‘I was bred up, till I was nine years of age, with a sister, who was one
year younger than myself. The chief care of our parents was to make us
love each other; and, as I was naturally inclined to have very strong
affections, I became so fond of my sister Molly, which was her name,
that all my delight was to please her; and this I carried to such a
height, that I scrupled no lies to excuse her faults: and whatever she
did, I justified, and thought right, only because she did it.
‘I was ready to fight her quarrels, whether right or wrong; and hated
everybody that offended her. My parents winked at whatever I did in
defence of my sister; and I had no notion that any thing done for her
could be unreasonable. In short, I made it my study to oblige and please
her, till I found at last it was out of my power; for she grew so very
humoursome, that she could not find out what she had most mind to have;
and I found her always miserable; for she would cry only because she did
not know her own mind.
‘She never minded what faults she committed, because she knew I would
excuse her; and she was forgiven in consideration of our friendship,
which gave our parents great pleasure.
‘My poor little sister grew very sickly, and she died just before I
came to school: but the same disposition still continued; and it was my
friend’s outcries of being hurt, that drew me into that odious quarrel,
that we have all now repented.’
Here Miss Dolly Friendly ceased; and Miss Jenny said, she hoped Miss
Dolly would remember, for the rest of her life, what HER good mamma had
always taught her; namely, that it was not the office of friendship, to
justify or excuse our friend when in the wrong; for that was the way
to prevent their ever being in the right: that it was rather hatred,
or contempt, than love, when the fear of another’s anger made us forego
their good, for the sake of our own present pleasure; and that the
friends who expected such flattery were not worth keeping.
The bell again summoned our little company to supper: but, before they
went in, Miss Dolly Friendly said, if Miss Jenny approved of it, she
would the next morning read them a story given her by an uncle of
hers, that, she said, she was sure would please her, as its subject was
friendship. Miss Jenny replied, that she was certain it would be a great
pleasure to them all, to hear any story Miss Dolly thought proper to
read them.