora would as soon have thought of questioning her own care and wisdom -for Lily as she would that of "Master Tom." - -"Miss Lily's all right, ma'am, she's with Master Tom," would be answer -enough when there was any inquiry about the little girl; and it was -quite satisfactory to mother or nurse to know that she was with her -brother. No fear that Lily would come to harm or fall into mischief -with Tom to guard and guide her. - -So she made no objection when Lily came running to her and begged to be -dressed to go out with Tom; and she soon had her ready. - -As the little girl went downstairs to join her brother, he stood in the -hall below, putting on his overcoat. - -"Lily," he said, when he saw her, "did you tell Nora to sew on these -two buttons?" - -"Oh, Tom!" cried Lily, clasping her hands together, and looking ashamed -and troubled, as she well might. - -"You told me, Lily," said Tom, "when I wanted to ask mamma to give the -order, that you would be sure to attend to it, and that you would go -right away and tell Nora. Now you must wait till I go up and have it -done. You put it off, I suppose, and so forgot it." - -Yes, that was just it; more procrastination, and so forgetfulness. - -Tom did not speak angrily, but his voice was grave, and Lily saw that -he was vexed. - -"I'm so sorry," she said to herself, as she opened the front door, and -stood waiting for her brother upon the stoop. "I did mean to remember -and tell Nora right away, and I only just stopped to listen to mamma's -musical box for a moment, and so I went and forgot. It is too mean I do -forget so quick." - -What was the reason Lily forgot so quickly and so often? - -Because she allowed other things to take her time and her attention -from the duty she should first attend to. - -"Please, dear little lady, to help a poor woman." - -Lily started, and looked around. She had not seen the woman coming, and -she now was half way up the steps, almost at her elbow. - -"Please, little lady," the woman began again; "I've a little girl at -home no bigger nor yourself, and five more of 'em, and not a mouthful -to eat have they had these twenty-four hours. A little money to buy -bread for 'em, and bless your beautiful face." - -"Oh, dear! I'm so sorry," said Lily; not moved by the woman's flattery, -but by the vision of the six children no larger than herself, who were -starving. "I think mamma would give you lots of things if she were -home, but she is not; or papa either. Couldn't you come again?" - -"And I might go home to find them dying or dead," whined the old woman, -coming nearer, and trying to peer within the half open door. "You -couldn't give a poor mother a loaf of bread, or a few pennies, little -lady? I'm not a beggar at all; I'd be ashamed to beg, but I thought if -I could get a lift this once, I'd work it out some day. I never begged -in my life; but there's the children starving, and me with a broken -arm." - -Lily, who was a charitable and generous child, felt her sympathy -strongly roused, and remembering the store in her money-box upstairs, -she said,-- - -"Oh, yes! I have money of my own, and I'll give you some. But it's way -upstairs, so you'll have to wait a minute till I bring it. And I'll -see if I can have a loaf of bread for you too." - -The woman was about to follow her into the house; but Lily, -recollecting certain charges she had heard given to the servants, and -also a sad and mortifying thing which had once happened to Maggie -Bradford, would not suffer her to enter. But, not wishing to hurt the -woman's feelings, she said,-- - -"I think you'd better wait outside. Mamma don't like to have strange -people come in when there's no one about; and the servants are all -downstairs 'cept Nora, and she's up. I'll be back in a minute;" and, -with an encouraging nod to the woman, away she flew on her errand of -kindness. - -Poor Lily! in the midst of her intended prudence, she had been most -imprudent; for she left the door partially open, not wishing to seem -too inhospitable, and never dreaming the woman would disregard her -order, and take advantage of her absence. - -She ran into the nursery and found her money-box, taking from it -twenty-five cents. Tom was speaking to Nora, who was still busy with -his coat, and Lily did not interrupt him. But presently he turned to -her. - -"Going to do some shopping too, Lily?" he asked, as he saw what she was -doing. - -"No," said Lily, "this is for a poor woman downstairs. Don't you want -to give her something too, Tom? And do you think mamma would let me -give her a loaf of bread? She's not a common beggar: she says she's -not; and she has six children, all starving, just about as big as me." - -"Miss Lily," said Nora, starting up, "now what have you done with her? -Where is she?" - -"Oh, you needn't be afraid, Nora," answered Lily. "I was very careful, -and told her to stay outside, on the stoop, 'cause I remembered how -Maggie let a man come in the house, and how he stole her papa's new -overcoat while she went upstairs. I took very good care of her, and -told her she couldn't come in, 'cause every one was upstairs or -downstairs. Shall you give her some money? and can I have the bread, -Tom?" - -"Wait till I come down and see the woman," said Tom, who knew that -Lily's sympathies were too apt to run away with her judgment. - -Lily waited with what patience she might for a moment or two; but it -seemed to her that Nora's fingers moved very slowly. - -"Tom," she said presently, "couldn't you come and see the woman while -Nora finishes the coat? You know those children must be growing -starveder and starveder every minute." - -Tom laughed, but consented; and, taking her hand, was about to lead her -from the room, when Nora stopped her. - -"Miss Lily," she said, "you took away my large scissors this morning, -and I need them to cut out some work. Will you bring them to me before -you go down again?" - -"You find them, please, Nora," answered Lily. "They're somewhere in my -baby-house." - -"Your mamma forbid it," said Nora. "She told me when you took a thing -that way and kept it, I was to make you bring it back, and not go and -hunt it up for you." - -"Just this once," pleaded Lily. - -Nora shook her head, though she would herself willingly have humored -the child. - -"Your mamma was here, you know, when you took the scissors," she said, -"and she told me if you did not bring them back as you promised, I was -to send you for them. She said you are getting too much in the way of -thinking that I am to hunt up all the things you don't put back in -their places, and to see to every thing you put off and leave undone. -You must bring me the scissors before you go, dear." - -"While you find them I'll go down and talk to your woman with the -half-dozen children all just of your size," said Tom, who evidently had -his doubts on the subject of Lily's _protégée_; "and if she seems all -right you shall give her some food; but we won't give her money till -we know more about her. That is mamma's rule, you know. Nora, please -bring me the coat when it is done." - -And Tom went away, leaving Lily to follow when she had found the -scissors. - -It took her some three or four minutes to do this; for she had left -them among a heap of bits of silk and ribbon with which she had been -playing that morning, and neglecting to take the scissors back to Nora -when she had finished with them, as she had promised to do, she had -forgotten them altogether, and could not find them at once. - -The coat was ready when she went back to Nora, and the nurse followed -her downstairs with it. - -"Your bird had flown when I came down, Lil," said Tom, when he saw her. - -"Who, the woman? Had she gone away?" asked Lily. - -"Yes, she had gone; no sign of her. But didn't you say you had shut her -out?" - -"I told her to stay out, 'cause there was no one about in this part -of the house to take care of her," answered Lily, with an air of -confident wisdom and prudence. - -"And did you not shut the door?" asked Tom. - -"Not so very tight," said Lily. "I left it a little scrap open, for -fear her feelings would be hurt, and maybe she might think I wasn't -coming back to her." - -"Oh, wise Lily!" said Tom, laughing, as he put on his overcoat; "you -left the door standing open, and told her there was no one in this part -of the house! Next time, little woman, close the door." - -"Did she come in?" asked Lily. "I told her she must not." - -"No, I believe not," answered Tom; "and as it is there is no harm done, -for I've looked round, and there's nothing touched. The hats and coats -are all right, and every thing else seems to be safe. You've had better -luck or a better beggar than poor Maggie; but next time, puss, don't -you leave any one the chance to walk in when the coast is clear." - -"You're sure there's nothing taken, and that she's not in the house, -Master Tom?" said prudent Nora. - -"Yes, I believe it's all safe," said Tom; "but you'd better call Robert -up, and tell him to make a thorough search. Come, Lily, we'll be off -now." - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -III. - -_THE SILVER INKSTAND._ - - -"Lily," said Tom, as they went down the street together, "don't you see -what a lot of trouble your habit of putting off makes for yourself and -every one about you?" - -"Yes, I should think I did," answered Lily, with energy. "I'm -dreadfully sorry about your coat, Tom; I really am, dreadfully." - -Apparently her remorse did not affect her spirits much, for, as she -spoke, she went skipping along, swinging her brother's hand back and -forth, and smiling and nodding with glee. - -"I was not speaking for myself so much, or caring about my coat just -then," said Tom. "That does not matter now; but this is such a bad -habit of yours, Lily, and it is growing worse and worse." - -"Oh, but I'm going to begin to cure myself very soon," said Lily. -"Maggie and Bessie are going to make me a proverb picture, and Belle is -going to help them; and as soon as I have it I will improve myself by -it. Tom, why don't the boys in your school make proverb pictures for -each other? I should think they would. Proverb pictures are so very -interesting, and so improving too, Tom." - -"I dare say, when one is willing to be improved," said Tom; "but I do -not think our boys would care much about them. They are rather too -large for that." - -"Dear me! I should think the older people are the better they'd like -them," said Lily; "'cause they can make them better when they've -learned to draw. I can't make them very fit to be seen yet; but when -I'm grown up and can draw nicely, I'll make a whole lot; and when I go -to make visits, or my acquaintances come to see me, and I see they have -faults or bad habits, I'll just give them a proverb picture to help -them to correct themselves." - -"If you don't change your mind in the mean time," said Tom, merrily. "I -don't think you'll be overrun with visitors if you entertain them in -that fashion, Lily. But," becoming grave again, "I want you to listen -to me, and seriously, too. You see what trouble this putting off and -never being ready in time makes for yourself; and you can't help seeing -also how it provokes other people, and good reason, too. For you know, -Lily, you have no _right_ to make such inconvenience for other people." - -"Ho!" said Lily. "I see, Tom, you're like Maggie's old Quaker lady, -cross old thing! I don't mean you're cross, not one bit; only you -think, like her, that somebody has no right to take up other people's -time by making them wait." - -"What Quaker lady?" asked Tom. - -Lily repeated Maggie's story, almost word for word, as she had told -it. Tom was very much amused, but he did not let Lily see that; for it -was hard to make her talk seriously on any subject, and he did not wish -to have her see him laugh just now. - -"Yes," he said, with all the gravity he could muster, "I am much of the -opinion of that old lady. I do not think that any one has the right to -waste the time of other people, by keeping them waiting, when it can be -avoided; or by failing to do that which they are expected, or perhaps -have promised, to do. I know a lady--" - -"What's her name?" questioned Lily. - -"Never mind her name. I know a lady who is never ready at the time -for which she makes an engagement, and who in this way makes herself -a nuisance to all who are obliged to have any business with her; who -always comes into church when the service is half over; who is late at -every meal, either in her own house, or other people's--" - -"Yes," said Lily; "and don't you remember, Tom, how mad papa was that -time she came to dinner at our house when Mr. Francis was there; and -he and papa had a very important engagement, and she kept the dinner -waiting so long that they could not get to their engagement in time; -and wasn't papa mad?" - -"Not mad exactly," said Tom, "but he was very much vexed, and with -reason; but I see you know whom I mean, Lily." - -"Oh, yes, very well indeed; you mean Miss Lee. She's just too provoking -for any thing; but then I never mean to be like her. Pretty soon I'm -going to begin to correct myself of putting off, and not being ready in -time." - -"But why don't you begin now, right off?" said Tom. - -"Would you?" asked Lily, doubtfully. "I thought I'd wait till I had the -proverb picture." - -"Yes, begin to-day, this very minute," said Tom. - -"There's nothing for me to put off just now," said Lily. - -"I mean make up your mind; take a resolution you will begin at once," -said Tom. "You see, Lily, it is the same in every thing. You always -think, 'it is time enough,' or 'another time will do;' and so the thing -is left undone, or you make some trouble. You are a real generous, -obliging little girl, but you could be far more helpful if you had not -this bad habit. Mamma often asks you to do some little thing for her; -but if she trusts to you, ten to one--" - -Lily stopped short where she stood, with a face of the blankest dismay, -and interrupted her brother in a distressed voice. - -"Oh, Tom!" she said. "I did do _such_ a thing! Mamma did trust me, and -I've done such a thing, and never did it." - -"What is it? What have you done, and what haven't you done?" asked Tom, -rather at a loss to understand her, as you may imagine he would be. - -"Mamma was just going out with Mrs. Bradford, when a note came she had -to answer before she went," said Lily; "and she was in a great hurry, -and so she told me to be a help to her, and put away all her writing -things very carefully. And I said I would, and she trusted me, and told -me to do it right away, and--and--oh, Tom!" - -"And you did not do it," said Tom, gravely. "You did not do it at once, -but put it off, and so left it undone." - -"Yes," answered Lily, her eyes filling, and her voice shaking. "I never -did it, and I should think I _was_ provoking. I should think the whole -world might be provoked with me. Tom, I ought to go back; but you -oughtn't to be kept for me any longer. You can take me to our house, -and just leave me; and I'll go right in, and put away mamma's things, -and stay at home for a punishment to myself, and to make me see how -troublesome putting off is." - -"Mamma's things are all put away, Lily," said Tom. - -"Who did it? You?" asked Lily, recovering her spirits a little. - -"Yes. I did not know you had promised to do it, or I should have spoken -to you about it; but when I was looking round to see if that beggar -woman had been at any mischief, I saw mamma's writing things lying -about over the table, and her desk open; so I just put every thing -away, and locked the desk. It is all right now," added Tom, believing -it was as he said. "But how came you to forget mamma's orders, Lily?" - -"It was all the fault of that old monkey," said Lily, as her brother -led her on. "Horrid thing! I wish he'd stayed away, and that I hadn't -looked at him, or given him cakes or pennies or any thing. His frock -was awfully dirty too," she added, forgetting all the amusement the -monkey had afforded her, and now only disposed to regard him as the -cause of her neglect of her mother's wishes. - -"I should not blame the poor monkey if I were you," said Tom. "How was -it? You went to look at the monkey in place of attending to mamma's -orders, and so forgot all about them?" - -"Yes," said Lily. "I meant to look at him for only one minute, and -then to put away the things just as mamma told me, but he was so -funny I forgot; and then the puppies came; and that's the way I never -remembered them at all." - -"Well, you see," said Tom, "you should have put away mamma's things at -once, and then gone to look at the monkey. And it was your own fault, -not the monkey's, Lily. He did not ask you to come and look at him; it -was your own choice." - -"Yes," answered Lily, rather meekly for her. - -"Now can't you see it is better for you to begin at once?" said Tom. -"Don't let Procrastination hinder you here, Lil. The old fellow don't -want himself put down, and will trump up all manner of excuses to keep -his hold on you. But you root him up just as quick as you can. Begin -this very day; and the next time you have any thing to do, don't listen -to one of his fine speeches." - -"Yes, so I will, I b'lieve," said Lily. "I won't wait for the proverb -picture, but just begin to-day. I wish there would come something I -want to put off, and I wouldn't put it off, but just do it very quick -indeed." - -Poor Lily! She was to learn more that day of the evils of -procrastination in her own case. - -Tom thought he had said enough to her now; and they went on together to -the store where he wished to buy his dog-house. Here they chose one, -and here also they purchased a collar for the puppy, Tom allowing Lily -to pick out a red one, although he would himself have preferred blue. -Was he not a kind brother? - -As they were on their way home, they met Maggie and Bessie Bradford, -with their Aunt Annie. - -Lily rushed forward, letting go her hold on her brother's hand; and -Maggie ran to meet her, almost as eager as she was. - -"Is my proverb picture nearly ready?" asked Lily. - -"Yes, quite," answered Maggie; "and we want you to come to our house, -so we can explain it to you. We've just been to your house to ask you, -but you were out, or else you could have come to take tea with us, -if your mamma had said so. I wonder if she wouldn't just as lief you -should come now. Can't Lily come with us, Tom?" - -Tom had now come up to the little girls, and so had Miss Annie Stanton -and Bessie; and, after taking off his hat to the young lady, he -answered,-- - -"I think not to-night, Maggie. At least I do not like to take it upon -myself to give her leave; for she had a bad sore throat yesterday, and -I do not think mamma would like to have her out in the evening air." - -Lily looked as if she were about to cry, and Maggie and Bessie also -looked disappointed. - -"Never mind," said Bessie, cheering up in one moment; "it will be just -as good if you come to-morrow and spend the day. Mamma said we could -ask you to do that if you could not come this afternoon; and we will -have you a longer time, Lily." - -"That's putting off, though," said Lily, with a pout, "and I've just -made up my mind not to do it." - -Tom laughed, and so did Miss Annie, both somewhat amused at Lily's -haste to practise the new virtue as soon as it fell in with her own -wishes; but Maggie and Bessie thought this a very sensible view of the -matter. - -"But one may put off a thing when it comes in the way of a duty, or of -another thing which should be attended to first," said Annie Stanton. -"When mamma's wishes and your pleasure come in the way of one another, -which should you put first?" - -"Why, what mamma wishes, Miss Annie. I should think I would do what -mamma wants first. Anyway I _ought_ to _would_" added Lily, thinking of -her shortcomings of that very day. - -"Then you see you may put off coming to Maggie and Bessie till -to-morrow, since your mamma does not wish you to be out at night," -said Miss Stanton; and with this agreement, the little friends parted. - -"I see," said Lily, demurely, but with a gleam of mischief in her -eye,--"I see people don't think it is as much harm to put off things -you want to do as it is to put off what you don't want to do." - -"Well," said Tom, smiling, "you see that is where it is, Lil. We are -so apt to think it will do to put off what we do not care to do very -much,--any little duty or task; but if it is some pleasure, we are -generally ready enough to do it at once." - -"Maggie thinks I put off pleasures too," said Lily. "She was real -provoked with me 'cause I kept them waiting to go to the party the -other day." - -"Do you like other people to keep you waiting, Lily?" - -"No, indeed, I don't," said Lily. - -"Then ought you not to be careful how you do it to others?" - -"Yes, I know, Tom, and I don't _mean_ to do it; but somehow I do. But -now you see if I do not improve myself a good deal of this habit," said -Lily, confidently, yet carelessly; for it was plainly to be seen that -she thought this vexatious fault of but little consequence. - -Lily had meant to confess to her mother how neglectful she had been of -her wishes; but when she and Tom reached home, they found with Mrs. -Norris a lady who had been invited to dinner. So Lily thought she would -postpone her confession until by and by, and not draw upon herself her -mother's grave and reproachful look in the presence of company. - -I do not know that she was to blame for this. Few little girls but -would have done the same, I think; and Lily had no idea that any -mischief or loss had come from her procrastination. - -Dinner was over, Tom gone upstairs to prepare his lessons for -to-morrow, and Lily, in her favorite evening seat,--that is, perched -upon the arm of her father's chair while he read his paper,--was -happily playing with some paper dolls, while mamma and her friend -sat opposite, talking, when a person came with a message requiring an -immediate answer. - -Mrs. Norris went to her secretary and wrote the note, using for the -purpose an ordinary inkstand which belonged there; and then said -approvingly to Lily,-- - -"My pet, how nicely you put away mamma's writing things; all the papers -in their proper places and order. Pretty well done for such a little -girl." - -"Mamma," said Lily, wishing that she need not speak before Miss -Hamilton, but too honest to take credit which was not her just -due,--"Mamma, I did not put them away; it was Tom. I--I--forgot, mamma. -I waited to look at a monkey before I put them away, and then the puppy -came, and Tom took me out; and I forgot all about your things, and how -I had promised, and never remembered till we were out in the street; -and then Tom told me he had put them away, but he didn't know you had -told me to do it." - -It was all out now; and Lily, as she glanced at Miss Hamilton, felt -as if she could not be thankful enough to that lady for seeming so -absorbed in the photograph album she was turning over. - -Mrs. Norris uttered no word of reproach; but, as she looked within the -well-ordered secretary, she said,-- - -"Where did Tom put the silver inkstand? I do not see it." - -"I don't know, mamma," answered Lily. "Is it not there? Tom said he -came in here and saw your things lying on the table, and he thought you -must have forgotten them, so he put them all away. Shall I go and ask -him what he did with the inkstand?" - -"No," said her mother, "I do not wish to disturb him at his lessons. I -will look further." - -But further search proved vain, though Mrs. Norris looked, not only -through each nook and partition of the secretary, but also all over the -room. Still