she turned from the heated child to the treasures displayed before her.
'Oh, at the Bazaar! There is such a beautiful new stall there, and it is
covered with such pretty things!'
'And do you think that Laura will like these things so well as the blue
bag, and the rest of the things you talked of buying for her? And do you
think they will be as useful to her?'
'Oh, mother,' began stammering Agnes, 'these things--mother--are
not--these are not for Laura, mother. These are--these are for myself.'
'Oh, Agnes,' said Mrs. Clavering very gravely, 'you have not been
spending all your money upon yourself and these foolish trifles, and
forgetting your kind, good-natured cousin Laura?'
Agnes's fingers were now engaged in twisting round and round them the
cotton from the reel lying on her mother's lap, and she felt and looked
very foolish. For a few moments nothing more was said, but presently
Agnes approached closer to her mother and leaned against her.
Mrs. Clavering took no notice of her little girl, and did not, as usual,
encourage her endearing advances. Presently Agnes ventured to say:
'It was my own money, mother, and you said I might do as I pleased with
it.'
However, Agnes knew a great deal better than to think for a moment that
this was any excuse for her selfishness.
'Yes it _was_ your own money,' replied Mrs. Clavering, 'and it certainly
was given you to spend as you liked. But I am sorry, very sorry, that I
have a little girl who never considers anybody's pleasure and amusement
but her own.'
'The blue bag was sold,' said Agnes, after a pause of a few minutes,
during which she had been picking the pins out of her mother's
pincushion and dropping them one by one on the floor.
Mrs. Clavering took the pincushion gently from the hand of her little
girl, and desired her to pick up the pins which she had been so
carelessly scattering.
'And were all the scissors and pincushions and thimbles sold, too?'
continued Mrs. Clavering. 'And would it not have been possible to have
had another bag made, like the one you saw the other day?'
'Yes, mother,' replied Agnes, as she replaced the last pin in the
pincushion; 'the woman _did_ offer to make another, but I had no money
left then.'
'This will never do, Agnes, indeed,' said Mrs. Clavering. 'If you are
allowed to indulge all your wishes in this way while you continue a
child, you will grow up to be a disagreeable and overbearing woman. Did
you never read, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye
even so to them"? Come, tell me; try and recollect.' And as Mrs.
Clavering spoke her voice softened, and she laid her cheek on the head
of her little girl, who had seated herself on a stool at her feet. 'Did
you ever read of this?'
'Yes, mother, I have read it in the Bible,' replied Agnes, as she turned
round towards her mother, and laid her head coaxingly on her lap.
'It was one of the directions of our blessed Saviour,' continued Mrs.
Clavering, 'and His directions we ought always to obey. Now, supposing
that your Cousin Laura had determined to give you anything she knew you
were very desirous of having, should you like her to change her mind,
because she fancied something for herself which she could not purchase
without doing so? Should you not think she was unkind in doing so?'
'Yes, mother,' replied Agnes; 'but Laura did not know I was going to
give it her, and therefore she will not think me unkind.'
'No, but you will know that you have been so,' replied Mrs. Clavering;
'and I know that you have been so, and I am very much hurt that you are
so, for, as I have frequently told you, I do not like such little
selfish ways as you too frequently indulge.'
Agnes did not feel comfortable, and she had not half the enjoyment of
her new purchases which she expected to have; and she had very little
pleasure in showing them to her cousins, who were allowed on the next
day, for the first time since their illness, to come and play with her.
The tumbler was not half so droll as he seemed to be before she bought
him. Augusta, however, was delighted with him. She laughed aloud at all
his whimsical changes, and Agnes told her that she might have it if she
liked for she was tired of it--not a very disinterested reason, but
Augusta was pleased with her present, and also with the sweetmeats of
which she partook, and some of which she carried home to her brothers
who were never forgotten.
New Year's Day was now approaching very fast, and as it did approach
Agnes thought a great deal of the little blue bag, and she longed for
her father's return, for she thought that he would give her money if she
asked for it, and still the present might be made. But New Year's Day
arrived, and no father. Mr. Clavering had been detained by business, and
might not be at home yet for some weeks. Poor Agnes! her last hope gone.
An invitation to dinner arrived from Uncle and Aunt Parker. It was
Laura's birthday, and the two families generally on that day had dined
together.
