Saturday night, if the kind neighbour who cut it out for us had not come in and helped us. "Oh mother, who could ever have thought that you had been idle when you were young!" exclaimed Mary, laying down her work in astonishment. "It would be sad indeed, my dear," replied her mother, "if our faults were to follow us through life. By telling you the faults of my childhood, I hope to teach you to avoid them, and indeed you are so differently situated to what I was, that you would be still more to blame, if you were idle. You are blessed with a comfortable home." "Oh yes," said Mary with energy, "I do love my grandmother very much; but I had much, much rather live with my dear father and mother." "Well," said Mrs. Burton, "I will now tell you how my habits of idleness at home prevented my getting on at school. I was very glad when Monday morning came, because I knew that at the school I should meet Jane Green, and two or three other girls of the village, and besides I liked to wear my new frock. I was put into one of the lowest classes, and as I was not very attentive, I remained there some time. However, when I saw all the girls of my own age getting up to the top, and then going into a higher class, I thought I would try too, but I was a long time before I got on at all, and I think the chief reason was, that I was idle at home. Instead of trying to improve myself when I was with my grandmother, I used to sit leaning over the fire, and watching the coals; or else in summer time I used to saunter about before the door, or play with our neighbours' children. My grandmother would sometimes say, 'O Susan, you will repent of this idleness some day; I wish you would try to repeat some of the hymns you learn at school; they would cheer these long evenings.' I loved my grandmother, and I thought I would try to improve for her sake, but my bad habits returned; and I got on very slowly at school. "One fine summer afternoon, I was tempted to loiter on my way home with Jane Green, and it was late before I returned to the cottage. I wondered that I did not find my grandmother in her arm-chair, as usual; and running into the back room, I was surprised and shocked to see her lying on the bed, and looking very ill. Our kind neighbour who was with her, made a sign to me to leave the room in silence; she then followed me, and told me that my grandmother had been taken suddenly ill in the afternoon, but that the doctor said she only wanted good nursing and care, and that he hoped she would do well. I could not restrain my tears. Mrs. Turner was very kind, and told me I was old enough now to be of great use to my grandmother who had been so good to me, and she added,' I shall always be willing to help you, Susan, for though you are very idle sometimes, I believe you wish to do what is right.' 66 My grandmother was ill a long time, and of course I was not able to go to school, and then it was that I repented so bitterly that I had lost the only time I had had to improve myself in reading. For some time my grandmother could manage to read a little herself, as her old Bible was printed in large letters, but as she grew weaker she could not hold it, and one Sunday evening she said to me, Susan, my dear, I wish you would take my Bible, and read the fourteenth chapter of St. John to me.' I took the book, and finding a mark in the place, I began to read. The first long word I came to, I was obliged to spell before I could get on, and so I went on through half the chapter, spelling some words, and miscalling others. I was vexed with myself for reading so badly, and when I went to my grandmother to ask her if she heard me, she was too weak to answer me, but she shook her head several times, and I saw by the expression of her face, that she could not understand what I read. I thought her lips moved, and I leant over her to hear what she was saying. I just heard the words Jane Green,' and then I knew she wished. me to fetch her to read the chapter. Oh! Mary! the shame and sorrow of that moment I can never forget; to think that by my idle habits, I had lost the only opportunity I should ever have of comforting one who had done so much for me! Jane came, and seating herself at the foot of the bed, she read slowly and distinctly the beautiful chapter which my grandmother wished to hear. I hid my face behind the curtain, and I could not help shedding a few tears. When Jane had done reading, my grandmother held out her feeble hand to her, and pressing it, looked at her with such an expression of gratitude on her countenance, that I could not help envying Jane the pleasure she must feel. "After this Jane often came in to us in the evening to read. I resolved to lose no opportunity of inproving myself, but my grandmother was soon quite confined to her bed, and I had no time to do any thing but attend upon her. In a few weeks I lost my only friend. "You know that after my grandmother's death, a lady by whom she was very much respected, took me into her nursery. Here again I hoped to have had time for reading, but I was disappointed. As there were four young children, the nurse kept me constantly employed. "If it had not been for your father, Mary, I should never have been able to read without spelling the long words. For some time after we married, he used to hear me read every evening; and by trying to improve myself when I could find time in the morning, I could soon read well enough." "I am sure, mother, you could not find time now," said Mary," though you do get up so early to work for us." "No, my dear," replied