she was not at all disturbed at the non-appearance of the -inkstand. - -"Send up and ask Tom, my dear," said Mr. Norris. - -"Oh, it is not necessary," said his wife. "He may have put it in some -unusual place. If he took care of it, it is quite safe. He will be down -presently, and I do not care to interrupt him." - -"See what it is to have a good character, Lily," said her father, -passing his arm about the little figure on the arm of his chair, and -smiling into the rosy mischievous face before him. "How long before -mamma will be able to put such trust in you, do you think?" - -"Oh, very soon, papa; you'll see," said Lily, confident in the strength -of her newly formed resolution. - -It was not long before Tom made good his mother's words by appearing, -his lessons all ready for the next day, for it happened that he had not -had much to do that evening; and Mrs. Norris immediately asked him,-- - -"What did you do with my silver inkstand, my boy?" - -"I did not have it, mamma," was the answer. - -"But you put it away this afternoon, did you not?" - -"No," answered Tom, wonderingly, but positively. - -"Why, yes, Tom," said Lily, "you told me you had put away all mamma's -things that she left on the table." - -"But there was no inkstand there," said Tom. "I remember noticing that, -because I said to myself, 'Mamma has taken time to put by her ink;' and -I supposed you had feared it would be spilled, mamma. There was no -inkstand upon the table, I am sure." - -"Did you move the inkstand at all, Lily?" asked Mrs. Norris. - -"No, mamma, I never touched it. I did not put away one single thing." - -Tom helped his mother in a fresh search for the missing inkstand; but -all in vain. - -Then the servant man was called, and questioned. - -"I saw Miss Lily with her hand on the inkstand when I called her to -see the little dogs this afternoon, ma'am," he said, in reply to Mrs. -Norris's inquiries. "Do you remember, if you please, Miss Lily?" - -"Oh, yes," said Lily. "I remember now, mamma. I did take it up to put -it away, but I set it down again when I ran after Robert to see the -puppies. I meant to come right back, but I never thought of it again." - -"Master Tom," said Robert, "you were asking me had I seen a -beggar-woman about the door this afternoon. Could she have been in -here, and caught up the inkstand? If she'd just opened the library -door, and peeped in, it would have been the first thing she'd see, for -it stood right here, where Miss Lily left it." - -Tom looked dismayed, and Lily still more so; for, if the inkstand were -indeed stolen, was it not all her fault? Owing to her procrastination, -to the putting off of the small service her mother had asked of her? -And so it proved; for nothing could be found of the inkstand, and it -was never heard of again. Its loss could be accounted for in no other -way than by supposing that the woman, finding the door left open, and -learning from Lily's imprudent words that there was no one about to -interfere with her, had walked in, opened the library door, and seeing -the inkstand, had snatched it up, and made off with it. - -Lily's shame and grief were very great, all the more so because she -knew that this inkstand was dearly loved and valued by her mamma, -because it had been the gift of a dead sister. And seeing this, her -mother could not bear to reproach her, for it was very unusual for -Lily to take her own wrong-doing much to heart. But this was, as she -said herself, "the worst consequence I ever did in all my long life;" -and she probably felt it all the more deeply for her kind mother's -forbearance. - -That she was sufficiently punished by her own remorse was plainly to be -seen; and long after she was in bed and fast asleep, her mother heard -long sobs heaving her little breast, and found her pillow all wet with -tears. - -"My poor little one! I hope it may be a lasting lesson to her," -said the mother, as she pushed back the hair from the flushed and -tear-stained face. "If it should be, I shall think it cheaply purchased -even by the loss of my much valued inkstand." - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -IV. - -_LILY'S PROVERB PICTURE._ - - -Lily was still in a very subdued and melancholy frame of mind when she -reached the Bradfords' house on the following day; and when her little -playmates inquired the cause, she made answer,-- - -"If mamma had given me my deservings, she would have shut me up in a -room by myself, and never let me come out in all my life, nor come to -spend the day with you any more. It's a great deal too good for such -a sinner as me, and something ought to be done to me. I don't mean to -have a nice time to-day." - -This virtuous resolution was forgotten, however, before the day was -over; but at the time it much astonished her young friends, as did also -the low state of Lily's spirits. - -Fresh questions followed; and Lily told her story, mingling her own -bitter self-accusations with reproaches against the supposed thief. - -"For I told her she was not to come in, 'cause there was no one about -to 'tend to her," she said, as if this were an added aggravation of her -sorrows; "and I only left the door open for fear her feelings would -be hurt; but now I don't b'lieve she had any to hurt. I don't s'pose -thieves have many feelings, do you, Maggie?" - -"No, I don't believe they have," answered Maggie. "I just expect their -feelings are 'lost to sight, and not to memory dear.'" - -This fine sentiment, having been properly appreciated, called up the -recollection of the promised proverb picture. - -"Did you find a proverb that would be a lesson for me, or did you have -to make one?" asked mournful Lily. - -"Mamma told us one," said Maggie. "It is 'Procrastination is the thief -of Time.'" - -"You'd better say the thief of inkstands," said Lily, ruefully. "Maggie -and Bessie and Belle, I feel 'most as if it was me who had stolen -mamma's inkstand." - -The other little girls all set about consoling her; and Bessie took an -opportunity to whisper to Maggie that she thought they had better not -give Lily the proverb picture that day because it might make her feel -worse. - -But this was not by any means Lily's view of the matter; and she -presently asked to be shown this joint production of her three little -friends, Maggie and Bessie and Belle. - -Accordingly, the picture, or rather pictures, were brought forth, and -with them the poem which Maggie had composed to accompany them. - -When the red ribbon which tied the first was taken off, and the -pictures unrolled, they proved quite a panorama; and Lily's mournful -face lighted up at the sight. - -"How good of you!" she said. "It must have taken you ever so long to -draw all those pictures." - -"There are four of them," said Bessie. "Belle made two, 'cause she can -draw the best, and Maggie made one, and I one; but Maggie made 'most -all the ideas. I think they're so very plain you can make them out for -yourself, Lily, but we'll 'splain them to you if you like." - -"I'll see how much I can find out, and you can tell me the rest," said -Lily, setting herself at once to the study of the drawings. - -"What's the reading on this one?" she asked. -"P-r-o-pro-c-r-a-s-cras--Oh! I s'pose this is 'Procrastination is the -thief of Time.'" - -"Yes," said Maggie. - -"And this is a skeleton," said Lily, "a skeleton with a goblet in one -hand, and a--and a"--Lily hesitated, wishing to be sure to hit the -right nail on the head--"and a--I'm not quite sure if it's a feather -dust-brush, or a coachman's whip." - -"Oh!" exclaimed Belle, indignant. - -"Why, Lily!" said Bessie, "that's Time with his hour-glass and scythe, -and Belle drew that picture, and we think it's the very best one of -all." - -"I'm sorry," said Lily, rather ashamed of not having at once recognized -the articles in question. - -"You know in the pictures Time is always a very thin old man," said -Bessie, "so we had to make him so to have it real; and Maggie told -Belle she'd better make him as thin as she could, 'cause that horrid -thief Procrastination bothers him so he hardly has any flesh on his -bones. This is a kind of allegory picture, you see, Lily." - -"Yes, I understand. And this rather beggar-looking child--" Lily -hesitated again, unwilling to run the risk of making any more such -uncomplimentary mistakes. "I think you'd better tell me about it. I'm -'fraid I'm rather stupid this morning. I think I went crazy last night -about that inkstand, and I'm hardly recovered yet. I b'lieve that's -the reason I didn't know Time's hour-glass and scythe at first." - -Never before had her little friends known Lily to speak and look with -such solemnity, and they all felt very much for her. - -Maggie, however, thought it well to improve the occasion. - -"I did not want to seem severe with her," she said afterward to Bessie -and Belle, "but I thought the picture might make a deeper impression if -I let her see to what a dreadful condition procrastinating people might -come." - -"Yes," she said to Lily, "yes, that is Procrastination, all ragged and -dirty and starved. He never has a nice time, and he hardly ever has any -thing to eat, 'cause when people say to him, 'Procrastination, dinner -is ready,' he says, 'I think I'll eat by and by;' and then when he -comes, the dinner is all gone, and he has to go hungry: and when they -say, 'Go and get washed, and have on clean clothes,' he says, 'Another -day I will;' so he becomes all ragged, and his friends are so ashamed -of him that they just let him take care of himself. That's the way -he looks so horridly. And poor old Time hardly knows what to do with -himself for the way that troublesome fellow worries him. He doesn't -leave Time alone to do his duty one minute. Do you see these things in -Procrastination's hand?" - -"Yes; what are they?" asked Lily, deeply interested. - -"They are Time's purse and pocket handkerchief that Procrastination--I -think we'd better call him Pro, because it takes so long to say -Procrastination--that Pro has stolen out of his pocket; and here at his -feet are some broken hour-glasses; and now he is running after Time, -and trying to steal his last hour-glass, so that the poor old fellow -will have none left. That means, when you're not talking allegory, that -Pro steals the hours and makes you lose all your time; but he can not -catch him up, which means that when you have lost your time, you never -can catch up with it." - -"Yes," said Lily, dolefully; "but I think it would be better if you -made Pro stealing inkstands. It's just what I deserve. Is that all -about that picture?" - -"Yes," answered Maggie; "now we come to real life. Bessie, this is your -picture; tell Lily about it." - -It is to be observed that the ragged figure which represented -Procrastination, or "Pro," was to be seen in each successive picture. -This was considered a judicious mingling of the allegorical with -reality. - -"This," said Bessie, "is a little girl whose mamma said to her, 'My -dear, there is a match upon the carpet; pick it up right away.' But -Procrastination"--Bessie would not on any account have shortened her -words, especially on such a grave occasion--"came and whispered to her, -'By and by will do; it's time enough;' and presently her little sister -came in and picked up the match, and set herself on fire, and she was -quite burnt up before she could be put out, and she was the only -sister the put-offing child had, and she stayed unhappy all the rest of -the days of her life." - -"Like me," said Lily. - -"Oh, no," said Maggie, cheerfully, "you'll get over that inkstand. I -find people generally do get over things; at least, I do. Take courage -by me, Lily. I thought I never should recover having papa's coat -stolen, but you see I have; and I think I'm about as happy as any child -could be." - -"Ah! but you wasn't disobedient, and didn't put off," said Lily. "Tell -me some more." - -"Perhaps we'd better not, 'cause you feel so badly," said Bessie. - -"They do me good," answered Lily. "I don't think I can care for any -thing else to-day. Who made this picture?" - -"I did," said Maggie, "and this is the story of it. This is fable or -allegory too;" and, unrolling another sheet of paper, Maggie read aloud -her famous poem, which had been pronounced a great success by both -Bessie and Belle. Her picture consisted of a series of small drawings, -which explained themselves as she read the verses. - - "There's a bad little fellow, - His name it is Pro- - Cras-tin-a-_ti_-_on_; - And to you I will show - How he robs and he steals - And he plagues Father Time. - I'll tell you all this, - And I'll tell you in rhyme. - - When to school he is sent, - He most slowly doth go, - For he stops first to play, - Then to look at some show; - By the hour he is there, - Why! the school is 'most out. - That's one way he robs Time, - This sad putting-off lout. - - When his mother doth say, - 'Go this errand for me,' - He will say, 'By and by;' - 'Pretty soon;' 'I will see;' - Till at last 'tis too late, - Or his mother must go. - 'Tis a base, heartless crime, - For a child to do so. - - But there's worse yet to tell, - For to church he goes late; - And he reaches God's house - In a sad, dirty state; - For he never is dressed, - And he never is clean. - That 'tis all putting off, - Is quite plain to be seen. - - He ne'er has a book, - Or a toy, or a pet, - For to put them away - He doth always forget; - So they're broken or lost, - Or most shamefully torn; - And he's nothing to do, - Which is very forlorn. - - Take heed now, ye children, - And list to my tale; - What e'er you've to do, - Do at once, without fail; - For if you'd be happy, - And useful, and gay, - Don't put off till to-morrow - The work of to-day. - - Remember, 'tis minutes - That make up the hours; - As the small, tiny seeds - Bring the beautiful flowers. - Don't procrastinate then, - O ye daughters of earth! - For woman's but grass - From the day of her birth." - -In the ears of the little listeners this was a perfect gem of poetry, -far beyond any thing Maggie had ever written before, whether it were -"divine song," or "moral poem." The concluding lines were considered -particularly fine, and, indeed, had been added on account of their -striking effect. - -Bessie and Belle had heard it before, but they listened with rapt -attention, and Lily was very much impressed. The third verse she -felt particularly adapted to her case, though Maggie had intended no -home thrust when she wrote it. But, to Lily's mind, it just suited -the affair of the inkstand; and when Maggie finished reading, she -exclaimed,-- - -"I should think I _was_ a base, heartless crime!" - -The children all hastened to console her, and to assure her that they -thought she would not fail to improve, now that she saw her fault so -plainly. - -"I didn't mean that the child in the poem was really you," said Maggie. -"That's the reason I made Pro a boy instead of a girl. I only wanted -to show you what people might come to who procrastinated all the time, -and never were punctual." - -Maggie's drawing, as you have heard, was divided up into a number of -smaller pictures, each one suited to a particular verse of the poem; -and they explained themselves to one who had read or heard the latter. - -The fourth and last picture had been drawn by Belle, the chief artist -among the little party. - -This also represented Father Time, who had now grown fat and -flourishing, which was somewhat singular under the circumstances. He -was accompanied by another burly figure, and both were armed with many -lashes and whips with which they chased "Pro," now himself reduced to a -skeleton state, and vainly endeavoring to escape from his tormentors. - -"This," said Belle, "is my drawing, but it is Maggie's idea, and Bessie -and I think it is pretty grand. Here is that naughty Pro, and he has -lost every thing and every one he had in the world, all through his -own putting off; and here," pointing to little dots and round _o_'s -with which the page was covered, "here are the hours and minutes flying -away from him too. The largest ones are the hours; the little ones, the -minutes. And here are Father Time and Remorse coming after him with -their--their--What kind of whips do they have, Maggie?" - -"_Scorpion_ whips," answered Maggie. "It was a very convenient thing -that I happened to read the other day about the 'scorpion whip of -Remorse,' and it just gave me the idea for this picture. It means that -when we feel very badly about something we know we deserve, it is just -as bad as the stings of scorpions and bugs and other horrid things. And -I thought we'd make believe Remorse had two scorpion whips, and lent -one to Time to chase Procrastination with." - -"Here's the ocean," said Belle, directing Lily's attention to where -high, curling waves were supposed to be leaping and dashing upward, -"and Pro was running away so fast from those dreadful scorpion whips -that he never saw it, but ran right into the water, and was drowned; -and that was the end of _him_." - -Belle's tone was very triumphant when she uttered the last word, as -though she were glad to have thus disposed of a troublesome customer. - -"I'm sure," said Lily, with an air of melancholy satisfaction, "I'm -sure I'm very much obliged to you all for taking so much trouble to -improve me; and I don't see how I can help being better now." - -"Then that's all we ask," said Maggie, "and we shan't regret any -trouble we took. Now let's go and play." - -If the other children had had any fears that Lily's remorse and the -"lesson" they had given her would interfere with her enjoyment of the -day, such fears were soon put to flight; for in ten minutes she was -as merry and roguish as ever, and quite disposed to join in all the -entertainment provided for her. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -V. - -_PROMISING._ - - -"How many of my little girls would like to help in a good work?" asked -Miss Ashton, some two or three days after this. - -Ten little hands went up. Ten? Nay, I think there were thirteen or -fourteen; for some of the children were not content with holding up -one, but raised both in their zeal to show Miss Ashton they were ready -to do what she asked. - -Miss Ashton went on to explain. - -"I think you will all remember," she said, "the lame soldier who was -run over and killed on the corner of this street?" - -There was a murmur of assenting voices, and little Belle added,-- - -"Papa said it was a very generous thing for you and Mrs. Ashton to take -care of his three children, Miss Ashton; and I think so too." - -Miss Ashton smiled at her, and continued,-- - -"But we could not take care of them always, dear Belle, and through the -kindness of some friends we have found a pleasant home in the country -for them. It is necessary that they should be comfortably fitted out -before we send them there, however, and my uncle says that he will -provide all the materials that the school will make up. The young -ladies in my mother's room say they will make all the dresses and more -difficult garments, and leave the simple and easier ones for you, if -you choose to help. But before you make any promises, I wish you to ask -your parents' permission, and also to make up your minds to have the -garment you take finished by the end of two weeks, when the children -are to leave for their new home. You nearly all sew well enough to do -the easy work upon these little skirts and aprons, and I think your -friends at home will give you what help you may need." - -"But, Miss Ashton," said little Belle, with woe-begone voice and look, -"I can hardly sew at all. Aunt Margaret has just begun to teach me, and -she says I _do_ take pains, but I b'lieve I do it pretty badly yet." - -"And I don't know how to sew," said her cousin, Mabel Walton, who now -was sorry that she had always obstinately refused to learn how to use a -needle. - -"I think we can find some easy thing for you both to do," said Miss -Ashton, kindly. "But remember, dear children, what you promise, you -must perform. If you undertake this work, you must have it finished at -the end of the time I have named,--two weeks. I do not _ask_ you to do -it, for the older girls are willing to do all the work; but I thought -it might be a pleasure to you to help." - -"Oh, yes! indeed it will, Miss Ashton," said Lily, "and I'd like to -have two clothes to make. Mamma says I can sew pretty well fur such a -little girl, and Nora will show me how." - -"One garment will be enough for you, Lily," said Miss Ashton; "if you -finish that in time, it is all we shall need." - -"You need not be afraid I won't have it done in time, Miss Ashton," -said Lily. "I don't put off any more, nor be unpunctual either. I've -been early at school every morning this week,"--this was Tuesday,--"and -mamma said I was beginning to improve. I couldn't help it very well, I -had such a horrid lesson about an old beggar-woman who was nothing but -a thief; and then Maggie and Bessie and Belle made me lovely proverb -pictures about the consequences of procrastination, and Maggie wrote a -splendid poem, so I ought to learn better with all that." - -"I think so," said Miss Ashton; "but, by the way, I wonder if Maggie -and Bessie would not like to join us in this work. They always take -such an interest in all that goes on among us here that perhaps they -would be pleased if we offered to let them help." - -"Yes, I know they would," cried Belle, always ready to speak in praise -of her beloved little playmates. "I know they would. Maggie and Bessie -are very full of good works; and they always like to do what we do, if -they can, too." - -"Very well," said Miss Ashton. "You can ask them when you see them, -Belle; and if they would like to help us, tell them to come in -to-morrow, at the close of school. You can all bring me word then if -your parents are willing for you to undertake this work, and I will -give each one a piece to take home." - -The next morning each little girl brought word that she had received -permission to take home and make such a garment as Miss Ashton should -see fit to give her; and they had all been promised help and teaching -by their mammas or other friends. - -The curiosity and interest of the class having been much excited by -Lily's glowing account of the "proverb picture" and poem furnished her -by Maggie, Bessie, and Belle, she had been persuaded to bring them -with her; and being punctual for the third morning, she exhibited them -before school was opened, to the great satisfaction and delight of the -other children. They were also displayed to Miss Ashton. - -"Maggie is quite a Murphy, isn't she, Miss Ashton?" said Lily. - -"A what, dear?" asked the young lady, much puzzled. - -"A Murphy--a M-m-ur-phy," said Lily, putting severe and long emphasis -on the word, as she saw that her teacher did not yet understand. "Don't -you know what a Murphy is, Miss Ashton? It means some one very wise and -good, who teaches right things." - -"Oh!" said Miss Ashton, smiling, as light broke in upon her; "you mean -a Mentor, do you not, Lily?" - -"Oh, yes, that's it," said Lily; "but I thought it was Murphy. But I -think Murphy is just as pretty a name as Mentor." - -"But people would understand your meaning better if you put the right -name, Lily," said Miss Ashton, as she rang the bell for silence. - -Maggie and Bessie had told Belle that they would be very glad to -join in the work of making clothes for the poor little orphans; and -accordingly, when school was over and word was brought that they were -below, she was sent to bring them up to the school-room. Places were -soon found for them among their former school-mates, who were all -delighted to see them; and, as Bessie said, "it seemed quite as if they -were all young again." - -Then Miss Ashton had a large basket of work brought in, and took from -it a number of little garments cut out, but not made, which she laid -upon the table before her. - -"I have six skirts and six aprons here," she said, "and three calico -bags, which our little orphans must have to hold their lesson-books. I -think we had better give the bags to those who are the youngest, or the -least accustomed to sewing,--Bessie, Belle, and Mabel. Then the rest -may choose, so far as you can, whether you will take a petticoat or -an apron; but as there is more work upon the petticoats than upon the -aprons, I shall think it wiser for those who are not very industrious -and persevering to take the latter, so that they may be sure to finish -their work. Or perhaps the older ones, Nellie, Maggie, Grace, and Dora, -might take the skirts, and let the other five take aprons. As I said -yesterday, the young ladies in the other room will finish whatever you -leave." - -All were satisfied with this arrangement but two. - -"Miss Ashton," said Nellie Ransom, in rather a hesitating voice, as -though she thought she might be drawing upon herself the disapproval of -her classmates,--"Miss Ashton, I think perhaps I had better only take -an apron. I do not sew very fast, and I might not have a skirt done -in time; and I would rather take the apron, so that I may be sure to -finish it." - -"Pooh!" said Lily, "I should think any one might have a petticoat -done in two weeks! No, not pooh, either, Nellie, I forgot that was -not courteous; but then I should think you'd have plenty of time to -make the skirt, and I'm going to take one 'stead of the apron, if Miss -Ashton will let me." - -"I will let you," said her teacher. "I told you you should take what -you pleased; but, Lily, I think Nellie is a wise little girl not to -undertake more than she feels _sure_ she can do, and you would do well -to follow her example. You do not like steady work, you know, Lily, and -I should not wish the petticoat to be brought back to me half finished." - -"Oh, I'd never do that!" exclaimed Lily. "I see, Miss Ashton, you -think it _probalal_ that Nellie and I will be the hare and the -tortoise,--Nellie the tortoise and I the hare; but we'll be two -tortoises, won't we, Nellie? And please let me have the petticoat, -Miss Ashton. I'll be sure, oh, _sure_ to have it finished!" - -Miss Ashton did as she was asked, and handed Lily the skirt; but she -looked as if she were not quite so sure that Lily would perform all she -promised; and though she smiled as she gave the parcel to the little -girl, she shook her head doubtfully, and said,-- - -"Be careful, Lily, and do not put off till to morrow the task you -should do to-day." - -"No, ma'am," answered Lily, confidently, "I am quite cured of that. -I wish you'd let me have two just to see how soon I will have them -finished." - -"If you finish the petticoat at the end of ten days, you shall have -some other thing to make," said Miss Ashton, rather gravely. "Nellie, -my dear, here is your apron." - -The work was very neatly cut out and basted; prepared so that the -little girls might not find it difficult to do, or give more trouble -than was actually necessary to their friends at home; and each one -opened her parcel and examined it with great satisfaction after they -were dismissed. - -"I expect Nellie's will be sewed the best, 'cause she takes so much -pains with every thing she does," said Bessie. "Hers and Dora's will -be, for Dora is industrious too, and has a great deal of perseverance." - -"I think mine will be the best," said Gracie, "for I sew very nicely. -Mrs. Bradish told mamma she never saw a child of my age sew so neatly." - -"Proudy!" said Lily, "you always think you do every thing better than -anybody else; and you always go and tell when any one makes you a -compliment. Gracie, you do grow conceiteder and conceiteder every day. -Pretty soon, we won't be able to stand you at all." - -"Why, Lily!" said Belle, "you're a dreadful anti-politer this morning." - -"I don't care," said Lily; "Gracie does make me so mad. Yes, I do care -about being called an anti-politer too," she added on second thoughts; -"but, Gracie, I don't believe your work will be the best. I think like -Bessie, that Nellie's will be, 'cause she sews so nicely; and so does -Maggie." - -"Anyhow mine will be done, and yours won't, I know," retorted Gracie, -who always resented very strongly the idea that any other child -could do as well or better than herself. "You always put off and -procrastinate, so that you never have any thing ready at the right -time." - -"Well, I'm not going to do so any more," said Lily; "and, anyhow, I'd -rather be Pro than Proudy. It's very, very naughty to be proud, and -it's only a--a--well, an inconvenient habit to procrastinate. And I'm -pretty well cured of it now. Don't you be afraid my petticoat won't be -done; and don't let's be cross about it any more, Gracie." - -Peace was restored by her last words; but here were Lily's snares and -stumbling-blocks. Firstly, that she had too much confidence in her -own strength, and was too sure that she could cure herself of this -troublesome habit if she only chose to do so; secondly, that she -hardly looked upon it as a fault at all, and did not think it of much -consequence, except just at the moment when it had brought some great -annoyance upon herself or others. - -Lily was gay, light-hearted, and sweet-tempered, and trouble or -disappointment seldom oppressed her spirits long,--all good things and -great blessings in their proper times and places; but she sometimes let -this run into carelessness, and was often disposed to make too light of -her faults and their consequences. She certainly had warning and help -enough in this case, if that were all she needed. - -She, Maggie and Bessie, Belle and Mabel all took the same way homeward; -and just before they parted, Maggie said,-- - -"I have an idea! Would it not be a good plan for us five to have a -little sewing meeting at our house for these clothes, if mamma has no -objections? And it will seem to help us along, and not let it be so -stupid; for I do hate to sew." - -The other children agreed that it would be a capital arrangement; and -Maggie, turning to Bessie, asked if she thought mamma would be willing. - -"For we better not make too many plans about it till we know what mamma -would say," said Maggie, "or we might 'live in hope only to die in -despair.'" - -Bessie thought mamma would be quite willing, but agreed with Maggie -that it would be better not to build up too many arrangements on this -till they knew what she had to say. - -"I would like to have asked all the class," said Maggie, "but I do not -think mamma wants a great many children about now; because grandmamma's -house is being painted, and she and Aunt Annie and Uncle Ruthven and -Aunt Bessie are all staying with us, and it makes a pretty large -family,--a lovely large one," she added, with a nod of satisfaction in -the present size of the household. - -"We'll ask mamma if we can have a meeting once a week till our things -are all finished," said Bessie; "and we can sew on them between times, -and show each other how much we have done. And it may be a little help -to you in not putting off, Lily," she said, rather anxiously. "I would -be so sorry if your petticoat was not finished." - -"Oh, never fear," said Lily; "you are all so afraid about me; and I -tell you, I'm not going to put off any more." - -"I am sorry, my daughter, that you took the petticoat instead of the -apron," said Mrs. Norris, when Lily reached home and told her story -of the morning's business. "There would have been more hope of your -finishing the apron, with your unsteady ways about work and duties." - -"It is not a duty for me to make this, is it, mamma?" asked Lily, -unrolling the parcel and holding up the skirt. - -"Yes, it is a duty for you to do that which you have promised to do, is -it not?" - -"Yes, mamma; but I need not have promised if I did not choose." - -"No, you need not; but now that you have undertaken it of your own -free will, that makes it all the more a duty for you to finish it in -time. Will you sew on it a little while this afternoon, after you have -had your lunch?" - -"No, mamma, I think not," said Lily. "Maggie and Bessie are going to -ask their mamma if they can have us for a sewing meeting at their -house, and I'll wait and see what they say. It will be fun." - -Mrs. Norris sighed as Lily gleefully rolled up her work and tossed it -upon the table. This was not a very good beginning. - -"Put it away in the large work-box, dear," she said. - -"Presently, mamma; I'm just going to tell Nora about it." - -"No, Lily, put it away at once. And remember, my darling, that I shall -not allow Nora to finish it for you if you fall behindhand through your -own fault." - -"Oh, no, mamma," said Lily, as she obeyed her mother's order; "but I -would have put it away in a minute or two." - - - - -[Illustration] - -VI. - -_BUT NOT PERFORMING._ - - -You will readily believe that Lily's "by and by" was long in coming, as -it had often been before; and this although her mamma and nurse both -invited her more than once to come and begin her petticoat. - -The evening brought a note from Maggie Bradford, which was as follows:-- - - "DEAR LILY,--Mamma says we may have the sewing meeting, and Aunt Annie - says she will take care of it up in her room, which is very kind of - her; do you not think so? When Baby Annie heard us talking about it, - she said, "Me too;" and we told her she should come if she would be - good. Mamma says she is afraid she will be a disturbance, but she - is so cunning that Bessie and I could not bear to tell her no; and - we will be very industrious, even if baby is funny. We make you a - life-member of our society for two weeks, till we have the clothes all - finished; and we will have a meeting every Thursday afternoon. Come at - three o'clock; and Aunt Annie will tell us stories or read to us till - four, while we sew, and then we will put away our work and play. - - "Yours respectfully and affectionately, - - "MAGGIE STANTON BRADFORD. - - "P. S. Bessie says of course you'd never think of such a thing as - bringing 'Pro' to the meeting. We wouldn't believe it of you; but if - you did, we should 'speed the parting guest,' which means to turn him - out as quick as you can." - -"Maggie knows so many proverbs and wise speeches, and always knows how -to make a good use of them," said Lily, when Tom finished reading this -epistle to her, she having been in too much haste to try to spell it -out for herself. "Now, Tom, what are you laughing at?" - -"Why, I'm sure that is a good joke of Maggie's, and well worth being -amused at," said Tom. - -"Oh, yes," said Lily, "she is very smart, and very funny too. I'm so -glad we are going to have the sewing meeting; and, indeed, I don't take -'Pro' with me." - -"I am afraid he has paid us a visit this afternoon, Lily," said Mrs. -Norris. - -"Why, no, dear mamma; at least, I only thought I would wait till I -heard what we were going to do at the meeting, and not begin before -them. It is nicer to begin all together." - -"And I think you will find that all the other children have commenced -their work to-day," said Mrs. Norris. "But we shall see." - -Lily's mamma was nearly as well pleased as her little daughter at the -arrangement she had made with the Bradford children, for she hoped that -their example, and the wish to keep pace with them, might help Lily to -conquer her besetting fault in this instance at least; and that shame -might keep her from falling behindhand with her work from week to week. - -The sewing meeting being a novelty, and Lily very anxious to "see what -it would be like," she was willing to be made ready in good time the -next day; and actually arrived at the Bradfords' house eight minutes -before three o'clock, which she, as well as the other children, took to -be a decided sign of improvement in the punctuality line. - -Belle was there, but not Mabel, for the latter had taken a very bad -cold, and could not come out. - -The little girls were soon all settled in Aunt Annie's room, each with -her work; but Lily was rather dismayed, and quite ashamed, to find -her mother's words proved true, and that each one of the other three -children had not only commenced her work, but had completed quite a -good piece upon it. Why, there was a whole seam and part of another -done upon Maggie's petticoat; and she had not yet set the first stitch -in hers! - -"Why! haven't you done any on yours yet?" asked Bessie, in amazement. -"Why didn't you begin it, Lily?" - -"I thought to-day would be time enough," said Lily, rather sheepishly. -"I'm sorry now I didn't begin it." - -"But it's too late to be sorry now," said Bessie, gravely shaking her -head. "Procrastination has been robbing Time again, Lily." - -"Never mind, I'll sew very fast to-day," was Lily's answer. - -As soon as she had the little girls all busy at their work, Aunt Annie -took up a book, and prepared to read a story to them. - -But scarcely had she commenced when the door, which stood ajar, was -pushed open; and "Tootins" walked in, with an air which seemed to say -she was quite sure of her welcome. - -And who was "Tootins"? you will say. A kitten? - -Well, I believe she was a kind of two-footed kitten; at least, she was -as full of play and frolic and merry ways as any four-footed little -puss that ever called old cat mother. As fond of being cuddled and -petted now and then, too. - -"Tootins" was the dearest, cunningest, most fascinating little -two-year-old bit of mischief that ever found out she had ten fingers, -and the number of uses they could be put to. - -A mischief! I should think she was! Such restless, busy little -fingers! "Mademoiselle Touche-à-tout" Uncle Ruthven named her. Such an -inquisitive little mind! Such never-tiring, pattering little feet! Such -a sweet voice, and such a crooked, cunning tongue! - -When you saw her, you wanted to catch her up, and pet and hug her, -she was so fair and round and dimpled; but that did not always suit -Miss "Tootins." She thought her two small feet were made to be used, -and she did not choose that they should be deprived of any of their -privileges, except by her own free will. So she generally struggled to -be put down again; and, dear me! how sorry you were to let her go! - -But sometimes, as I have said, she wanted to be cuddled and petted; and -then she would nestle to you, so dear and sweet, with her sunny head -upon your arm, her great starry eyes fastened upon your face, while -you talked baby-talk to her, or told her simple verses and stories. -Understand you, do you ask? Indeed, she understood every thing you -said; more than you could have believed possible. - -Pure pink and white skin; eyes blue as heaven; golden hair; yes, real -golden hair, for when the sunlight fell upon her curls, they looked -like threads of burning gold; shoulders and hands and arms that looked -as if they were only made to be kissed; a gurgling, rippling laugh; and -oh, such cunning, wheedling ways! That is our "Tootins;" otherwise, -Baby Annie. _Our_ "Tootins," did I say? Well, I suppose I must call -her Mrs. Bradford's "Tootins;" but then, you see, I have drawn her -picture from life, and, having before my eyes just such a pet and -darling of my own, it came very natural to say "our Tootins." - -But how did she come by such a funny name? you will ask again. - -Well, that was a name her little brother Frankie had given her when -she was a tiny baby; no one knew why he did it, but he did, and he -always called her by it; and of late, if any one called her by any -other name, he always pretended he did not know of whom they spoke. And -so "Tootins" had come to be a sort of twin pet name with "Baby," and -little Annie was called as much by one as by the other. - -As I have said, she came in as if quite assured of her welcome, for -Baby Annie was accustomed to have her society courted, and rather -imagined she was conferring a favor when she bestowed it upon her -friends. Moreover, she had been promised that she should join -the others on this occasion, why or with what purpose she did not -understand; but she knew that her sisters had talked of Belle and Lily -coming. She was fond of Belle and Lily, and had demanded a share in -their company, and here they were now. This she knew very well, and -so she came in, followed by old nurse, who had her own doubts as to -whether baby would be considered a serviceable member of the sewing -circle. - -But "Tootins'" expectations proved well-founded, for she was greeted -with exclamations of pleasure; and after submitting to the necessary -amount of hugging and kissing, she was accommodated with a bench at -Aunt Annie's feet, and mammy told that she might leave her. - -But was it really possible that any one thought baby was going to sit -still on that footstool? If so, she soon undeceived them; and the busy -little fingers were, as usual, searching about for what mischief they -could find to do. - -First, she overturned Maggie's workbox, and having contrived, during -the picking up of the contents, secretly to possess herself of the -eyelet-piercer, was presently discovered boring holes in her own tiny -shoe. The next thing which took her fancy was a small vase of flowers, -which being within her reach was dragged over, the water spilled -upon the floor and the flowers scattered, before Aunt Annie could -prevent it. Happily, the vase was not broken, for which Miss Baby took -great credit to herself, declaring over and over again that she was -"dood,"--little Pharisee that she was. - -By the time that this disturbance was over, order restored, and the -members of the sewing society settled once more in their places, -baby had retired into privacy behind the window curtain; and, being -suspiciously quiet, Aunt Annie thought proper to inquire into her -occupation, when she was discovered industriously taking pins from a -pin-cushion, and sticking them into the carpet. - -"Oh, what a mischievous, naughty little girl!" said Aunt Annie. "Shall -I call mammy to take you away?" - -"No, 'deed, Nan," was the answer; "Nan" being baby's name for Aunt -Annie. - -"Will you be good and quiet then?" - -"'Es 'deed," said baby, resigning the pin-cushion into Aunt Annie's -hands, and trotting off in search of fresh pastures. - -A large trunk was in the room, the lid standing open; and Miss Stanton -had already called baby three or four times from its dangerous -neighborhood. But the straps which kept the lid from falling back -seemed to have a peculiar attraction for the little one; and once more -she went over to the corner where it was placed, and, taking hold of -one of these straps, would in another moment have crushed both tiny -hands by pulling the whole weight of the lid upon them, had not Maggie -sprung up and caught it just in time. - -"You had better call nurse to take her away, Maggie; she is too -troublesome, and we shall accomplish nothing while she is here," said -her aunt, now really vexed. But when she heard this, Baby Annie put up -such a grieved lip and looked so piteous that the other children all -pleaded for her; and Miss Stanton said she would try her once more. - -[Illustration: Lily Norris. p. 110.] - -"Shall Aunt Annie tell you a pretty story?" she asked, seating the -little mischief in the corner of the sofa, where she would be out of -harm's way so long as she could be persuaded to remain there. - -Baby assented eagerly, for she always liked a story; and Aunt Annie -began, the little one listening intently, with hands quietly folded in -her lap, and her great blue eyes fixed on her aunt's face. - -"Once there was a little girl, and she was a very good little girl, and -always did as she was told. When her auntie said, 'You must be still,' -she was as quiet as a little mouse, and made no noise. When her mamma -said, 'Come here,' she always came; and when her nursey said, 'Do not -touch that thing,' she never touched it. She did not take the pins, -because she knew it was naughty, and that mamma would say, 'No, no;' -and she did not pull at the flowers, because she knew her auntie would -say, 'Let them alone;' and she did not touch Maggie's workbox, because -she knew she was not to have it. And oh, dear me! why, she never would -do such a naughty thing as to touch the trunk, because she knew it -would hurt her little fingers, oh, so badly! and then she would have to -cry. So every one loved this baby, and said, 'What a good little girl! -Come here, good little girl;' and gave her pretty flowers of her own, -and let her stay in the room, and did not send her away to the nursery." - -Here Aunt Annie paused, to see what effect her moral tale was making -on the small listener for whose benefit it was intended. Baby was -intensely interested, and when Aunt Annie ceased speaking, gravely -ejaculated the one syllable, "More." - -The other children, who thought this extremely funny, were trying to -hide their smiles that they might not spoil the lesson the story was -intended to convey. - -"Then there was another little girl," continued Aunt Annie, "such a -naughty little girl, who would not mind what was said to her. When -her mamma said, 'Don't go to the head of the stairs when the gate is -open,' she would not mind, but she did go; and she fell down stairs, -and bumped her poor little head. And she took the piercer, and made -holes in her new shoes; and mamma said, 'Oh, the naughty baby! She must -sit on the bed with no shoes on because she did such a bad thing.' And -she took the scissors and cut her little fingers, and they hurt her so -badly, and bled. And the pins too, and she put them in the carpet where -they pricked grandmamma's feet; and grandmamma said, 'That naughty, -naughty baby!' And what do you think happened to her one day? She would -touch the trunk when her auntie said, 'Come away;' and the lid fell -down, and cut off all the poor little fingers, and the little girl had -no more fingers to play with, or to love mamma with, or to look at the -pretty picture-books with. Oh, poor little girl! that was because she -would not be good." - -Nothing could outdo the intense gravity of the little one's face and -demeanor as she listened to this thrilling tale, and drank in each -word. It was certainly making a great impression, Aunt Annie thought. - -"Now," she said, thinking to strengthen and give point to this, "who -was the good little girl who always did as she was told?" - -"Tootins," said the baby, with an air of supreme self-satisfaction, and -conscious virtue, which set all the other children giggling. - -"And who," asked Aunt Annie, trying to command her own face, as she put -the second question, "was the naughty little girl who did all those bad -things, and was so much hurt?" - -"Na-a-an!" shouted baby, changing her air of delighted self-approbation -to one of stern reproof and bitter indignation against her would-be -teacher. - -To describe the peals of gleeful laughter which followed this sudden -turning of the tables would be impossible. Roguish Lily went capering -and whirling about the room in an ecstasy of fun and enjoyment at this -capital hit; and all thought it the most excellent joke they had heard -this long time. It would have been impossible to help joining in their -merry peals of laughter, even had not Aunt Annie herself been heartily -amused at the little rogue's cuteness; and baby, finding she had said a -good thing, joined her own rippling laugh to the general merriment, to -which she further added by