BEGUN AND CARRIED ON FOR THE SAKE OF AN APPLE: IN WHICH ARE SHOWN THE
SAD EFFECTS OF RAGE AND ANGER.
It was on a fine summer’s evening when the school-hours were at an end,
and the young ladies were admitted to divert themselves for some time,
as they thought proper, in a pleasant garden adjoining to the house,
that their governess, who delighted in pleasing them, brought out a
little basket of apples, which were intended to be divided equally
amongst them; but Mrs. Teachum being hastily called away (one of her
poor neighhours having had an accident which wanted her assistance),
she left the fruit in the hands of Miss Jenny Peace, the eldest of her
scholars, with a strict charge to see that every one had an equal share
of her gift.
But here a perverse accident turned good Mrs. Teachum’s design of giving
them pleasure into their sorrow, and raised in their little hearts
nothing but strife and anger: for, alas! there happened to be one apple
something larger than the rest, on which the whole company immediately
placed their desiring eyes, and all at once cried out, ‘Pray, Miss
Jenny, give me that apple.’ Each gave her reasons why she had the best
title to it: the youngest pleaded her youth, and the eldest her age; one
insisted on her goodness, another from her meekness claimed a title to
preference; and one, in confidence of her strength, said positively,
she would have it; but all speaking together, it was difficult to
distinguish who said this, or who said that.
Miss Jenny begged them all to be quiet, but in vain; for she could not
be heard: they had all set their hearts on that fine apple, looking upon
those she had given them as nothing. She told them they had better
be contented with what they had, than be thus seeking what it was
impossible for her to give to them all. She offered to divide it into
eight parts, or to do anything to satisfy them; but she might as well
have been silent; for they were all talking and had no time to hear.
At last as a means to quiet the disturbance, she threw this apple,
the cause of their contention, with her utmost force over a hedge into
another garden, where they could not come at it.
At first they were all silent, as if they were struck dumb with
astonishment with the loss of this one poor apple, though at the same
time they had plenty before them.
But this did not bring to pass Miss Jenny’s design: for now they all
began again to quarrel which had the most right to it, and which ought
to have had it, with as much vehemence as they had before contended for
the possession of it; and their anger by degrees became so high, that
words could not vent half their rage; and they fell to pulling of caps,
tearing of hair, and dragging the clothes off one another’s backs:
though they did not so much strike, as endeavour to scratch and pinch
their enemies.
Miss Dolly Friendly as yet was not engaged in the battle; but on hearing
her friend Miss Nanny Spruce scream out, that she was hurt by a sly
pinch from one of the girls, she flew on this sly pincher, as she called
her, like an enraged lion on its prey; and not content only to return
the harm her friend had received, she struck with such force, as felled
her enemy to the ground. And now they could not distinguish between
friend and enemy; but fought, scratched, and tore, like so many cats,
when they extend their claws to fix them in their rival’s heart.
Miss Jenny was employed in endeavouring to part them.
In the midst of this confusion appeared Mrs. Teachum, who was returning
in hopes to see them happy with the fruit she had given them; but she
was some time there before either her voice or presence could awaken
them from their attention to the fight; when on a sudden they all faced
her, and fear of punishment began now a little to abate their rage.
Each of the misses held in her right hand, fast clenched, some marks
of victory; for they beat and were beaten by turns. One of them held a
little lock of hair torn from the head of her enemy; another grasped a
piece of a cap, which, in aiming at her rival’s hair, had deceived her
hand, and was all the spoils she could gain; a third clenched a piece of
an apron; a fourth, of a frock. In short, everyone unfortunately held
in her hand a proof of having been engaged in the battle. And the ground
was spread with rags and tatters, torn from the backs of the little
inveterate combatants.
Mrs. Teachum stood for some time astonished at the sight; but at last
she enquired of Miss Jenny Peace, who was the only person disengaged,
to tell her the whole truth, and to inform her of the cause of all this
confusion.
Miss Jenny was obliged to obey the commands of her governess; though
she was so good natured that she did it in the mildest terms; and
endeavoured all she could to lessen, rather than increase, Mrs.
Teachum’s anger. The guilty persons now began all to excuse themselves
as fast as tears and sobs would permit them.
One said, ‘Indeed, madam, it was none of my fault; for I did not begin;
for Miss Sukey Jennett, without any cause in the world (for I did
nothing to provoke her), hit me a great slap in the face, and made my
tooth ache; the pain DID make me angry; and then, indeed, I hit her a
little tap; but it was on her back; and I am sure it was the smallest
tap in the world and could not possibly hurt her half so much as her
great blow did me.’
‘Law, miss!’ replied Miss Jennett, ‘how can you say so? when you know
that you struck me first, and that yours was the great blow, and mine
the little tap; for I only went to defend myself from your monstrous
blows.’
Such like defences they would all have made for themselves, each
insisting on not being in fault, and throwing the blame on her
companion; but Mrs. Teachum silenced them by a positive command; and
told them, that she saw they were all equally guilty, and as such would
treat them.
Mrs. Teachum’s method of punishing I never could find out. But this
is certain, the most severe punishment she had ever inflicted on any
misses, since she had kept a school, was now laid on these wicked girls,
who had been thus fighting, and pulling one another to pieces, for a
sorry apple.
The first thing she did was to take away all the apples; telling them,
that before they had any more instances of such kindness from her, they
should give her proofs of their deserving them better. And when she had
punished them as much as she thought proper, she made them all embrace
one another, and promise to be friends for the future; which, in
obedience to her commands, they were forced to comply with, though there
remained a grudge and ill-will in their bosoms; every one thinking she
was punished most, although she would have it, that she deserved to be
punished least; and they continued all the sly tricks they could think
on to vex and tease each other.