her mother, "it is as much as I can do to keep all things neat and tidy. And therefore because we cannot tell how long we may have time to learn, I am anxious to see you making the best use of all your opportunities. If your father was to be ill, or any of your little brothers and sisters, I should be obliged to keep you from school. I was quite grieved to see you so unwilling to go to school this morning, I hope I shall never see you inclined to be so idle again." "I don't think, mother, you will," said Mary," I shall often think of your being obliged to go for Jane Green to read to your grandmother; how mortified you must have been." "I was more pained," said Mrs. Burton," that I could not be a comfort to my grandmother, than for any thing else; for she had been every thing to me. And then what she had so often said to me, came to pass, that I should some day bitterly repent of my idleness. Alas! I little thought that time was so soon to come! But, Mary, it is getting late; you must put your work away, and go to bed." 66 But, mother, before I go, will you just tell me one thing," said Mary: " when I feel so very idle, that I almost wish any thing would happen to keep me from school, what should I do, how am I to get the better of it?" "You recollect, my dear," replied her mother," a part of your Catechism in which you are told that you cannot keep God's commandments, or do what is pleasing to Him, without his special grace, which you must learn at all times to call for by diligent prayer. "Now when you are tempted to be idle, I would advise you to lift up your heart in prayer to God, to give you strength to resist your evil inclinations; you might use the simple words of David,' Teach me to do thy will;' and then resolve through Divine Grace to persevere in doing what you know to be your duty. If you conquer one desire to be idle, the victory over the next will be much easier; till you will at length have such good habits of industry, that we shall think it quite a strange thing to see you idle. May this be my dear child's happy case," said Mrs. Burton, as she kissed Mary, and wished her good night. The morning after this conversation, Mary took her breakfast early, and though it was still very cold, she went in good time to school; and she was there one of the first again in the afternoon. In the evening her father was tired with his day's work, and when the younger children were gone to bed, he called Mary to him, and told her to read the evening Psalms to him before she went to bed. Mary looked at her mother, as she went to the closet to fetch the Bible, and Mrs. Burton guessed that she was thinking of what she had heard the night before. Mary read very slowly, and she only had occasion to spell one word. 6 Mr. Burton drew his little girl towards him, and kissed her, as he said, "That's a good girl. Now Mary, I have something for you," and taking a small book from his pocket, he continued, " when I went this evening to get our book changed at the School house, Mr. Elliot was there; Mr. Burton,' he said, I have been looking over the book of attendance at the girls' school, and I am pleased to find, though the weather has been so cold lately, your little girl, Mary Burton, has not missed one morning. I have determined to give a little book to encourage the six most diligent girls, and Mary is one of them.' He then gave me this book; I dare say there is something good in it, or it would not come from Mr. Elliot." Mary was delighted with the book, and ran with it directly to her mother. "You will not wish to stay at home again, Mary," said Mrs. Burton, "because you think it will snow." "Oh no, mother," said Mary, "I will try never to feel idle again.' "It is most likely," replied her mother," that you will feel idle again, but you should say that you will strive not to give way to it. Now wish your father good night, and go to bed. And I think I shall not have to call you twice to-morrow morning, as I had last Sunday." "Oh no!" said Mary, kissing her mother; and then she went to bed. There was not a happier little girl in the village than Mary Burton, when she went to bed that night. She had never felt such enjoyment before. I do not suppose that she tried to think what it was that made her feel so happy; she was rather too young to reflect much, therefore we will try to do it for her. Mary's peace of mind did not arise from any outward circumstances; she was not richer than when she rose in the morning; nor had she had the pleasure of seeing her father and mother less under the necessity of working very hard to maintain their family, but Mary had done her duty, and that made her happy. A good old author named Howe, says, that" duty and happiness are so linked together, that the performance of the one does always insure the presence of the other." And there is a great deal in the Bible, to the same purpose. In the Psalms we read, "Great peace have they which love thy law." We do not read, that those who keep God's commandments have great riches, or titles, or any of the things which people fancy will make them happy, but we always find that peace of mind is promised to them. And if we have not peace of mind, we cannot be happy. Any little boy or girl who reads this account of part of Mary Burton's life, and tries to think of his own feelings when he has been idle, and when he has been industrious, will soon understand the difference, and he will not wonder that Mary felt so very happy after a day spent in doing her duty, and trying to conquer the evil inclinations of her |