now saying, "Oh, dear! me so funny." - -The laughter and merry voices brought mamma to see what the great joke -could be; and Miss Baby now thought proper to deprive them of her -society, slipping down from her nest on the sofa, and running to her -mother with,-- - -"Me better do wis my mamma." - -"Tootins" always considered she had "better" do whatever she wished to -do. - -And now perhaps you will say, What has all this long story about -"Tootins" to do with Lily and procrastination? - -Why, just this; that from the moment the baby had entered the room, -Lily's attention had been entirely diverted from her sewing. In vain -did that faithful little monitor, Bessie, endeavor by hints and signs, -and softly whispered words, to persuade her to keep on with the work -already so far behindhand. For to all her entreaties, Lily only -answered, "There's time enough," or, "I'm going to do it in a minute," -and so forth; while she watched the baby, and was rather disposed to -encourage her in her mischief. And when Miss Stanton put little Annie -up on the sofa, and began to tell her the story, Lily dropped her -sewing upon the floor, and, leaving her seat, hung over the arm of the -couch, listening and idling away her time. The other children were -amused, too, at Annie's pranks, especially at this last one, but they -kept on sewing industriously; even little Belle, who was unaccustomed -to it, laboriously and with much painstaking, setting in stitch after -stitch. - -But even this good example had no effect on Lily; and seeing this, Aunt -Annie was not sorry when "the little hindering thing" declared she had -"better do wis" her mother. Mrs. Bradford thought so too; and carried -away the cunning but provoking monkey. - -"O Lily!" said Maggie, reproachfully, "I thought you were not going to -bring Pro with you." - -"Well, I didn't," said Lily. "I'm sure I've been sewing; at least, I've -sewed some; and I was just looking at Annie for a moment." - -"For a good many moments, Lily," said Miss Stanton; "and even when you -had your work in your hand, you put in the stitches very slowly and -carelessly. See there, Lily," taking up the end of the seam on which -Lily was now working in great haste, in order to make up for lost -time, "what long, uneven stitches, my dear child." - -"Oh, they'll do, Miss Annie," said Lily. "I'll do the rest better; but -I must have this seam done to-day." - -Miss Stanton looked grave, and shook her head, and it was not a usual -thing for gay, merry Annie Stanton to look serious; and Lily saw that -she, like other people, did not think so lightly of this habit which -she considered of so little consequence. - -For, as you will have perceived, Lily had already forgotten the sad -lesson she had received in the matter of the silver inkstand; and -Maggie, Bessie, and Belle afterwards acknowledged to one another that -their proverb picture had quite failed to produce the good effect they -had hoped for. - -"Let's keep the sewing meeting in a little longer," she said, when the -hour was over, and the other children were preparing to put by their -work, which had made good progress during that time. - -"No," said Miss Annie, "an hour's steady work is enough for any little -girl, and the others are tired. They have done enough for to-day." - -"I think I'll do a little more," said Lily, who felt ashamed as she -compared her own work with that of her young companions, and saw how -much more they had accomplished. - -"As you please," said Miss Stanton; "but I cannot attend to you longer, -Lily. I am going out to dinner, and must dress now. I hope you will do -better before next Thursday." - -Lily went away with the others, intending to sew while they played, -at least, for a while; but, as you may believe, when she saw them all -engaged with their dolls, Procrastination came and put her virtuous -resolution to flight, whispering that she could make up for lost time -to-morrow; and, as usual, he had his way, and the petticoat was soon -altogether forgotten. - - - - -[Illustration] - -VII. - -_WHAT CAME OF THAT._ - - -"Lily, darling," said Mrs. Norris, on Saturday morning, "let me see how -the little orphan's petticoat is coming on." - -Lily went, rather sheepishly it must be confessed, and brought the -skirt to her mother. - -"Is this all you have done?--this little piece of a seam?" said Mrs. -Norris. "And so badly too. Why, my child! what have you been thinking -of? You can sew far better than this." - -Lily fidgeted, and hung her head. - -"Did you not all sew yesterday, when you were at Mrs. Bradford's?" -asked her mamma, examining the work still more closely. - -"Yes, mamma," murmured Lily. - -"And did you not say Miss Annie showed you how it was to be done?" - -"Yes, mamma." - -"How is it, then, that you have done so very little, and that little so -badly?" - -"Why, you see, mamma," said Lily, hesitatingly, "I did not have much -sewed, only a few stitches, and I wanted to catch up with the others; -and so--and so--so the stitches wouldn't come very nice." - -"And why did you not have as much accomplished as the other children? -This is a very poor hour's work, dear." - -"Yes, mamma; but Baby Annie was so funny, and I couldn't help looking -at her, and I thought I would have time enough. It was such a horridly -short hour; it was gone before I had time to do much." - -"Ah, Lily," said Mrs. Norris, "it is the same old story, I fear. -Procrastination, and want of attention to the duty of the time, and -perhaps a little idleness and heedlessness added to them. These last -two are great helpers to procrastination, Lily; or perhaps I should -say, procrastination is a great helper to the sad fault of idleness. -It is so very easy, when we do not feel industrious, to believe that -another time will answer as well for the duty or work we should do -now. So the duty is put off; and then, when shame or need calls us to -the neglected task, it is hurried through heedlessly, and it may be so -badly that it is quite useless, or must be done over again, as this -must, my child." - -"Mamma!" exclaimed Lily, in a tone in which there was displeasure as -well as distress. - -"Yes, indeed, my daughter. I cannot allow this to be returned to Miss -Ashton with such work upon it. You are but a little girl, and no one -would expect to see such neat sewing come from your hands as from those -of an older person; but I should be ashamed to have it thought that my -Lily cannot do better than this." - -"Then I'll never have the petticoat done at all," said Lily, her eyes -filling with tears. "It is 'most a week now since Miss Ashton gave them -to us, and if I have to take that out it will be all to do from the -beginning, and Maggie and Bessie and Belle have ever so much done on -theirs, and I shan't have one stitch done on mine." - -Mrs. Norris looked grieved at the rebellious tone. - -"Whose fault is it, Lily?" she asked sorrowfully. - -Lily hesitated for a moment; then, for the first time in her life, -temper had the better of her love and reverence for her mother, and she -answered passionately,-- - -"_Yours_, if you make me pull that out!" - -For a moment, surprise held Mrs. Norris silent and motionless. Never -before had Lily spoken so to her; never before had she been other than -her loving, docile little child, not always strictly obedient it might -be, but that was not so much from wilfulness as from that sad habit of -putting off,--of not obeying at once. - -Then the surprise died out, and left only pain and grief; and while -Lily was wondering what mamma would do, could do, after such a dreadful -thing as that (for the very utterance of the words had sobered her, and -calmed down her temper), Mrs. Norris rose, and laying down the skirt, -without one word, without one look at her naughty little child, slowly -and sorrowfully left the room. - -Lily stood still one moment, herself almost breathless with surprise -and dismay at what she had done. Had she really said such dreadful -words to mamma? and could mamma ever, ever forgive them? Her own dear, -loving, indulgent mamma to hear such words from the lips of her own, -only little daughter. What would papa say, what would Tom say, when -they should know it? what would Maggie and Bessie say? For when mamma -treated her as she deserved to be treated from this time forth, they -would surely know that something was wrong, and must learn what she -had done. And, oh! how angry God must be with her! - -Some little boys and girls, who are in the habit of saying unkind and -disrespectful things to their mothers,--and, alas! there are too many -such,--may wonder at our Lily's distress and remorse; but Lily was not -accustomed to behave in this way to her mother; as you have heard, it -was the first time in her life that she had done so, and now she was -fairly frightened when she remembered how she had let passion master -her. - -And what had brought this about? - -Lily did not think of it just then, in all the tumult of feeling which -swelled her little heart; but had it not all arisen from the sad habit -of procrastination, of which she thought so lightly? - -She felt as if she dared not run after her mother, and ask her -forgiveness. True, mamma always was ready to forgive her when she was -penitent after any naughtiness; but then--oh! she had never, never -done any thing like this before--and Lily threw herself down upon the -rug in a paroxysm of tears and sobs. - -By and by the door was opened, and Tom came in. He stood still for a -moment in surprise at the state in which he found his little sister, -then came forward. - -"My pet, what is it? What is the matter?" he said, stooping over her, -and trying to raise her. But Lily resisted; and so Tom sat down on the -floor beside her. A fresh burst of sobs came from Lily. - -"What is it, dear?" asked Tom again. "Shall I call mamma?" - -"Oh, no, no!" sobbed Lily. "She wouldn't c-c-come if you did. She'll -never want to come near m-me a-a-gain." - -"Why? What is wrong?" asked Tom, whose fears that Lily was ill or had -hurt herself were now removed; for he saw that it was not bodily but -mental trouble which ailed her. - -"Oh! I've done the most horrid, the most dreadful thing, Tom," -confessed Lily, still hardly able to speak for the fast-coming tears -and sobs. "Oh! I spoke so wickedly to mamma; to my own dear, precious, -darling mamma. It was 'most worse than the inkstand, oh, it was, it -was! I'm so bad, oh, such a bad child!" - -"Are you willing to tell me about it?" asked Tom, soothingly. - -Lily raised her head, and threw it upon her brother's knee, allowing -him to wipe away her tears; although, as she told her story, they -flowed as fast as he dried them. - -"Lily," said Tom, hoping that this might prove a good lesson to -her,--ah! how often had Lily's friends vainly hoped that the trouble -she brought upon herself might prove of service to her,--"Lily, how was -it that your work was so very badly done?" - -And Lily made a fresh confession, Tom gently leading her back to what -he truly suspected to be the first cause of all this difficulty. - -"Lily, dear," he said, "I am sure I do not want to seem to find fault -with you, or to reproach you when you are feeling so badly; but I would -like you to see how all this has come about. You think it such a small -fault, such a very little thing, to put off your duties, and even your -pleasures, if it happens to suit the convenience of the moment. As to -pleasures, I suppose that does not matter much, so long as we do not -let our want of punctuality interfere with the pleasure of others; -but although it may not be what we call a great sin in itself, just -see into what sin and sorrow procrastination may lead us. One little -duty neglected or put off may interfere with another; or, as you have -done, we may have to hurry through with it in such a manner as to -leave it worse than if we had not tried to do it at all. And so we are -disappointed and vexed, and perhaps we grow cross and ill-tempered, or -fly into a passion, and do some very wrong or unkind thing." - -"Yes; or behave worse than any child that ever lived, to our darling, -lovely, precious mammas, just like me," broke forth poor, penitent -Lily. - -"Yes," said Tom, gravely, but kindly, "you see to what it has led -you,--disrespect and impertinence to dear mamma. Is not this enough, -Lil darling, to show you how much pain and trouble may come from this -habit, and why you ought to try to break yourself of it? It is not only -the inconvenience which _must_ come from it, but the wrong which _may_ -grow from it, which should teach us to try and keep it from gaining a -hold upon us. Do you see, Lil?" - -"I should think I did," said Lily, dolefully, though she now sat -upright, but with a most rueful and despairing countenance. "I should -think it had made me bad enough to see what it can do. But, Tom,"--with -an admiring look at her brother from the midst of her gloom and -distress,--"but, Tom, what a wise boy you are! You talk as if you were -grown up; quite as if you were a minister; only I understand all you -say, and I don't understand all ministers say." - -"No, I suppose not," said Tom, speaking more gayly; "but we will not -have any more preaching just now, only--I would like to tell you a -story, Lily. Shall I?" - -"Yes, indeed, please do," answered Lily, brightening a little at the -prospect. - -"It is a very sad story, but I thought it would just fit here," said -her brother. - -"I'm not in a state of mind for a pleasant story," said Lily, who had -lately fallen into the way of using long words, and "grown-up" phrases, -after the example of her little friends, Maggie and Bessie. - -"No, I suppose not," said Tom, suppressing all inclination to smile. -"Well, you know Will Sturges, Lily?" - -"Oh, yes, that very sorry-looking boy, whose father is dead, you told -me," said Lily. "Tom, it always makes _me_ feel sorry to see him. He -hardly ever smiles, or looks happy. You know mamma told you to ask him -here often, and see if you could not brighten him up; but he don't seem -to brighten up at all. Bessie said he looked 'as if he had a weight on -his mind' all the time." - -"Ah! that is just it," said Tom. "He has a terrible weight on his mind; -a grief that is there night and day. He thinks it is through his fault -that his father was killed; and I suppose that it is so. At least it -was brought about by a small neglect of his,--procrastination, or -putting off, Lily." - -"Did he ever put off?" asked the little girl, opening great eyes of -wonder. "Why, he always seems so very punctual, so very ready just when -he ought to be." - -"Yes," said Tom, "but he was not always so, dear. Never was a more -unpunctual, a more dilatory boy than Will Sturges used to be. Poor dear -fellow! he has learned better by such a sad lesson. I hope my little -sister may never have the like." - -"I'm sure," said Lily, "I don't know who has had a sad lesson, if I -have not." - -"Ah! but, Lily," said her brother, "you have yet the time and chance -to show you are sorry, and want to try to do better--if you really do -repent--and to gain forgiveness from the one you have injured,--dear -mamma; but poor Will, he never had the chance to make up for his -neglect of his duty." - -"Tell me," begged Lily, all curiosity and interest. - -"Well," said Tom, "Will Sturges used to be, as he is now, about the -brightest and quickest boy in our class." - -Lily shook her head doubtfully at this; it was all Tom's modesty, she -thought, and more than she could conveniently believe. Tom understood -her, but continued his story without interruption. - -"But, for all that, he never was at the head of his class, nor even -took a very high standing in it; for never was such a boy for being -behindhand as Will Sturges. Every thing that could be put off was -put off, and he never seemed to like to attend to any duty or task -at the proper moment. It was not laziness either, for he would leave -some small task which should have been done at once, perhaps to take -up one that was far harder, but which might well have waited till he -had finished the first. He never could be persuaded to attend to his -regular lessons _first_, but would let himself be led away from them, -not always by play or pleasure, but often to take up some book which -there was no need for him to study, always believing and saying that -there was 'time enough'--'no hurry'--'by and by he would do it,' and so -forth; until, as you may suppose, his lessons were left until the last -moment, when they would be scrambled through, and Will just contrived -to keep himself from disgrace. It was so with every thing; he never -was ready in time for either work or pleasure. If he were going on a -journey, or any excursion, ten to one but he was left behind by being -too late for the boat or train; all his own fault too, for his father -and mother used to take pains enough to have him ready in time. When -Mr. Peters took the school on a picnic or frolic, it was always a part -of the entertainment to see Will come tearing down the dock, or by -the side of the cars just at the last moment, often _after_ the last -moment, and when it was too late. No boy in school had so many tardy -marks; none lost so many books, papers, and pencils, because he always -thought it was time enough to put them in their places by and by. No -lesson did him any good, no disappointment or inconvenience he brought -upon himself seemed to cure him; until at last the sad thing happened -of which I am going to tell you. - -"One afternoon his father said to him, 'Will, if you are going out, -I wish these papers posted at the station. Take them with you, and -attend to them at once, my son, before you go upon your own errand. -They must go to grandfather by to-night's train. Can I depend upon you -for once?' 'Yes, indeed, you may, sir,' promised Will, meaning what -he said too; and when he left the house, he intended to go directly -to the post-office station. But he had not gone far when he met a -friend; and this boy begged him to go home with him, and see a fine -new dog he had just bought. Will hesitated, looked at his watch, and -found that there were still nearly two hours before the next mail would -leave the station, that mail by which the papers must go if they were -to reach the evening train. 'There'll be plenty of time, and all papa -cared for was that they should reach the station before the mail left -it,' he said to himself; and he went with his friend. He stayed with -him more than an hour; then he said good-by, having, as he promised -himself, more than time enough to reach the post, and mail his papers. -But, just as he was about leaving the house, a little brother of his -friend fell downstairs, hurting himself very badly; and, in the hurry -and distress of the moment, he was begged to run for the doctor. He -forgot his papers--indeed, how could one refuse such an errand at such -a time?--and ran for the doctor, who lived far off, and in quite a -different direction from the station. This last was not his fault, and -if he had obeyed his father at once all would have been right; but, -what with one thing and another, he was too late, and the mail had -left. He tried all he could to send the papers by that evening train, -but it was useless, for he could find no one to take charge of them, -and he knew it would not do to trust them to chance hands. So he could -do nothing but take them home again, which he did, and confessed his -fault. His father looked very grave; but, as poor Will has often told -me, did not scold him, only saying, 'Then I shall probably have to -leave town myself to-morrow, and it will be a great inconvenience to -me. I fear, my boy, that you will never learn the value of punctuality -and the evil of procrastination until they are taught you by some -severe lesson.' Poor, dear old Will! what a lesson that was to be! -Well, his father was telegraphed the next day to come himself, since -the papers had not arrived; and he left his home, Lily, never to come -back. The train by which he went met with a fearful accident, and -Mr. Sturges was killed in an instant. And from that day Will has been -the sad, melancholy fellow you see him; for he blames himself for his -father's death, and says but for him he would have remained at home, -and so been safe. And, Lily, we must see that it is so, and that, if -Will had not put off the duty he should have attended to, all this -would probably never have taken place. If you could hear him talk about -it!" - -Lily drew a long sigh, partly from pity for Will Sturges, partly from -dread of what sorrows might come to herself if she were not cured of -this sad fault, then said,-- - -"But, after all, Tom, he was not so bad to his father as I was to -mamma, for he did not mean to be naughty, and I'm afraid I did. Do you -know, I was in a real passion, a _passionate_ passion, with mamma. O, -Tom! what shall I do?" - -"What ought you to do first?" asked Tom. - -"Go and ask mamma to forgive me; but how can she, Tom?" asked Lily, -sobbing again. - -"Mamma would forgive any thing, if she thought you were truly sorry," -said her brother. - -"I'm sure I am," answered the little girl. "If she could see in my -heart, she would know it very well." - -"You can show her what is in your heart, dear, by letting her see that -you are really trying to break yourself of the troublesome fault which -has led you to behave so to her." - -Lily threw her arms around her brother's neck, and kissed him; the -next moment she was gone in search of her mamma. When she reached her, -she could find no words, none but a piteous "O mamma!" But her voice -and her face spoke for her; and in another moment she was clinging -fast around her mother's neck, her dear, kind arms about her, her kiss -of forgiveness on the little head which buried itself in shame and -contrition upon her shoulder. - -But, though Lily was forgiven, she could not recover her spirits all -that day, a thing very unusual with her; but then, as she said, she had -"never been so wickedly naughty before," and she felt as if she could -not do enough to make up to her mother for her offence. - -She was rather droll, too, as she was apt to be, when by any means she -fell into low spirits. - -When her papa came home, she did not go to meet him with her usual -light and dancing step; and he missed that, and the joyous face with -which she was accustomed to greet him. - -"Why," he said, "what ails my little sunbeam to-day?" for Mr. Norris -had heard of Belle's idea about the sunbeams in the family, and he -delighted to call his Lily so. - -"I'm not a sunbeam to-day, papa," said Lily. - -"You're not a little cloud, I hope," said papa. - -"Oh, no!" answered Lily, mournfully, "not even so good as a cloud. -I've been so very, very naughty that I believe I'm a--a"--Lily was -racking her imagination for a comparison that should seem severe enough -enough--"I've been quite a January thaw, papa." - -Mr. Norris opened the door of the coat closet, and hastily put his head -therein, taking a remarkably long time to hang up his hat, Lily thought. - -Now you must know that a January thaw was Lily's idea of all that was -most disagreeable in the weather. For, the last winter, she had had a -severe attack of diphtheria; and just as she was well enough to go out, -a long spell of damp, foggy days set in, keeping her a prisoner for -some weeks longer, and depriving her of many little pleasures on which -she had set her heart. - -"She must not go outside of the door until this January thaw is over," -the doctor said several times; and Lily had come to look upon this as -the very worst specimen of weather. - -"Don't you scorn me, papa?" she asked, when she had made her confession -to him. - -"No, I do not scorn you by any means, Lily," he answered; "and I am -glad to see that you do really feel your fault, for it gives me hope -that you may try to correct it with more earnestness than you have yet -done." - -And then he talked to her for some time longer, setting before her very -plainly all the trouble and inconvenience, yes, and sin too, which -might come from indulgence in this habit of procrastination. - -Certainly our Lily did not want for teachers, both wise and kind; for -her friends, young and old, seemed all to have set themselves to give -her help in the right way, if she would but heed them. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -VIII. - -_A LITTLE TALK._ - - -It did really seem now that Lily was taking herself to task in earnest, -and it was surprising to see how much she improved during the next -few days. There was no more dilly-dallying with any little duty or -task she had to perform; if her mother or any other person asked some -small service from her, she ran promptly and at once; when Nora called -her to make ready for school or her walk, there was no more stopping -"only to do this," or "just to look at that." She was not once tardy -at school; not once late at meals, a thing which her father disliked -extremely, but to which Lily had until now paid but little heed. Play -and nonsense were given up at school, save at the proper times, and -she came to her classes with her lessons correctly prepared; for, when -Lily failed here, it was not from stupidity, or want of quickness, -but simply from idleness, or her habit of saying "there's time enough -still." - -The little petticoat, too, was progressing nicely, with a prospect of -being finished in time after all; for Lily had begged her mamma to -divide it off into certain portions, so much to be done on each day, -that she might know her appointed task, and so be sure to have it -completed. And she persevered, though the little unaccustomed fingers -did grow rather tired every day before they were through with the -allotted portion of seam or hem; for, having been so idle, or rather -procrastinating, she found it hard to make up for lost time. Now she -regretted that she had not taken the advice of her mother and teacher, -and chosen one of the little aprons, instead of the petticoat. - -Nora could not bear to see her plodding away over it, and more than -once begged Mrs. Norris to let her help Lily, or "give her a lift," as -she called it. - -But Mrs. Norris refused, for she had told Lily that she would not allow -this; and much as she would have liked to relieve her little girl, she -did not think it best, and hoped that the burden she had brought upon -herself might be of service to her. - -However, when the next Thursday came, and Lily was to go to the second -"sewing meeting," she was very glad that she had so much done on her -petticoat. - -"For I would be too ashamed to go to-day if I had not done better than -I did last week, mamma," she said. "And two or three of the children -in our class have finished their work already; and here is old me with -mine not quite half done." - -Lily was very "scornful," as she would have called it, of herself in -these days, and rather delighted in heaping uncomplimentary names and -reproaches upon her own head. - -When she reached Mrs. Bradford's house at the appointed time, she was -rather dismayed to find that, in spite of her industry of the last few -days, the other children had accomplished much more than she had done. -Maggie's skirt was so near completion that she had but a little piece -of the hem to do; and she had only left this, in order that she might, -as she said keep company with the rest in the sewing meeting. And -Maggie had made a button-hole! Yes, actually made a button-hole! It was -her first attempt, but still it was tolerably well done. It had cost -her a good deal of trouble too, and even some few tears; but she had -persevered, and now was glad that she had done so. - -"Patience and Perseverance conquer all things, you know," she said to -Lily, when Bessie, with some pardonable pride in her sister's success, -displayed this triumph of art; "but I really thought that button-hole -must conquer me, only I wouldn't let it, if I did cry a little about -it." - -Bessie, too, had nearly finished her bag; and though Belle was rather -behind the others, she had a fair prospect of being quite through with -her task in time. - -They all encouraged Lily, and told her she might still finish her -petticoat by the appointed day, if she would but continue to do as well -as she was now doing. - -The sewing meeting passed off this day without hindrance; for Baby -Annie was not admitted; and there was nothing else especially to -take off Lily's attention from the task in hand. Aunt Annie read -an interesting story, it was true, but all the little girls sewed -industriously as they listened; and at the end of the hour Maggie's -petticoat and Bessie's bag were completed, while those of Belle and -Lily had made fair progress. - -"I have only three more days," said the latter, "for you know we have -to give in the things on Tuesday, and this is Thursday." - -Lily's tone was rather hopeless. - -"I think you might finish your skirt in two days, Lily," said Miss -Stanton. "Two hours' steady work such as you have given to it to-day -would be quite time enough. If I were you I should sew one hour -to-morrow, and one on Saturday, so that you may have little or nothing -for your last day, Monday." - -"Why wouldn't it do just as well to keep some for Monday?" asked Lily, -folding up her work. - -"Only that if you could finish it in the next two days it would be -better," answered Miss Annie, "because something might happen to -prevent you from doing so at the last moment." - -"Don't have any more putting-off fits, Lily," said Maggie. "Don't you -find 'distance lends enchantment to the view' of Pro? What are you -laughing at, Aunt Annie? There is such a proverb, for I read it this -very morning, only I didn't think I should have a good chance to use it -so soon. I'll show it to you, so you need not think I made it up." - -"Yes, I know," said Annie, catching the rosy, eager face between her -two hands, and lovingly kissing either dimpled cheek. "It is an old, -old proverb, and one very well known, dear Maggie; and let us hope that -Procrastination may indeed look so much better at a distance than near -at hand that Lily may keep it there, and not let it come near her." - -"Aunt Annie," said Bessie, "you must be a very laughable person, for so -often you laugh at things that we don't think funny at all." - -"That is true," answered Aunt Annie, whose eyes were brimming with -mischief, while she laughed more merrily than ever. - -"Well," said Lily, "I did not quite understand what Maggie meant till -Miss Annie said that, but I do know now; and, indeed, I do think Pro is -better far off than close by. I'm sure I am a great deal better anyway, -and I shall never let him come near me again." - -Bessie stood looking gravely at her as she spoke. - -"I see you don't quite trust me, Bessie," said Lily, "but you'll see. -If you only knew all that I know, you'd learn what good reason I have -for believing I shall never procrastinate again; but I'd rather not -tell you what it is." - -For Lily did really shrink from letting her little playmates know of -her sad behavior to her dear mother, although she could not refrain -from alluding to it in this mysterious manner. - -"You know you're all coming to my house to spend the day with me on -Saturday," she continued; "and before you come, I shall have the -petticoat all finished, and will show it to you." - -Lily kept faithfully to her resolution upon the next day, sewing -industriously for a full hour, and then putting by her work with the -consciousness that she had accomplished all that could be expected of -her for that day. Perhaps she had been further encouraged to do so -by hearing most of her young schoolmates say that morning that their -little garments were quite finished, and ready to be handed in to Miss -Ashton on Tuesday. Even Mabel Walton, although she had been quite ill -with a bad cold, had completed her bag; and little Belle hoped and -expected to put the last stitches in her's on that afternoon. - -"Is your apron done, Nellie?" asked Lily of Nellie Ransom. - -"Not quite," answered Nellie, "and I shall not finish it before -to-morrow, for my two little cousins are in town to-day, and I must -give up this afternoon to them. I am glad that I took the apron instead -of the petticoat, for I am sure I should not have had time to make the -last." - -"You could have tried," said Gracie. "I'm sure a petticoat is not so -much to make. Mine was all done on Saturday evening, and I did not -have any help or showing either. Mamma is away, and I wouldn't let my -nurse help me, but did it every bit myself. But then every one says I'm -uncommonly handy with my needle;" and Gracie gave her head the toss -which always excited the displeasure of her schoolmates. - -"Well," said Nellie, coloring and hesitating a little, "I felt pretty -sure that I could not make the petticoat in time, and I thought it was -better to take that which I knew I could do; and now you see I should -feel badly if I could not bring in my work when the rest do." - -"Yes, and you were very right," said Belle. "I told Aunt Margaret about -you, and she said you were a wise, prudent little girl." - -"I wouldn't be such a slow poke as Nellie, would you?" whispered Gracie -to Lily, when Nellie had moved away a little. - -"I s'pose I'd be as I was made, and I s'pose you'd be as you were -made," said Lily, loftily, for her "scorn," as she would have called -it, was always excited by Gracie's attempts to exalt herself above her -companions and schoolmates, and it rather delighted her to put Gracie -down. - -This was difficult, however. Gracie's self-sufficiency was so great -that only a very hard blow could overthrow it, even for a moment; and -Lily was too much afraid of being considered an anti-politer to speak -her mind as plainly as she might otherwise have done. - -So Gracie was not at all rebuffed by the answer she received; and, -so far from taking it as the reproof Lily intended it to be, only -replied,-- - -"Yes, of course; but I'm very glad I was made smarter than Nellie. Why, -sometimes I can learn three lessons while she is learning one, she is -so slow and stupid!" - -"She is _not_ stupid," retorted Lily, forgetting her determination to -"be courteous" in her indignation; and, indeed, Gracie often made it -difficult for those about her to keep to this resolution. "She is _not_ -stupid, and if she is a little bit slow about learning, she always -knows her lessons perfectly, and never misses; no, never. You know -she's been head of the spelling class for most a year; you know it, -Gracie, and Miss Ashton says she is one of her very best scholars. And -the whole world knows"--Lily was waxing energetic in her defence, and -more earnest to be emphatic than strictly according to facts--"the -whole world knows that she writes the best compositions in our class -since Maggie Bradford left." - -"Pooh! I never thought Maggie's compositions were so very great," said -Gracie. - -"That shows you're no judge, and have very little common sense," -said Lily severely. "I'm sure no one could write better poetry than -that poem she wrote for me, and you might be proud if you could make -such lovely verses. But I don't want to quarrel with you, Gracie, so -we'd better not talk any more about it, 'cause I do feel like saying -something not courteous to you." - -Gracie in her turn would have liked to say something that was not very -pleasant, but she felt that she could not well do so when Lily declared -her intention of not quarrelling, and retired in such a graceful manner -from the threatened dispute. Still she did feel that somehow Lily had -had the best of it, and had rather taken her down, as she was apt to do -when Gracie displayed her vanity and self-conceit. - -Moreover, clever and bright though she might be at her lessons, Gracie -was not very quick at words; and she often felt that Lily had the -advantage of her in their too frequent little disputes. And now while -she was hesitating as to whether she should make a sharp answer, and -what that answer should be, Miss Ashton came in and rang the bell; -so that the opportunity, or I should say temptation, for further -contention was at an end. - -"I hope," said Miss Ashton, when the time came for dismissing school, -"I hope that not one of my little girls will fail me on Tuesday. I -should be very much disappointed, and mortified too, if I did not -receive each garment quite finished and ready for use. Some of you I -know are already through with the work which you have undertaken; and -after what I have said, I believe and hope there is no one who will be -willing to bring hers unfinished." - -Her eye rested on Lily as she spoke. Perhaps she was hardly conscious -that it was so, but she almost involuntarily turned to her as the one -who was most likely to fail; and, however that might be, the little -girl felt herself called upon to answer, not only for herself, but for -the whole class. - -"We'll be very sure to be ready, Miss Ashton," she said; "and I will -too. I see you are afraid of me, but you need not be, for I b'lieve I'm -quite cured now of putting off." - -Miss Ashton smiled, but it was rather a doubtful smile, for she feared -that Lily was too confident of herself, and the strength of her own -resolutions. - -So, as I have said, all this made Lily feel very industrious and prompt -that day; and as soon as she was at liberty for the work, she set to -her task at once, and accomplished it without delay. - -But notwithstanding this, the day did not pass by without a fall into -the old bad habit, as you shall learn. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -IX. - -_SATURDAY MORNING'S WORK._ - - -Saturday came, a bright and beautiful day, as Lily rejoiced to see when -she ran to the window and peeped out as soon as she was out of her -little bed. - -For she was to have quite a party of children to spend the day with -her, and she had been very anxious that the weather should be pleasant. - -Maggie and Bessie, Belle and Mabel, and Nellie and Carrie Ransom were -all coming, and they expected to have a great frolic. All Lily's -playmates were fond of visiting her, not only because they loved her, -and her home was a pleasant one, but also because there was such a -grand play-room in Mr. Norris' house. - -This was a great open attic hall or gallery. The house was a large one, -and this open space ran across the whole width of it, the attic rooms -being at either end, and a staircase coming up at the side. But this -was shut in by a door at the foot of the flight, so that it was quite -secluded, and considered rather an advantage, as it afforded a kind of -retiring room. There were large bins ranged on the opposite side from -the stairs, which had once been used to hold coal and wood; but they -were empty now, and the top of the lids afforded capital seats for the -spectators who witnessed certain performances which frequently took -place in the open arena. Never was there such a famous garret, or one -which had seen greater sport and fun. - -Here the children could make as much noise as they pleased without fear -of disturbing older people; here there was plenty of space for playing -"tag," "hunt the slipper," "chairs," or any other frolicsome game; -here they acted proverbs, charades, and so forth. These last were now -their favorite amusements, and Mr. Norris' attic was considered the -best place for their performance. - -For, added to these other advantages, there was also a room devoted to -the storing of all manner of odds and ends which were not in general -use, and were stored there to be out of the way; and with certain of -these articles the children were allowed to do as they pleased, and -to make them serviceable in their games and plays. Among them were -two or three old trunks full of old party dresses and ribbons; and -any little girl can imagine what delightful means these afforded for -"dressing up." There were flags, too, of various sizes and conditions, -old-fashioned curtain fixtures, and even a tent of striped red and -white canvas. All these Lily and her playmates were allowed to convert -to their own uses, so long as they destroyed nothing; and many an hour -did patient Nora, ever devoted to the pleasure of her nursling, spend -in putting them to rights after they had been thoroughly rummaged and -scattered abroad. - -Chief among the treasures in the attic was an old rocking-horse which -had belonged to Tom; at least he had once been a rocking-horse, but -he had now not only lost his rockers, but also his hind legs. Strange -to say, however, this did not at all interfere with his usefulness; -perhaps it rather added to it, for when he was supposed to fill his -original character, namely, that of a horse, he was accommodated with -two imaginary limbs in the place of the missing members, and he never -complained that they did not answer the purpose quite as well. - -The number of uses to which he was put, and the characters he was -supposed to represent, would be impossible to tell. Sometimes he was a -prince, and sometimes a beggar or a robber; sometimes a servant, and -sometimes a lover or husband; sometimes a little boy, at others a cross -old man; again he was converted into an elephant by having the end of -a curved iron pipe thrust into his mouth, or into a camel by a pillow -upon his back; at times, a fierce wild beast, growling and raging; at -others, the meekest of sheep or cows, mild and gentle in all respects. -At one time he spoke in a squeaking but plaintive voice; at another in -what was supposed to be a deep, roaring bass. - -I forgot to say that he had lost his tail as well as his legs; and -his beauty was farther increased by the fact that Maggie and Lily, -finding his ears inconvenient for the proper fitting of crowns, caps, -wreaths, and other decorations, had cropped them close to his head. He -had also been shorn of his hair in various places, which gave him a -mangy and distressed appearance; so that, save in the eyes of his most -intimate and attached friends, he was not a horse of very fine personal -appearance. - -This gallant and accommodating steed rejoiced in the name of Sir Percy -Hotspur; but this was laid aside when convenience demanded it, and he -obligingly answered to the name of the moment. - -Dear to the hearts of Lily and her young friends was Sir Percy Hotspur; -and he was always tenderly cared for after he was through with his -performances, being left to repose in the intervals in a corner of the -attic, with his head upon an old sofa pillow, and carefully covered -with a disused carriage robe. - -What a long history of an old rocking-horse, you may say, and so it is; -but, you see, Sir Percy Hotspur played a very important part in Lily's -life, and she was deeply attached to him, and as this is her story, -whatever concerned her deserves our attention. - -With so many attractions, you may believe that an invitation to Lily's -house was always considered desirable, and eagerly accepted. - -Never, I think, were four little girls who found more enjoyment in -their small lives and in one another, than our Maggie and Bessie, -Belle and Lily. They were so much together that whatever interested -one interested all the others, and any pleasure was increased if they -could all share it together. - -But we must go to the history of this Saturday. - -"Lily," said Mrs. Norris, as the family left the breakfast table, "it -is nine o'clock now; and if I were you, I would finish that little -petticoat at once. I think you can do it in an hour, and then it will -be off your mind and conscience; and after you have practised for half -an hour, you can enjoy yourself for the rest of the day as you please." - -"I don't believe the children will come before twelve o'clock, do you, -mamma?" asked Lily. - -"No, probably not." - -"Then I have three hours," said Lily. "That is lots of time, and I -shall be sure to have it done, even if I don't begin right away." - -"Take care, Lily," said her mother, lifting a warning finger, and -shaking her head with a smile which told the little girl what that -warning meant. - -"Don't be afraid, mamma," she answered "I'll be sure to do it this -morning; and even if I did not quite finish it, I have Monday too." - -Again Mrs. Norris shook her head, and this time without the smile; -for she plainly saw that Lily was in one of her careless, putting off -moods, and she feared the work would suffer. - -"I am going right away, mamma," said Lily, as she saw how grave her -mother looked; and away she danced, singing as she went. - -But as she ran through the hall, she met her brother Tom with his -puppy, which he was going to take for a walk. Lily never saw the little -dog without stopping to have a romp with him, and the playful little -fellow was growing fond of her already, and was always eager for the -frolic with which she indulged him. - -He sprang upon her now, whining and crying with pleasure at seeing her, -and Lily stopped, of course, to pet him, and then began racing up and -down through the hall; while Tom good-naturedly waited, and stood by, -laughing at the antics of the two frolicsome young things. Gay and -careless as the puppy himself, Lily had no more thought for the task -awaiting her. - -I do not know that she should be very much blamed for this; but few -little girls who would not have done the same, and Lily knew that there -was much more than time enough for the completion of the petticoat. But -I want to show you how the moments, yes, and the hours too, slipped -away; how little bits of idling and procrastination stole away the time -before she was aware, and in the end brought her into sad trouble. - -A quarter of an hour went by in Lily's frolic with the puppy, until at -last Tom said he must go. - -"I would take you with me, Lil," he said, "only that I know mamma -wishes you to do your work." - -"Yes," said Lily reluctantly; and but for very shame she would have -begged to put off her work and accompany him. - -Tom and his dog were gone, and Lily sauntered towards the sitting-room. - -"I don't feel a bit like sewing now," she said to herself. "I could -have gone with Tom, and been back time enough to finish my petticoat. -Every one is so particular about my putting-off, and they never want me -to do any thing _I_ want to. But I s'pose I'll have to finish the old -thing now." - -Lily, you see, was allowing temptation to creep in. She did not still -its first whisperings, but suffered them to make her feel discontented -and fretful. - -She had stopped at the foot of the staircase, and with both hands -clasped about the newel-post, was swaying herself back and forth, when -Nora spoke to her from the head of the stairs. - -"Miss Lily," she said, by way of a gentle reminder, "do you need any -help with your work?" - -"No, I b'lieve not," answered the little girl. "If I do, I'll come to -you. I was just thinking where I'd go to sew." - -"Will you come to the nursery? It is all put in order," asked Nora, -anxious to carry her point, and seeing from Lily's manner that her old -enemy was busy with her. - -"I'll see presently," said Lily. "I'm just going to the little parlor -to look for my petticoat. I forget what I did with it yesterday when I -had done sewing." - -And, leaving her hold of the banisters, she crossed the hall. But as -she passed the open door of the