MATILDA'S CONSCIENCE.
MATILDA did not make her appearance in the grove. Her father was so
angry at her tardiness in bringing the ham for his dinner that he
forbade her the pleasure. She passed the afternoon in a very unhappy
state of mind, continually quarrelling with her brothers and sisters,
and stirring up strife in the whole household.
From her chamber window she saw Hatty and Sallie walk on, arm in arm,
swinging their baskets; and conscience whispered,--"They will talk of
you, and you have no one but yourself to blame for all your
wretchedness."
Disgusted with herself, she still sat gazing from the window, when
serious thoughts began to arise.
"Why can't I be happy?" she asked herself. "I have a better home than
either of those girls. That is, the rooms look better, and father has
more money. But things never go right. Mother always wants errands done
so quick; and father gets angry and cross; and the boys are so
touchy,"--
"And Matilda, the eldest daughter is worse than all the rest; for she
might be a help to her mother, a comfort to her father, and an example
of love and peace to the whole family."
This was what conscience said; and conscience this time was determined
to be heard.
"You hate yourself now," the inward monitor went on, "but not so badly
as you will by and by. Every day that you indulge in these evil
passions, you will grow worse and worse. Try to reform. Begin to-day,
and take this verse for your motto: 'If it be possible, as much as lieth
in you, live peaceably with all men.'"
"That is Hatty's rule," exclaimed Matilda, starting from her seat.
"I'll try it. I'm sorry now, I told Sallie that Cynthia didn't like her
dress. I'm afraid there'll be a fuss about that. Sallie wont speak; and
her cousin will find out what I said, and then the blame will all come
on me."
"Where it belongs," urged conscience again.
"Well, I'll never tell tales again; that is, if I can help it. I mean to
try and be like Hatty. Father and mother will wonder what has come over
me; I wish I knew what I ought to do first."
Already she felt happier than for a long time. She ran down to the sink,
bathed her face and eyes; then back to her room and combed her hair,
confining it in her net, after which she joined her mother in the
sitting-room.
"Where's that little apron," she began, "that you cut out yesterday? I'm
going to make it."
Mrs. Manning glanced up from her work in surprise. "What has happened?"
she asked herself; but she smilingly directed her daughter where she
might find the apron.
Before her needle was threaded, baby Tom fell from the steps and began
to scream with all his might.
Mrs. Manning started up, letting her sewing fall to the floor. "I
sha'n't sew a stitch at this rate," began Matilda impatiently; but
recovering herself, she exclaimed,--
"Come here, Tommy. I'll show you the bossy;" and they trotted off
together to the barn.
The other boys were there playing in the hay, and at any other time
Matilda would have begun to quarrel directly; but with her good resolves
fresh in mind she began to coax them to come off the hay, and show her
how to make bossy stand on his feet.
Her tone was so pleasant that they came at once, wondering at the
change; and for the next half hour they had a merry time together.
Then she returned to the house with the baby mounted on her back.
When her father came home to supper, he evidently expected to find her
cross and impatient at having been kept from accompanying her companions
to the grove. He heard her singing before he reached the gate, and was
not a little delighted to find his wife sitting at her sewing, and
Matilda putting the last dishes on the table for tea.
"Well, now, this is as it ought to be," he said heartily, as they drew
their chairs about the table. "Wife, you said you wanted a new gown, and
here's money to buy cloth for you and Matilda, too. I'm always ready
with the cash for good daughters."
A few hours later, when the young girl retired to her bed, she said to
herself,--"It isn't so very hard to do right after all. How pleased
father was. Now if I only knew that Sallie wouldn't say anything about
what I told her, I should be happier than I have been for a month."
I wish Hatty had been there to remind her that she ought to thank her
heavenly Father for help to keep her resolutions, else she could not
have done one right thing. As it was, Hatty was giving uncle Oliver and
Esther an account of her call at Mrs. Munson's; and they were
thinking,--"What a blessing our dear girl is to us, and how lonely our
cottage would be without her."
The nuts, a peck of each, were safely stored in the attic to dry, before
the old man came home to supper; and then Hatty had time to run to a
neighbor's with the vest Esther had just completed.
In the evening they had family-prayers, a service the two girls
commenced by themselves, but which uncle Oliver soon joined; and then
after Hatty's account of her afternoon, they retired to rest for the
night, the blessing which God has promised the peace-makers resting upon
them.
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