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“You say that you always attend to them when they come to you?” said Mrs. Elder.

“Yes. I try to do so, no matter how much I am engaged.”

“If I were to do that, I would be attending to them all the time. I couldn’t sit a moment with a visitor, nor say three words to anybody. You saw how it was this morning. The moment I sat down to talk with Mrs. Peters, Mary came and commenced interrupting me at every word, until I was forced to put her from the room.”

“Yes, I saw it,” replied the brother in a voice that plainly enough betrayed his disapproval of his sister’s conduct in that particular instance.

“And you think I ought to have neglected my visitor to attend to an ill-mannered child?”

“I think, when Mary came to you, as she did, that you should have attended to her at once. If you had done so, you would have relieved her from pain, and saved yourself and visitor from a serious annoyance.”

“How do you mean?”

“Don’t you know what Mary wanted?”

“No.”

“Is it possible! I thought you learned it when she came to me after Mrs. Peters had left.

“No, I didn’t know. What was the matter with her?”

The brother stepped to the door and called for Mary, who presently came running down-stairs.

“What do you want, uncle?” said she, as she came up to him and lifted her sparkling blue eyes to his face.

“What were you going to ask your mother to do for you when Mrs. Peters was here this morning?”

“A pin stuck me,” replied the child, artlessly. “Don’t you know that you took it out?”

“Yes, so I did. Let me look at the place,” and he turned down Mary’s frock so that her mother could see the scratched and inflamed spot upon her neck.

“Poor child!” said Mrs. Elder, the tears springing to her eyes as she stooped down and kissed the wounded place.

“Are you playing with the cards yet, dear?” asked Uncle William.

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you want to play more?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Run along then.” And Mary tripped lightly away.

“When the child first spoke to you, Sarah, if you had paused to see what she wanted, all would have been right in a few minutes. Even if her request had been frivolous, by attending to it you would have satisfied her, and been in a much better frame of mind to entertain your friend.”

Mrs. Elder was silent. There was conviction in Mary’s inflamed neck not to be resisted; and the conviction went to her heart.

“We,” said the old gentleman, “who have attained to the age of reason, expect children, who do not reflect, to act with all the propriety of men and women, and that too, without mild and correct instruction as to their duties. Are we not most to blame? They must regard our times, seasons, and conveniences, and we will attend to their ever active wants, when our leisure will best permit us to do so. Is it any wonder, under such a system, that children are troublesome? Would it not be a greater wonder were they otherwise? We must first learn self-government and self-denial before we can rightly govern children. After that, the task will be an easy one.”

Mrs. Elder stayed to hear no more, but, rising abruptly, went up into her chamber to think. When she appeared in her family, her countenance was subdued, and when she spoke, her voice was lower and more earnest. It was remarkable to see how readily her children minded when she spoke to them, and how affectionately they drew around her. Uncle William was delighted. In a few days, however, old habits returned, and then her brother came to her aid, and by timely uttered counsel gave her new strength. It was wonderful to see what an improvement three months had made, and at the end of a year no more loving and orderly household could be found. It took much of Mrs. Elder’s time, and occupied almost constantly her thoughts; but the result well paid for all.

Thinking that this every-day incident in the history of a friend would appeal strongly to some mother who has not yet learned to govern herself, or properly regard the welfare of her children, we have sketched it hastily, and send it forth in the hope that it may do good.