drawing-room, the piano caught her eye, -and turned her thoughts into another channel. - -"I think I'll go and practise first," she said. "It's all the same -thing, and I can do the petticoat afterwards. I have just the same -time." - -This was true enough, but Lily was not wise, for she liked to practise, -and she did not like to sew; and it would have been better for her to -have done with the least pleasant duty first. - -She placed herself at the piano, and, I must do her the justice to say, -practised steadily for half an hour. - -"It is ten minutes of ten," she said, looking at the clock. "Oh, -there's lots of time yet; I can stay here a little longer. I'm going to -practise this new piece some more." - -This new piece was one Miss Ashton had given her the day before, so -that she had had but one lesson on it; and it had all the charm of -novelty to her, besides being, as she thought, the prettiest piece she -had ever played. - -"I'll astonish Miss Ashton by letting her see how well I have learned -it," she said to herself; and she remained at the piano, playing over -and over again the lively little waltz, until her mother's voice at the -door recalled her to her neglected duty. - -"Lily," it said, "you have been practising more than half an hour, -dear." - -"Yes, mamma," said Lily, glancing over at the clock again; "more than -three quarters; but my new music is so very pretty, and I want Miss -Ashton to be quite surprised with my knowing it so well." - -"I am afraid Miss Ashton may have a less agreeable surprise if you do -not take care, my darling," said Mrs. Norris gravely. - -"Oh, you mean about the petticoat, mamma; but there's lots and lots -of time. I b'lieve Pro has had hold of me this morning," said Lily, -jumping down from the piano stool, "and I'll come right away; but you -see I was so very sure about having time enough to-day, mamma, that -it did not make so much difference. There's a good deal of time yet -to-day, and I have Monday too." - -"Put away your music, Lily," said her mother; and she stood waiting -while Lily laid in its place the music she would have left scattered -over the piano. Perhaps Mrs. Norris thought it just as well not to lose -sight again of her heedless little daughter until she had her settled -at her work. - -"Bring your work-box to my room," said Mrs. Norris. "I have something -to do there, and we will have a nice, cosey time." - -Lily ran for the box, and was back with it in a moment, for as she went -she said to herself,-- - -"I b'lieve I've let Pro steal a good many little thefts already this -morning; now I'll just send him off right away. I have plenty of time -yet, but now I really must make haste." - -Lily's work-box was of rather formidable dimensions; indeed, some -people thought it but one stage removed from a small trunk. It had -been presented to her by an old lady with whom she was a great pet, -and although it was extremely inconvenient in regard to size and -weight, it was very handsomely fitted up with mother-of-pearl and -silver, and contained every implement which could be needed by the most -accomplished needle-woman. Upon the lid was a silver plate, with "For -an industrious little girl" engraved upon it. - -Now as we know, our Lily was by no means an industrious little girl; -nevertheless she took great pride and delight in this "ark," as -Tom privately called it; and, although she had two or three other -work-boxes and baskets much more suitable and convenient in point of -size, she made use of this one whenever she could do so. - -"It held so much," she said, and indeed it did; and here the petticoat -had reposed in the intervals when she was not busy with it; that is, -when Lily had put it away in a proper manner. - -She followed her mother with this ponderous treasure clasped in both -arms; and, when she reached mamma's room, brought her little chair, and -opened the box. - -"Why," she said, when she had removed the upper tray which held all the -dainty implements, and looked into the empty space beneath, "why, where -is my petticoat? Somebody has gone and taken it out. Mamma, did you -take it?" - -"No, dear, I have not touched it," said Mrs. Norris. "Did you put it -away yesterday?" - -"Yes, mamma, you know I always put it in here. I'll ask Nora;" and -away ran Lily to the nursery. - -"Nora, did you take my orphan petticoat out of my work-box?" she asked. - -"No, indeed, dear; and why would I touch it, unless you wanted some -help with it?" answered Nora. - -Back went Lily to her mamma's room, troubled and indignant. - -"Mamma, some one has taken it. I never knew any thing so mean. Nora -don't know any thing about it." - -"Who would take it, Lily? I certainly did not, and you say Nora did -not. Papa or Tom could have no reason for touching it. I will tell you -what I think." - -"What mamma?" asked Lily, anxiously. - -"That you could not have put it away yesterday when you stopped sewing -upon it. Think a moment, my daughter; can you distinctly recollect -putting it away in your box?" - -Lily stood considering one moment; then dismay and shame gradually -overspread her face. - -"No, mamma, I just believe I did not. When I was going to put away my -petticoat in the box, I heard papa come in, and I wanted to know why -he had come home so early; so I thought I would just wait one moment, -and put it away when I had asked him, and I dropped it on the floor and -ran to papa. And you know he had come to take us to see those pictures, -and I never thought another thing about the petticoat. I quite forgot -I had not put it away when I told you I had. I will go and look in the -sitting-room where I was sewing yesterday." - -But her search proved fruitless, although she certainly did look -thoroughly through every part of the room. Nora was called, and took -her part, but all in vain; and at last mamma came. Mrs. Norris rather -felt that she should let Lily be at all the trouble of finding the -petticoat for herself; but the child seemed so grieved that she could -not bear to punish her in that way. But mamma was not more successful -than her little daughter and the nurse had been, although in the end -every servant was questioned, and every room searched. - -"It is very strange. Are you quite sure you have not seen it, Hannah?" -asked Mrs. Norris of her chambermaid, a rather dull girl, who had been -but a short time in the house. "Have you seen nothing of the kind lying -about in the sitting-room, or did you not touch Miss Lily's box?" - -"Miss Lily's harnsum box, is it, ma'am? Sure, and I did see that a -sittin' on the floor, where I thought you'd not be plased to see it at -all at all, so I just lifted it to the table where I seen it sittin' -before; but ne'er a thing I seen beside it. It wouldn't be Miss Lily's -work what I found the puppy a pullin' round the ary, ma'am,--the -mischavous baste that he is, my heart's most broke with him,--an' I -didn't take heed what it was, but seein' it that dirty, I just put it -in the basket with the siled clothes." - -Away went Lily, Nora after her; and, sure enough, the latter soon -fished out the unfortunate little petticoat from the soiled-clothes -basket. Now, indeed, Lily was distressed, and cried bitterly, for -the thing was in no state to be touched until it had been washed. It -was easy to imagine how it had happened. The puppy, who was growing -very mischievous, and who, like many another young thing, was fond of -a forbidden plaything, had probably found the petticoat lying where -Lily had heedlessly dropped it upon the floor; and, watching his -opportunity, had dragged it from the room, down stairs, and out into -the back area, where Hannah had rescued it, happily before it was torn -and chewed to bits, but not before it was sadly blackened and soiled. - -"Now don't you cry, honey Miss Lily, and I'll just wash it right out -for you, and have it back as clane as a new pin," said the good-natured -Hannah. "If I'd known it yesterday, sure I'd a done it then; but niver -a wurd did I think of its bein' your work, and it in that state. Och, -what a crathur it is, that botherin' little baste!" she added, as she -went off with the melancholy looking petticoat in her hand. - -[Illustration: Lily Norris. p. 174.] - -"Will she have it washed and dried and ironed in time for me to finish -it before the children come, mamma?" asked the sobbing Lily, burying -her head in her mother's lap. - -"I am afraid not, dear," answered her mother, with a tender, pitying -touch upon the thoughtless little head which brought so much trouble -upon itself, "so much time has been lost in hunting for your work, and -it is now nearly eleven o'clock." - -"If I'd only gone to my sewing at first as you advised me, then I'd -have found out sooner what that horrid little old hateful puppy had -done, and Hannah might have washed the petticoat for me in time," -moaned Lily. "I wish Tom never had the puppy." - -"I do not think we must blame the puppy, my darling," said her mamma. -"He only acted according to his nature; and he found the skirt, you -know, where it should not have been." - -"Yes," said Lily, "poor little cunning fellow; it wasn't his fault. -It was all horrid old me, with my putting off that I never shall cure -myself of; no, never, never. It is too mean that I cannot finish that -tiresome petticoat this morning." - -"Happily, dear, the consequences of your fault are not yet without -remedy, and you may still make up for lost time, unless something -should happen which we do not foresee; but you have only this one more -chance, Lily. Take care that you do not neglect it, or be tempted to -procrastinate again." - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - -CHAPTER X. - -_SATURDAY AFTERNOON'S PLAY._ - - -Mrs. Norris was right; for although Hannah did her best, she found it -impossible to have the petticoat dry enough to iron so that Lily might -have some time to sew upon it before her young friends arrived. - -As soon as she had at all recovered her spirits, the little girl -relieved her mind in some degree by making frequent rushes to the head -of the back stairs to see if Hannah were coming with the petticoat; and -once she persuaded her mother to let her go to the laundry that she -might "be encouraged by seeing how much Hannah had done." - -But she did not receive much encouragement from the sight of the still -dripping garment, which Hannah had hung before the fire that it might -dry the more quickly. Hannah took a cheerful view of the subject, -saying she would have it ready very soon, and there was "lots of -time afore Tuesday mornin'." But Lily was at last learning the folly -of believing in "lots of time" to come; and she shook her head in a -melancholy manner, and bade Hannah "take a lesson of her misfortunes, -and never procrastinate." - -She returned to the nursery in a very low state of mind, when Nora told -her she would dress her at once if she chose, so that if she had any -time to spare she might employ it on the skirt when it was dry. - -Lily gratefully accepted the offer, but it proved of no use as far as -the petticoat was concerned, for she had bade her little friends to "be -sure and come by twelve o'clock," and her mamma having seconded the -invitation, they had been allowed to do so; and soon after twelve, -Maggie, Bessie, Belle, and Mabel arrived, just as Hannah brought up the -petticoat, fairly smoking from her hot irons, and five minutes after, -the rest of the young party made their appearance. - -The clouds passed from Lily's face and mind at the sight of all these -"sunbeams," and, consoling herself with the recollection that after all -she still had Monday afternoon, she was presently as merry and full of -spirits as usual. - -Happily not one of the other children thought of asking her if the -petticoat were finished, so that she was spared the mortification of -confessing that it was not. - -It was proposed that they should all amuse themselves downstairs until -the early dinner, which had been ordered for them at one o'clock; after -which they would go to the grand play-room in the attic, Maggie having -provided herself with some fresh proverbs and charades, which they were -to play. - -"Harry and Fred are coming over this afternoon, and we want to make a -ship in the lumber-room. You won't mind, will you?" asked Tom, who was -taking his lunch at the little girls' dinner. - -Doubtful looks were exchanged between some of them. Maggie's looks were -not at all doubtful; her face was one of blank dismay at the proposal. -Playing charades and proverbs was all very well when there were only -those of her own age to look on; doing it before these big boys was -quite another thing. - -"Not if you don't like it, Maggie," said Tom, noticing her annoyance; -"but we wouldn't disturb you, and anyhow I am sure you need not -mind having us see you. We'll be busy at the carpenter's bench and -tool-chest, and you need not heed us if we do see." - -"I'm--I'm afraid you'll--you'll laugh at us," hesitated Maggie, -coloring. - -"If we laugh, it will be with you, not at you," said Tom. "But never -mind; if you don't like it, we'll keep out of your way." - -Then Maggie felt self-reproached, and, like the generous little girl -she was, determined that her bashfulness should not get the upper hand -of her readiness to oblige. - -"I don't mind it so very much," she said; "at least I'll try not to, -and you can come if the others say so. I suppose you won't take notice -of us if you are building a ship, would you, Tom?" she added wistfully. - -"No one shall disturb or trouble you in any way, you may believe that," -said Tom; and Maggie knew that he would keep his word, and so declared -her willingness that the boys should share the privileges of the -lumber-room. - -Away to the attic scampered the seven pairs of little feet the moment -dinner was over; and Nora, following, opened the trunks for them, then -left them to their own devices. That is to say, she brought her sewing, -and went to sit in one of the rooms which opened out of the great -gallery, where she might be within call if the children needed her, -and at hand to keep them from mischief. That she provided for her own -amusement by leaving the door so that she could see and hear, none of -them, not even shy Maggie, noticed or cared. - -Maggie of course was always chief spirit and prime manager of these -entertainments; and she now divided the party, taking Belle and Nellie -with herself as performers in the first charade, and assigning the part -of spectators to Bessie, Lily, Carrie, and Mabel. - -The audience speedily accommodated themselves and their children--that -is their dolls--with seats upon the top of the bins, scrambling thereto -by the help of chairs, and amusing themselves with lively conversation -while waiting. - -Maggie and Nellie brought forth from the store-room a small table and -three chairs, which were suitably placed; Sir Percy was brought from -his place of repose and laid upon the floor beside them; after which -the young ladies retired again into privacy. - -"The charade has begun, and Sir Percy is a great big dog this time," -said Maggie, suddenly popping out her head once more, and then -withdrawing it. - -After some moments she reappeared, this time gorgeously arrayed in a -flowing train, formed of an old red table-cloth, bordered with gold, -a wreath of artificial flowers on her head, ribbons of all colors -pinned and tied about her, and an enormous fan in her hand, with which -she fanned herself affectedly, mincing and prinking as she walked to -a chair, where she seated herself, taking good care to keep her face -turned from Sir Percy, whom she pretended not to observe. The audience -were spell-bound with interest and the wish to guess the word. - -"Tell your mistress--er--that er--Madam Jones--er--is here--er," -drawled the lady, addressing an imaginary servant, closing her eyes as -if quite exhausted, and putting on all the airs and graces conceivable. - -Presently entered the hostess, attired with similar magnificence, -but with rather a bluff and off-hand manner, which contrasted very -strikingly with that of her visitor. Meanwhile, from behind the door -of the store-room came a piteous mewing, which soon attracted the -attention of the second lady, who peered about her in great surprise, -and exclaimed,-- - -"That must be a cat mewing, and I never allow a cat in my house, never!" - -"Oh--er," drawled Mrs. Jones, "it is only my sweet pussy, my lovely -_pet_, my only donly _pet_; such a dear _pet_, oh, such! Wouldn't you -like to see her, Mrs. Smith?" - -"No, oh, no!" cries Mrs. Smith, lifting up her hands in horror; "I hate -cats, and so does my lovely _pet_, Bombastes Furioso. Here, Bomby, -Bomby, Bomby, come and speak to Mrs. Jones, my darling pet." - -Upon which Mrs. Jones affected to see for the first time the great dog -Bombastes Furioso, and to be filled with alarm at the sight. - -"Don't call him, pr-r-r-ay, don't!" she cried. "Is it possible that -you like canine dogs, Mrs. Smith? How can you have such a pet? Here, -kitty, kitty, kitty!" - -Hereupon entered Belle on all fours, covered with a white flossy mat -which had been brought up from the hall for the purpose, and ran mewing -about her mistress. - -"I'd rather like canine dogs than canine cats," wrathfully cries Mrs. -Smith; "and, ma'am, I tell you I won't have cats in my house! S'cat, -s'cat, s'cat!" - -"Ma'am," cries Mrs. Jones, indignantly, "if you turn out my _pet_, you -turn out me, and I'll never visit you again, ma'am, nor be acquainted -with you any more. I cut you, ma'am, I cut you!" - -"And I cut you, ma'am. Bringing cats in my house, indeed! Here, -Bombastes Furioso, s-s-s-s!" and the indignant and inhospitable Mrs. -Smith tried to urge her dog to seize Mrs. Jones' kitty. Bombastes, -however, being a dog of a lazy turn of mind, contented himself with -deep, hoarse growls whenever Mrs. Jones was speaking. He was silent -when it was necessary for his mistress to speak; and Mrs. Smith found -herself obliged to drag her lumbering pet onwards by his two remaining -hoofs--I beg his pardon, I should have said paws. - -This was the sole objection to the accommodating Sir Percy, that he was -so unwieldy and cumbersome to move when circumstances required that he -should do so. This being the case, Mrs. Jones, whose airs and graces -were all put to flight by this attack upon her, had time to scuttle off -with her pet before Bombastes Furioso had advanced more than a step or -two. - -This was greeted with shouts of laughter, in which the performers -themselves joined as they disappeared; and after the applause had -subsided, the four heads on the top of the bins set themselves to guess -the word. - -"I think it's affected lady," said Carrie. - -"I don't. I think it is cat or dog," said Lily. "You know this is only -the first syllable, Carrie, so it couldn't be affected lady." - -"Oh, to be sure," said Carrie. "Bessie, what do you think it is?" - -"I think it is pet," said Bessie. "Did you not hear how often they said -'pet'? 'Pet' dog and 'pet' cat?" - -"Yes, so they did," said Lily. "Bessie, you are right. Oh, isn't it -fun?" - -The performers were not long in making their preparations for the -next syllable; and the only change in the outward arrangements was -that various bottles, a saw, some chisels, awls, and other tools were -brought out, and placed upon the table. - -"These are doctors' instruments," Maggie explained before retiring. - -Presently she reappeared, buttoned up in an overcoat which reached -to her feet, a man's hat coming down over her eyes, a cane in her -hand, and bustled round among the bottles. From this occupation the -doctor was roused by a knock at the door, and there entered two other -overcoated figures, limping and groaning in a distressful manner. - -"We've been in a railroad accident, and all our bones are broken, -doctor," piped one of the sufferers. - -The unfeeling surgeon hustled them each into a chair, and with great -roughness proceeded to wrap and bandage, tying a great many knots with -much unnecessary vigor, accompanied with shrieks and groans from his -patients. - -"Ow--ow--ow, doctor," cried one of them, as the doctor pulled hard upon -a knot in the handkerchief he was tying on a broken arm, "you do hurt -more than any doctor I ever knew. You _tie_ so hard." - -"Well," growled the doctor, "when you come to me with two broken arms, -and two broken legs, and a broken back, and your eyes put out, and your -head smashed up, do you expect to be mended without being hurt? Here, -let me _tie_ your head." - -The patients, being well _tied_ up, at last departed, followed by the -doctor; and the audience unanimously agreed that _tie_ was the second -syllable. - -"Pet--tie," said Bessie. "I just b'lieve it's petticoat." - -"So it is," said Carrie; while Lily, recalled to the recollection of -her unfortunate petticoat, was struck dumb by what she considered a -remarkable coincidence. - -The performance of the third syllable was not quite as interesting -as the other two had been, the _coats_ which had been worn by the -doctor and his patients being brought out and beaten with sticks with -a great bustle and fuss, but without a single spoken word. After this -it scarcely needed the performance of the whole word to establish the -fact that it was petticoat; but, the chairs and table being removed, it -was gone through with by three young ladies, very much dressed, taking -a walk on a muddy day, and greatly disturbed for the fate of their -petticoats, as they splashed and waded through imaginary pools and -puddles. - -"Petticoat! Petticoat! Petticoat!" resounded from the top of the bins, -accompanied by violent clapping and stamping, and other tokens of the -pleasure which had been afforded by the representation. - -And now the audience came down from their perch, and resigned it to the -late performers, with whom they were to change parts; at least, Belle -and Nellie were to do so, for Maggie was, as I have said, the moving -spirit, and all the others played under her orders. She was the most -ingenious in choosing and arranging the words, and it was believed that -no charade went off well unless she took part in it. - -This arrangement only left two spectators, it is true; but Maggie said -she needed all the others, and no objection was made. - -The chairs and table were now brought back to their old places. After -the necessary dressing up had been done, Bessie appeared with a -handkerchief tied over her sunny curls, a white apron coming down to -her feet, and followed by Carrie as a servant, bearing dishes. These--a -doll's dinner set--were arranged upon the table with much noise and -rattle, the little landlady bustling about, and calling upon her maid -to make haste. - -"For I keep a very good _inn_, servant," she said; "but when some -people come to _inns_, they make a great fuss, and give a great deal -of trouble; and I heard of a gentleman who is coming to my _inn_, and -he is very cross, and a great scolder, so I don't want to give him any -reason to complain, and we must have every thing very nice in my _inn_." - -"Yes, ma'am, we'll have the _inn_ very fine for him," answered the maid. - -The fears of the landlady were not unfounded, as it proved; for -presently appeared Sir Percy in the character of a cross old gentleman, -supported and dragged along with much difficulty by his wife and -daughters. He was attired in a man's hat and great-coat, the sleeves -of the latter coming down some distance below his--h'm--hands; but -this was a convenience, as they could be flapped about in wild -gesticulation, as he stormed and scolded at the _in_conveniences of -the _inn_. A more ill-tempered old