On the day before Agnes felt very serious for some minutes together, and
when the thoughts of the blue bag crossed her, none of her play-things
amused her, and she was grave, and very near shedding tears several
times. Mrs. Clavering watched these emotions in her little girl, but
took no notice of them till the following morning, when, calling her to
her side, she said:
'Agnes, I think you feel very sorry that you have been so selfish, and I
am sure that you have not enjoyed yourself half so much with the variety
of different things you have bought for your own gratification as you
would have done if you had persevered in spending your money, according
to your first intentions, on your cousin Laura. Now, I do not like that
Laura should lose her present, nor do I wish that you should suffer any
more mortification than you have done for the fault you have committed,
so that I have been endeavouring to make an arrangement for you that
shall enable you still to oblige your cousin. You remember asking me a
day or two since why I did not purchase new chimney ornaments, for that
mine looked very shabby? It was my intention to have done so yesterday,
for you know that I have pleasure in seeing the mantelpiece prettily
ornamented, particularly as your father is always kind enough to admire
it when it is so. But I have given up this intention at present that I
might use the money which would have been required for the purpose in a
different way; and if, my dearest child,' continued the affectionate
mother, as a tear started into her eye, 'I can teach you by this, or by
any other means, to learn to sacrifice your own desires to those of
others, I shall never regret that the money has been employed in the
purchase of a little blue bag.'
Thus saying, Mrs. Clavering opened the drawer of her work-table, and
exhibited a bag, the exact copy of the one which Agnes had first fixed
on as a New Year's gift for her cousin. It was as completely furnished
within as it was elegant on the outside. There was the gold thimble, the
gold sheath to the scissors, the tortoiseshell needle-case, the ivory
winders, and the pincushion edged with blue, and stuck in minikin pins,
with the words, 'Affection--from Agnes to Laura,' Agnes's little heart
swelled with emotion. She threw her arms round the neck of her mother,
and sobbed aloud, as she promised never again to be a selfish little
girl.
'Your feelings now, my sweet girl, are strongly excited,' said Mrs.
Clavering, as she pressed the lovely child in her arms, 'and at this
moment I know you mean to perform all that you promise. You will find it
difficult, perhaps, to keep your promise; but you must strive hard to do
so, and in time no doubt you will succeed. Now go and get your pelisse
and bonnet put on, for the carriage will soon be at the door.'
Agnes tripped away with light steps and a merrier heart than she
expected would be her companion to her uncle's. The carriage was shortly
after ready, and the cousins in half an hour were together. Oh, how
grateful did Agnes feel to her mother when Laura met her! In Laura's
arms was the box of shells which she had received from her uncle abroad,
and which was now quite full; for Laura had denied herself everything
that she might complete the collection, and she now presented it, with a
feeling of calm and quiet pleasure, to her beloved cousin. Agnes felt
ashamed and pleased, humbled and gratified, as she threw her arms round
the neck of her dear Laura to thank her, and as she presented to the
delighted girl, in return for her beautiful box of shells, the thimble,
the scissors, the needle-case, the winders, the pincushion, and the
little blue bag.
[Illustration: Agnes threw her arms round the neck of her dear Laura.]
[Illustration]
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=Transcriber's Notes:=
original hyphenation, spelling and grammar have been preserved as in
the original
Page 7, "give me another pair." changed to "give me another pair.'"
Page 9, "But I should tell" changed to "'But I should tell"
Page 12, "did'nt I tell you" changed to "didn't I tell you"
Page 29, "ran to her assistance," changed to "ran to her assistance."
Page 30, "good-night to you." changed to "good-night to you.'"
Page 30, "pray., Mrs. Landlady" changed to "pray, Mrs. Landlady"
Page 31, "Coming, ma'am,' anwered" changed to "'Coming, ma'am,'
answered"
Page 34, "Mr. Pembroke, sir," changed to "Mr. Pembroke, sir,'"
Page 39, "to be lost" changed to "to be lost."
Page 40, "the men to acommodate" changed to "the men to accommodate"
Page 44, "no uncommon attentions" changed to "no uncommon attentions."
Page 49, "My name. you know" changed to "My name, you know"
Page 54, "wished to canfide" changed to "wished to confide"
Page 66, "I should hear her." changed to "I should hear her,"
Page 67, "very indentical person" changed to "very identical person"
Page 76, "be kind enought" changed to "be kind enough"
Page 76, "charging them as silk)" changed to "(charging them as silk)"
Page 87, "them was inidspensable" changed to "them was indispensable"
Page 88, "considerable dfficulty" changed to "considerable difficulty"
Page 90, "Agsen" changed to "Agnes"
Page 107, "And would it not have" changed to "'And would it not have"
Page 108, "and His directtions" changed to "and His directions"
Page 109, "it did aproach Agnes" changed to "it did approach Agnes"
Page 110, "looked verry shabby" changed to "looked very shabby"