gentleman was never seen; and a -hard time did his attendants have of it. He laid about him in the most -ferocious manner, and was not to be pacified by all the attentions -that were lavished upon him; until the little landlady declared that -"if that old gentleman was going to stay a great while in her _inn_, -she would not keep an _inn_ any longer." - -"Inn, inn," was called, not only from the bins, but also from the -other side of the room, as the old man was at last carried away, still -growling, and wildly slapping the air with his coat-cuffs. - -The children turned, and Sir Percy tumbled heavily to the floor, as -Maggie loosened her hold of him, struck dumb by the sight of three -pairs of eyes peering above the side of the staircase. - -"Now, that's too bad," cried Lily. "You boys can just go 'way. You'll -laugh at us." - -"Indeed, we won't," said Tom. "We came up just a few moments ago, and -we thought we wouldn't interrupt you by passing through, but wait until -you had finished, and that was capitally done. But I'm afraid you'll -hurt yourselves with Sir Percy. He is too heavy for you to lug about, -and Maggie's toes barely escaped just now." - -"O Tom!" said Lily; "why, half the fun would be spoiled if we didn't -have Sir Percy." - -"Well, be careful then," said Tom, as he passed on with Harry into the -store-room. - -But Fred lingered. - -"I say, Midge," he said, "let a fellow stay and see the rest of your -charade, will you? It's jolly." - -Maggie looked blank, but all she said was, "O Fred!" - -"No, you can't," said Lily, unmindful of the duties of hospitality in -her own attic; "you just can't, 'cause you'll laugh, and make fun of -us." - -"Now come on, Fred, and let them alone," called Tom from within the -room. "I promised them they should not be teased if we came up here." - -"I'm not going to tease them," said Fred. "I want to see the charade, -really and truly. The little chaps do it first-rate, and I like it. -Let me stay, girls." - -Maggie and Bessie, especially the latter, had strong objections to -being called "chaps," but Fred never could remember that. However, they -passed it by; and Fred won a rather reluctant consent to his remaining -as a spectator. He was put upon his good behavior, and with a run and a -jump speedily landed himself beside Belle and Carrie, where he kept his -word, and conducted himself as a well-behaved spectator should do. - -The next syllable presented a lady writing, her maid sewing. In rushes -a gardener, tree in hand, represented by a large feather dust-brush; -and with much Irish brogue and great excitement, accuses the lady's son -of cutting down a young peach-tree. Son denies, and is believed by his -mother, who sternly tells the gardener that her son has never told a -lie, and whatever he says is "_true_, _true_, _true_." - -Gardener declares that "indade, an' he is thrue; an' if the missis will -but make Master George Washington hould up the hand that's behint him, -she'll see the hatchet he did it with." - -Mother demands the hatchet, son rebels, still keeping his hand behind -him, but mother, chasing round and round, presently discovers it; -whereupon she clasps her hands frantically, cries she thought he was -_true_, falls fainting to the ground, and is carried off by son, -gardener, and maid. - -This new version of an old and familiar story was received with -tremendous applause, to which Fred's boots added not a little. - -Next appeared Sir Percy once more, this time without any outward -adornments. He was laid upon the floor, and in his mouth was thrust -a pointed stick, bearing a paper, on which was written in Maggie's -largest, roundest hand, these words:-- - -"This is a disagreeable smelling dead cat." - -About and around the dead cat walked five young ladies, uttering -exclamations of disgust, wondering where the smell could come from, -but strangely blind to the offensive animal which lay before them. - -"Ow! how horrid!" cried one. - -"Ugh! disgusting!" exclaimed another. - -"What an awful smell!" said the third. - -"Ugh! it's that dead cat!" said the fourth. "Let's _shun_ it, let's -_shun_ it!" - -And with loud cries of "_Shun_ it, _shun_ it," the five young ladies -scamper into the store-room, from which the sound of smothered laughter -had now and then mingled with the public applause without. - -It was not difficult now to guess the word; nevertheless the whole -charade must be played out before it was even hinted at to the -performers. - -"In-tru-sion," was carried out by two of the aforesaid young ladies, -who rang violently at a front-door bell, and were denied admittance by -a dainty, little sunny-haired maid, who declared that her mistress was -very much engaged. - -The visitors persisted in their desire to see her, and forced their -way in, to be fiercely attacked by the indignant lady of the mansion, -who was engaged with her lover, Sir Percy, and who sternly demanded, -"Whence this _intrusion_?" - -"No intrusion at all, ma'am," says one of the visitors. - -"Yes, _intrusion_, ma'am," replies the hostess; and contradiction -followed free and fast, until stopped by the shouts of "Intrusion! -Intrusion!" from the reserved seats. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - -XI. - -_A SAD ACCIDENT._ - - -"That's capital!" exclaimed Fred. "Give us another, Midge, will you?" - -Fred had conducted himself with such becoming propriety, and his -applause had been so hearty, that Maggie felt not only quite reconciled -to his presence, but also ready to indulge him; and she answered,-- - -"Yes, I have one more, and it is to be instructive as well as amusing, -Fred, because it is an historical charade." - -"Go ahead!" said Fred, scrambling back into his seat, which he had left -to help carry Sir Percy into retirement. - -The preparations for the first syllable of the historical charade were -very imposing. Two chairs were placed face to face; upon these was -mounted the table, turned upside down, with its legs in the air; to one -of the legs was tied a large feather dust-brush,--the whole arrangement -supposed to represent an oak-tree, as Maggie explained. - -Maggie, Nellie, Lily, and Belle were the performers on this occasion; -and in due time they all entered, escorting Sir Percy, now in the -character of King Charles, in full kingly costume, the red table-cloth -doing duty for his robes, and a crown, a "real crown" of tinsel paper -adorning his majesty's brows. He was held with some difficulty upon his -horse,--another chair turned down for the purpose,--and again Tom's -warning voice came from the store-room. - -"You'd better look out with that old hobby. You'll hurt yourselves some -time, lugging him about that fashion." - -But the suggestion was treated with disdain. - -An old hobby indeed! King Charles an "old hobby"! - -The horse--that is, the chair horse--paused beneath the tree, and then, -relieved of his burden, galloped off, led by Belle; while the other -three prepared to hoist his cumbersome majesty into the tree, he not -being agile enough to perform that office for himself. - -Maggie had proposed that two of the children should be his enemies -in pursuit; but no one was willing to take that character. Staunch -little royalists they were, every one, and not to be reckoned among the -persecutors of the unfortunate king. So this little diversion from the -true historical facts had been permitted to suit the occasion, all the -more readily as it was feared that it would take the united strength of -the whole four to raise him to the necessary height. Still Maggie had -not been quite satisfied with such a very great departure from reality; -and, hearing the difficulty as they worked at the carpenter's bench, -Tom and Harry had good-naturedly offered to take upon themselves the -obnoxious part of the king's enemies, and as soon as he was safely -hidden in the tree to rush forth in search of him, and feign total -unconsciousness as they passed beneath his place of shelter. - -This being settled, and Belle, having disposed of her horse, and -returned to give a hand to the lifting process, the royal fugitive was, -by the united exertions of his four devoted adherents, raised to his -hiding-place. But he proved too heavy for the slight construction; and -feather duster, chair, and table toppled over together, carrying King -Charles with them. - -Maggie and Lily held fast, one on either side, but the other two had -left their hold. Fred, seeing the danger, sprang like a shot from his -seat, and his hand but just touched the old hobby-horse as it rolled -over, not soon enough to prevent its fall, but in time to turn the -heavy thing a little aside. It fell, carrying Lily back with it; and -the two came together to the floor, jarring the whole house. Tom and -Harry rushed out, not, alas! in the play in which they had offered to -join, but in sad and alarmed earnest; and Nora flew from her work. - -Tom had Lily in his arms in an instant, but the poor little girl was -a sorry sight. Sir Percy's head had struck against hers as they fell -together, and blood was already streaming from an ugly wound just above -her temple. But for Fred's timely touch, which turned the weight of -the hobby-horse a little to one side, the child's head must have been -crushed, and she killed. - -Oh, was not Maggie thankful that she had allowed her good-nature to -triumph over her fear of being laughed at, and had consented to let -Fred join in their fun! - -Ah! the fun and frolic were changed now,--changed to distress and -alarm. Lily lay half stunned, gasping and death-like, while the cries -and shrieks of the other children rang through the house, and speedily -brought her mother to the spot. - -It was indeed a sad ending to the merry afternoon, and for a few -moments the children could scarcely believe that Lily was not killed, -or at least dying, so white and quiet did she lie. Never did piteous -cry carry more relief to a mother's heart than that which at last broke -from the pale, trembling lips; for Mrs. Norris too had feared that her -darling was dangerously, if not fatally injured. It must have been so -indeed but for the care of the kind Father who had watched over her, -and sent Fred's timely help to turn aside a portion of the threatening -danger. - -"Go for the doctor," said Mrs. Norris. - -But Fred, with a thoughtfulness which he sometimes showed, had already -asked Tom if he should not do this, and had started off with his -direction. - -The grass never grew beneath Fred's nimble feet at any time; and now, -when he believed there was need for speed, he almost flew over the -ground, and, happily finding the doctor at home, brought him back with -him at once. - -Lily had been carried downstairs and laid upon her little bed, where -her mother was doing for her all that she could, though that was not -much, until the doctor came. - -A group of frightened and distressed little faces met the good old -physician's eye as he passed through the hall. He spoke a few cheering -words as he went by, but as he did not yet know how much Lily was -hurt, he did not put much heart into his young hearers. Still it was a -comfort to know that he had come, and it always did one good to see Dr. -Banks' kind, helpful face. - -Before the doctor arrived, Lily had opened her eyes, and smiled at her -mother with a bewildered look; but when she saw the blood which was -streaming from the wound in her head, she was frightened, and began to -cry again. - -But the dear old doctor soon quieted her fears, and those of her -anxious mother; and the good news presently spread through the house -that he did not think her dangerously hurt. There was a deep, ugly cut -on her head just above the temple, it was true, and her eye was already -swelling and blackening; but he had no fears that her injuries were -serious, and with some care and quiet she would soon be well again. - -But Lily had had a very merciful escape, and Maggie could not be -sufficiently glad and thankful that she had been kind and obliging, and -allowed Fred "to come to the charades," when she heard every one saying -that but for the thrust from his hand which had turned aside the weight -of the old hobby-horse, the heavy thing must have crushed the dear -little head of her young playmate. - -"It was quite a mountain of mercy out of a mole-hill of kindness," -quaintly said dear Maggie, as she wiped from her eyes the tears of joy -and gratitude. - -Hearing that Lily must be kept quiet, the thoughtful Harry carried away -his sisters, and all the other little visitors, as soon as they were -assured that there was no cause for alarm, and saw them all safely to -their separate homes. - -Lily lay patient and gentle under the doctor's handling, as he felt -the poor little bruised head, and tenderly cut away the hair from the -wound, and bound it up; but every now and then she put up her hand, -with a piteous, anxious expression, to the eye which was swelling and -closing so fast. - -"Does it pain you so, darling?" her mother would ask. - -"Not so very much, mamma," she would answer, "but"--and here her words -always came to an end. - -But when the doctor was through, and the aching head laid carefully on -a soft pillow, the trouble that was weighing on her mind broke forth. - -"Doctor," she asked wistfully, "is my eye going out?" - -"Going out? No, indeed," answered the doctor, cheerily. "I rather think -it is going in, my Lily-bud. It is shutting up pretty tight now, it -is true; but we'll take the swelling down in a day or two, and it will -soon be as useful and bright as ever." - -"By Monday, Doctor?" questioned Lily, anxiously. - -"Ho, no, indeed, my little woman! You will not have much use of this -peeper for a week or ten days to come. Even if you could see out of it, -you must keep quite quiet, lie here on the bed or on the sofa, and be -petted and nursed for a few days, or this little head may give you some -trouble." - -Lily looked as if something was giving her a good deal of trouble now; -for as the doctor spoke, her face grew longer and longer, and now she -burst into tears again, as she sobbed out,-- - -"My petticoat! O mamma, my orphan petticoat!" - -"Hallo!" said the doctor, "what is that, I should like to know? I have -heard of a good many kinds of petticoats, but I never heard of an -orphan petticoat before. But this will not do, my child. You _must_ -lie down and keep quiet." - -"Do not trouble yourself about the petticoat now, darling," said her -mother, gently laying her back upon the pillow, from which she had -started up in her distress, "I will arrange that." - -"But, mamma," said Lily, piteously, "you know you said--you said that -you could not let Nora finish it for me, and--and--oh, dear!--you -couldn't break your word, you know, and my orphan child won't have any -petticoat, and it was all my old Pro, and so what can I do? Oh, if I -only didn't have Pro! I b'lieve he's my worst enemy." - -"What is all this about petticoats and pro's, Mrs. Norris?" said -the doctor. "Put her mind at rest if you can, or we shall be having -headache and fever." - -"Lily, darling," said her mother, "you must set your mind at rest about -the petticoat. You certainly cannot finish it now; but I shall not let -the little orphan suffer. By and by I will see what is best to do, but -now you must talk and think no more about it. Mamma will arrange it all -for you, and you will make yourself worse if you fret." - -"Dear mamma," said Lily, "I should think you would want to arrange not -to have such a bothering little thing as me for your own little girl; -only I don't s'pose you do. I b'lieve mammas generally don't." - -"Hush, hush, my darling," said her mother, whose own heart was swelling -with gratitude that a Higher Hand had "arranged" that her dear "little -bothering thing," as Lily called herself, was not to be taken from her, -but that she was still spared to be the joy of all who loved her, the -"sunbeam" of the home that would have seemed so dark without her. - -Lily obeyed the soothing touch of her mother's hand, and, confident -that she would find some way to help her out of her trouble, said -no more of the unfinished task. But it was upon her mind for all -that, as was proved when the evening wore away, and the fever and -light-headedness the doctor had feared came on. A very slight illness -was enough to make Lily light-headed, and the blow she had received was -by no means a slight one. So it was not strange that it should have -that effect. And she talked pretty wildly about petticoats and puppies, -work-boxes and rocking-horses, and had many bitter words for her enemy -Pro; and all her mother could say would not soothe her. - -But at last she grew more quiet, and the poor little bruised head -ceased to wander, and she fell asleep; and when she awoke in the -morning, her mind was as bright and clear as ever. - -But her face was sadly disfigured, and one eye was quite closed up, so -that it was plainly to be seen that Lily would not have much use of -it for some days to come. All this would pass away in time, however; -swelling and discoloration would disappear by and by; and, happily, the -cut upon her head came where the scar would be hidden by her hair. - -Somewhat to Mrs. Norris' surprise, Lily said no word of the petticoat -all the next day; but she was very glad that it was so, and took pains -to avoid any thing that might turn her thoughts that way. Lily did -think of it, however, although she said nothing; and she could not but -wonder now and then how her mother would contrive to help her without -breaking her word. But she felt languid and ill, and it was a trouble -to talk, so she let it go for the present, believing as usual that it -would come right somehow. - -But on Monday morning, when Nora was dressing her, the nurse said,-- - -"Miss Lily, darling, I am just going to ask your mamma to let me finish -your petticoat for you. I think she'll excuse you this once, since you -cannot do it for yourself." - -"No," said Lily earnestly, "you must not ask mamma, Nora, 'cause it -would only give her the uncomfortableness of saying no. She told me -she would not let the little orphan suffer for my fault, and she will -find a way to make it right, though I don't know what it is, and -I am too ashamed to ask her. But you know she said very surely and -pos-i-tive-ly, Nora, that she would not let you finish it, if it was -not done through my putting off; and that was the reason it was not -done on Saturday morning, as it ought to have been. I know I cannot do -it now myself, but I could have done it before; and mamma can not break -her word." - -Lily concluded with a sigh, for she really did not know what plan her -mother could have for helping her, and she was very anxious, though, as -she said, too much ashamed to ask any more. - -But it so happened that Mrs. Norris overheard this conversation, and -she was thankful to find how strong in her Lily was that sense of truth -which would not allow her to believe for one moment that mamma could go -back from her word under any circumstances. It was rather remarkable -that with all her heedlessness and volatile spirits, Lily was so -strictly truthful and upright, for they never betrayed her into an -equivocation, as carelessness and want of thought are too apt to do. - -The morning was not far gone before Lily's mind was set at rest on the -subject of her petticoat, for her mamma came to sit beside her, and -brought her work with her. - -And what was her work? - -Lily noticed it in a moment; a petticoat for a child,--not of such -muslin as her own skirts, but coarser and stronger, just such as her -"orphan petticoat" was made of. - -"Mamma?" she said, with her eyes fixed upon the strips of muslin in her -mother's hand. - -"Yes, dear," said her mother, "you know I said the little orphan must -not suffer through you, and I told you Nora could not finish your -petticoat, and send it as your work, if you did not do it yourself; so -I shall make this one, and send it to Miss Ashton in the place of the -other." - -"And tell Miss Ashton, mamma?" - -"Well, yes, dear, I must. Do you not think so?" - -"Yes, mamma, and I s'pose the girls must know. Even if she don't tell -them, I think I ought to when I go back to school. They ought not to -think I was industrious and good like the rest when I just put off and -put off until this sad accident came, and then I really couldn't do -it;" and here a great tear rolled down Lily's cheek. - -"My darling," said her mother, dropping her work, and bending over to -kiss the sorrowful little face, "mamma cannot bear to see you mortified -and grieved, but she does want this to be a lesson to you, and to save -you from future trouble and loss." - -"Yes, mamma, I know," answered Lily, "and it serves me quite right; but -it does make me feel very badly to know that all the other children can -feel that the little orphans are having some good of their kindness, -and they do not have one bit of mine." - -Mrs. Norris hesitated before she spoke again. She felt as if she could -not bear to have her poor child so hardly punished now when she was -suffering, and had just escaped such a great danger. She could not let -Nora finish the petticoat, but why not finish it herself, she thought, -as well as make another, and send it to Miss Ashton with a message from -Lily that she had not done the whole of it herself? - -Just then came a knock at the door, and, being bidden to enter, Robert -brought a note for Miss Lily, saying the messenger waited for an answer. - -"It is Maggie's writing, I think," said Mrs. Norris. - -Lily raised herself, and held out her hand. - -"You cannot read it for yourself, dear. Shall I do it?" asked her -mother. - -Lily assented, and, opening the note, Mrs. Norris read as follows:-- - - "DEAR LILY,--We are so sorry for you, all of us, but we are so very - happy you were not killed by Sir Percy Hotspur, who is very nice to - play with, but not nice to fall underneath, and we are glad you are - not such a victim as that. But, Lily, dear, we do not know, Bessie - and I, if you have finished your petticoat for the orphan child. We - did not ask you on Saturday because we thought if it was not done you - wouldn't like to say so, but we thought perhaps the reason you did - not speak about it was because a 'burnt child dreads the fire,' which - means people don't like things that bring them into trouble, or to - speak about them. So we thought it was quite probable that it was not - done, and we know you cannot finish it now, for yesterday we met Dr. - Banks when we were coming from church, and he said you could not go to - school, or use your poor hurt eye for a good many days. So, dear, if - you would let me finish it for you, I would be very glad, and Bessie - will too, and you can send it to me by Patrick. And you need not think - I will have to do it all in my play-time, for mamma says I can do it - in my sewing-lesson to-day, which is half an hour, and if there is - any more, I'd just as lieve do it afterwards, and the heart which - would not do that is not worthy of a friend, but ought to be like a - man we read about the other day who lived in a tub and was cross to - everybody. And do you believe, people called him a wise man!!! Which - shows they must have been very stupid people in those days to call - such an old cross-patch wise, and I'm glad I was never acquainted with - him for I would not consider him fit to know. - - "So ask your mamma to send me the petticoat if it is not done, that - my true friendship may have the pleasure of finishing it. From your - esteemed friend, - - "MAGGIE STANTON BRADFORD. - - "P.S. If a pretty bad button-hole would be any relief to your feelings - instead of strings, I would just as lieve make one, but it don't look - very nice." - -To have seen Lily's eyes--or rather her eye, for you know there was -only one to be seen--as her mother finished reading this letter to her! -to have seen the pleading of her poor little face! - -"Well, dear," said her mother, smiling back in answer to the unspoken -question that was written in every line of her Lily's countenance. -"Well, dear, shall we accept Maggie's offer?" - -"Oh, mamma! if you think I might," cried Lily. - -"Yes," said her mother, "since dear Maggie is so good as to offer, -and give up her time to you, perhaps I will let you accept. But, my -darling, I do not want you to forget that here again the consequences -of your habit of procrastinating are falling on another. Maggie is -doing the work which should have been done by you, and although, I am -sure she does it willingly, and with all her heart, dear little friend -that she is, still you must own that it is hard she should have her own -share, and part of yours too." - -"Yes, mamma," answered Lily, penitently, "and I know I don't deserve to -have any of the work I have done go to the orphan that has no father or -mother, and I am very thankful to darling Maggie. And, mamma, I think -I ought to ask you to write a note to Miss Ashton, and let her tell -the other children that I did not do the whole of the petticoat, or it -would not be quite fair. 'Specially, mamma, 'cause some of them said I -wouldn't have my petticoat done, and I _scorned_ what they said, and -was very sure of myself. So it would be more true, I think, to tell -them how it was." - -"Yes, darling," said her mother, glad that her little girl was so -truthful, and unwilling to take any credit that was not rightly her -own; and then she kissed her, and, bringing the unfortunate petticoat, -rolled it up, and sent it away to the dear little sunbeam who was so -ready to shed light and comfort wherever she had the power to do so. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - -XII. - -_LILY'S NEW RESOLVE._ - - -There was a good deal of bustle and excitement, as you may imagine, on -Tuesday morning, when Miss Ashton's little scholars came, each with her -respective parcel. - -Poor Lily of course was not there; it would be many a day yet before -she was able to come to school, but all the others were in their -places, and very anxious for the lessons to be over. Nor were Maggie -and Bessie there during school-hours; but they were to come afterwards, -and bring the little garments they had made. - -"Let's see who finished her work first," said Gracie. "Dora, when did -you finish yours?" - -"Saturday morning," answered Dora. - -"Pooh!" said Gracie, "how long you were. Nellie, when was yours done?" - -"Last night," answered Nellie; "and I was very glad I had not taken a -petticoat, for I could not have finished it." - -Gracie only looked her contempt, but she did that so plainly that -it might have placed her in the ranks of the anti-politers quite as -readily as rude and scornful words could have done. Nellie felt it, -colored, and looked hurt. - -"Belle, when did you finish yours?" - -"I _perfer_ not to tell you," answered Belle, with magnificence. - -"Why?" asked Gracie. - -"If your guilty conscience don't tell you, it's no use for me to speak -about it," replied Belle, with well-deserved severity, supposed to be -kept within the bounds of courteousness. - -Gracie gave her head a little toss, as much as to say that Belle's -opinion was quite beneath her notice; but that her "guilty conscience" -did accuse her was to be seen from the fact that she questioned no more -of her classmates, but said conceitedly,-- - -"I finished my petticoat the very Saturday after I took it;" and then -looked about her for the applause which no one had the mind to offer. - -It was strange that the frequency of the disappointments of this nature -which she received did not teach Gracie that those who sought the most -eagerly for food for their own vanity were not the most apt to receive -it; but her insatiable self-conceit needed some severe teaching before -it would lose its hold of her, and such slight blows as these were -without much effect on the still increasing evil. - -"I am sure I could easily have made two if I had chosen," continued -Gracie. "It is nothing so very great to make a petticoat in a week." - -"I don't know," said Nellie, who seldom bore malice, "I think it is -pretty well for little girls to make one in two weeks. I am slow, I -know, but as Lily said,--poor dear Lily,--I am a steady tortoise after -all, and have done my task in time." - -"Is Lily's petticoat finished?" asked Mabel. "Does any one know?" - -No, no one knew; but more than one thought it quite likely that Lily -would be behindhand. They knew her ways well. But, before they had time -for much more conversation on the subject, Miss Ashton came in, and the -business of the day began. - -Twelve o'clock came, bringing with it Maggie and Bessie, who also -brought each the little garment she had completed; and, school being at -an end, the children gathered about Miss Ashton to have her verdict on -their work. - -Belle's bag was the first to be examined, and Miss Ashton pronounced -it very well done for a little girl who was but just learning to sew. -There were some long and crooked stitches, it is true; but they were -tight and close, and showed that she had taken great pains. So did -Bessie's; and Mabel's also was considered a success. Carrie Ransom's -did not show quite as much care, but it would pass. So much for the -bags made by the four lesser children; and now Miss Ashton turned to -the petticoats. - -"I have here a note from Lily," she said, "which I shall read first. -She sent it to me this morning, with her work, and a request that I -would tell you what it contained." - -"Oh," said Gracie, "I suppose she has not finished her petticoat. She -never does things when she ought to, and she is always behindhand. I -finished my petticoat on the first Saturday, Miss Ashton." - -Now, would you not have thought that Gracie disliked Lily, and was glad -to have the chance of showing up her faults? But it was not really so; -for if you had asked Gracie, she would have told you that she was fond -of Lily, and thought her on the whole a very good little girl. But -Gracie's habit of comparing herself with others to their disadvantage -gave her, not only the appearance of great conceit, but also of -constant fault-finding with her companions. - -Miss Ashton took no notice of her speech, but opened the envelope, and -took out the note, which Mrs. Norris had written at Lily's dictation. - -"Miss Ashton," repeated Gracie, "I finished my petticoat Saturday -before last, every stitch of it." - -"Very well," said Miss Ashton, coolly, and without farther attention, -read aloud:-- - - "DEAR MISS ASHTON,--I think I ought to tell you that I did not do all - my petticoat myself, and it was not all because of my hurting myself, - but because I did not do it in good time, but put off until I had left - a good task for the last day, when my eye was so hurt I could not - sew. But dear Maggie had her's all done, and so she had time for a - kindness, and she finished mine; but I thought I ought to do myself - the mortification of telling you about it, for fear you and the other - children should give me praise I did not deserve. - - "And now I am very sorry I was so sure of myself to be so certain I - would not fall into my bad habit again, which I find is not cured, as - I said it was; but I have to try very hard yet. And I know the other - children will think I thought myself very great, and I am ashamed - of it, and of my procrastination too, dear Miss Ashton, which you - told me would give me great trouble, and mamma too, and I see it. So - please excuse me, and my eye and my head are better, thank you; but - the doctor says I cannot use my eye for a good many days, and my head - aches some yet. - - "Please give my love to all the children, and tell them to come and - see me. - - "From your affectionate little scholar, - - "LILY NORRIS." - -If Lily's schoolmates did imagine that she thought herself "great," not -one of them said so; and the reading of her letter was followed by many -expressions of affection and sympathy, mingled with admiration for her -straightforward honesty, which would not let her receive credit which -was not her due. - -However, when Miss Ashton unfolded the petticoat sent by Lily, and -examined the sewing, it was found that, wanting though she might have -been in punctuality and industry, Lily certainly deserved praise for -the manner in which her work was done. It was extremely neat and even -for such a little girl; and both her own share, and that completed by -Maggie Bradford received much approbation from Miss Ashton. - -Maggie's petticoat merited a like meed of compliment, and Nellie -Ransom's apron, which came next, was pronounced remarkably well done. - -"Why, Nellie, my dear," said Miss Ashton, looking with surprise at the -neatly laid gathers, even hems, and regular stitches, "is it possible -that you did this all yourself?" - -"Yes, ma'am," answered steady, painstaking Nellie, who, although she -was perhaps less quick than any of her schoolmates, was seldom or -never behind the rest, for the reason that she was so industrious and -earnest,--"yes, ma'am. An apron was not very much for me to do, but I -wanted to be sure and have it nicely done." - -"And, indeed, you have," said Miss Ashton, still examining the apron -with pleasure. "I must give you the credit, Nellie, of saying that I -never saw a piece of work better done by any child of your age. I do -not know that I would have done it as well myself." - -"Mamma takes great pains to teach me to sew nicely," said Nellie, -dimpling and flushing with pleasure at her teacher's praise. - -"And you must have taken great pains to learn, my dear," said Miss -Ashton, laying her hand on that of the modest little girl. - -Two or three others received their share of praise, some more, some -less, according to their merits, though all were fairly done; and then -Miss Ashton came to Gracie's petticoat. - -That it gave her far less satisfaction than the rest of the little -garments had done, was plainly to be seen by her countenance, as she -examined it. - -"Why, Gracie, my dear," she said, "is it possible that you can sew no -better than this? No, it is not; for I have seen your work before, and -know that you can do better if you choose. Why, Gracie, the stitches -are not half as neat as those of the very little girls, and this band -will not hold at all. It is impossible for me to give in such work as -this. See here;" and as she drew the stitches slightly apart, with not -half the strain that would come upon them in the wearing, they parted -and ripped, showing with what extreme carelessness the work had been -done. - -I do not think Miss Ashton would have said as much to any other one of -her little scholars; but she thought that this mortification and blow -to her self-conceit would do Gracie no harm. - -"My dear," she continued, "you have not taken time enough to do your -work properly. Another time, better less haste and more care, Gracie. I -shall have to take out almost the whole of this, and do it over myself, -for I should be ashamed that our little orphans should have the example -of such work. Your mother was away, I know, so that you could not go to -her for help; but could you not ask some other person to show you how -it should be done?" - -"I should think I might know how to make a petticoat," said Gracie, -rather saucily. - -"It seems you do not," replied Miss Ashton, gravely. "As I must do -this over, you cannot expect that it should be given in as your work, -Gracie." - -Gracie tossed her head, and looked very angry, muttering, she "did not -care," then burst into tears, saying it was "too bad," and "real mean," -and she knew "it was just as good as the rest, only Miss Ashton never -would think she did any thing fit to be seen," and altogether allowed -her temper and wounded vanity so far to get the better of her that Miss -Ashton bade her leave the room. - -I am glad to say, however, that a few moments' solitude and reflection -in the cloak-room brought her to her right senses; and before she went -home, she returned to her teacher, and begged her pardon for the temper -and disrespect she had shown. - -"But my work was finished long before any of the other children's, -Miss Ashton," she said once more, after the lady had assured her she -was forgiven, giving her at the same time a gentle, and, alas! too -oft-repeated warning against the hold her besetting sin was gaining on -her temper and character. - -Miss Ashton shook her head. - -"But it is all thrown away, and worse than thrown away, Gracie," she -said, "for it will need more time for me to take it to pieces and do -it over again than it would have taken to make it myself at once. -I can give you no credit, my child, for striving to outstrip your -schoolmates, merely that you might have the pleasure of saying that you -had done so. You are severe with Lily for her want of punctuality and -promptness; but too great haste, especially when it springs from a bad -motive, is perhaps as bad. And, Gracie, Lily sees and acknowledges her -fault, while you will not." - -Gracie hung her head, but she was none the more convinced; and, in -spite of her confession, went home, thinking herself hardly used, and -Miss Ashton very unjust. - -With the exception of Gracie, there was not one of the little -work-women whose sewing was not at least passable, and her garment -tolerably well made; and they were dismissed, well satisfied with the -praise they received, and the knowledge that their own self-denial and -effort had helped those who were in need. - -Mrs. Norris had begged that Maggie and Bessie would come and see Lily -that afternoon, as she was now well enough to receive them, and tell -her all that had taken place in the morning; and accordingly they -presented themselves in Lily's room, bringing with them their dolls. - -"My dollies haven't had their dresses changed since Saturday, before I -was hurt," said Lily, at the sight of the last-mentioned young ladies. -"Will you dress them for me while you tell me about this morning?" - -Dolls and dolls' clothes were brought forth, Lily possessing a -multitude of both; and the two little sisters fell to dressing the -neglected children of an invalid mamma. - -"It wasn't putting off this time," said Lily, apologetically, "for I -really did seem to be so tired every time I tried to do any thing, even -play, that mamma told me I had better lie still." - -"Yes, we know," said Bessie, "and even if it was procrastination, dolls -don't really suffer, so I s'pose it's not much harm to put off doing -things for them. It don't hurt," she added thoughtfully, as she drew a -comb about three inches long through the flowing locks of the waxen -Georgianna upon her lap,--"it don't hurt to put off play and pleasure, -I believe, but only duties, and things that will do good to others." - -"Yes," said Lily, rather ruefully, as if she wished that pleasures and -duties might alike fall under the same head, "so I find most people -think. The trouble of it, and what makes it so hard is, that when a -duty and a pleasure both come at once, it 'most always seems right to -take the duty first; and I like pleasure so much better than duty that -I expect that's the reason I procrastinate so often." - -"I believe that's the case with most people," said Maggie, putting on -her wisdom cap to suit the solemnity of the conversation. "I find the -human race generally like pleasure better than duty, 'specially if the -duty is very disagreeable, and the pleasure is very nice." - -"That's the way with me, anyhow," said Lily, with a sigh, as she lay -back upon her sofa pillows once more. "And sometimes, even when the -duty is not very disagreeable, I feel like putting it off, just because -I know I ought to do it, I believe. That petticoat was not so very -horrid to do, and yet I let every thing put me away from doing it, till -at last you know the consequence." - -"Miss Ashton praised your petticoat very much, anyhow," said Maggie. -"She said you had done the most of it, and it was all _well_ done." - -"She praised Maggie's part too," said Bessie, unwilling that her -sister should not receive her full share of credit, "and she said the -button-hole was even better than that on Maggie's own petticoat." - -"Practice makes perfect, you know," said Maggie. "Miss Ashton said not -one piece of work was better made than that petticoat, except Nellie's -apron, and that was the best of all. Miss Ashton seemed quite surprised -at it, it was so very nice. And I don't mean to tell tales about -Gracie, but you would hear about it, I suppose, when you go back to -school, so we may as well tell you, 'cause you want to know about every -thing." - -And between them, first one taking up the tale, and then the other, -Lily had soon heard a full and particular account of all the -occurrences of the morning. - -"And did not any one say hateful things about me when Miss Ashton read -my letter, and they knew I had not done what I was so sure I would do?" -asked Lily. - -"No indeed," said Bessie. "We wouldn't have listened to them if they -had wanted to; but then no one would say an unkind thing about you when -you were so honest and true, Lily. They were only sorry for you, and -didn't seem to think you were naughty one bit." - -"But I was," said Lily, "and I'm never going to boast myself again, for -I do feel too ashamed when I think how sure I was that I would do so -much. I don't believe I ever will cure myself of procrastination, do -you?" - -"Why, yes," answered Bessie, "if you try enough." - -"I'm sure I did try," said Lily, "but it was no use. If I did not -forget so easily, I think I would not have so much trouble from -procrastination; but, you see, sometimes I leave a thing just for one -moment, at least I mean to come back in a moment, and then I never -think any thing more about it. That was the way the puppy found my -petticoat lying on the floor, and dragged it about till it had to be -washed before I could sew on it, and then it was too late." - -"I used to be just as careless as that," said Maggie; "and though mamma -says I have improved a great deal, and am pretty neat and careful now, -yet I find it hard work still, and I have to make a rule for myself not -to leave a thing one moment after I know I ought to do it, or else I am -almost sure to forget. I don't always keep that rule yet," she added, -rather remorsefully, "but it helps me, and makes me better than I used -to be." - -"Is that what cured you of carelessness? for I don't think you are much -careless now," said Lily. - -"Yes," said Maggie, slowly, "that--and--and"--here she fell into a -sudden fit of bashfulness at her own confession, and Bessie had to help -her out of it. - -"Partly that, and partly because she asked Jesus to help her," said -the little sister. "And He did, 'cause He always does if we really and -truly ask Him. Did you ever ask Him to help you, Lily?" - -"What, about putting off?" said Lily. "Why, no, I never thought much -about it--and--besides--it seems such a queer thing to pray about, and -to ask Jesus to help you in. It is not a sin, you know. It does make -me sin sometimes," she added, thoughtfully, as she recalled various -naughtinesses into which her sad habit had led her. "Oh, if you knew -something it had made me do, you would think I was too horrid!" She was -thinking of the way in which she had spoken to her mother but a few -days since. - -"Well, then," said Bessie, tenderly, "isn't that a reason for asking -Him? I don't b'lieve Jesus thinks any thing is no matter if it makes us -do something that is wrong, and I don't b'lieve He thinks even a bad -habit is a little thing, and I'm sure He'll help you if you only ask -Him." - -"Sometimes when I was praying, I have thought maybe I had better ask -Jesus not to let me put off," said Lily, "but I did not think _much_ -about it, and it hardly seemed worth while, and I generally thought I -could do it some other time." - -Lily said these last words in rather a shamefaced manner, as if she -were mortified to recollect and confess that she had allowed her -failing to come even between her and the Great Helper. - -"But you will ask Him now, won't you?" asked Bessie anxiously. - -"Yes, I will," said Lily earnestly, and as if she really meant it; and -I am glad to say that she kept her resolution, and "put off" no longer -asking the help which could not, and would not fail her. And receiving -what she sought, as all shall do who seek it in truth, and in the right -spirit, and continuing also to strive with the temptation of the moment -which bids her postpone the duty before her, our Lily is gaining the -victory over the enemy which brought her into so much trouble, and had -more than once led her so far astray. - -[Illustration] - - Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son. - - - - -TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: - -Obvious printer errors have been corrected. Otherwise, the author's -original spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been left intact. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Lily Norris' Enemy, by Joanna Mathews - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LILY NORRIS' ENEMY *** - -***** This file should be named 44991-8.txt or 44991-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/9/9/44991/ - -Produced by Melissa McDaniel, Chris Whitehead, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Mathews. @@ -214,45 +214,7 @@ table.centered { </style> </head> <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Lily Norris' Enemy, by Joanna Mathews - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Lily Norris' Enemy - -Author: Joanna Mathews - -Release Date: February 24, 2014 [EBook #44991] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LILY NORRIS' ENEMY *** - - - - -Produced by Melissa McDaniel, Chris Whitehead, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44991 ***</div> <div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> <img src="images/cover-image1.jpg" id="coverpage" width="600" height="923" alt="Cover" /> @@ -1481,7 +1443,7 @@ the scissors before you go, dear."</p> talk to your woman with the half-dozen children all just of your size," said Tom, who evidently had his doubts on the subject of Lily's -<i>protégée</i>; "and if she seems all right you shall +<i>protégée</i>; "and if she seems all right you shall give her some food; but we won't give her money till we know more about her. That is mamma's rule, you know. Nora, please bring<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> @@ -3195,7 +3157,7 @@ be put to.</p> <p>A mischief! I should think she was! Such restless, busy little fingers! "Mademoiselle -Touche-à-tout" Uncle Ruthven named her. +Touche-à -tout" Uncle Ruthven named her. Such an inquisitive little mind! Such never-tiring, pattering little feet! Such a sweet voice, and such a crooked, cunning tongue!</p> @@ -6920,383 +6882,6 @@ punctuation and hyphenation have been left intact.</p> </div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Lily Norris' Enemy, by Joanna Mathews - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LILY NORRIS' ENEMY *** - -***** This file should be named 44991-h.htm or 44991-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/9/9/44991/ - -Produced by Melissa McDaniel, Chris Whitehead, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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