CHAP. I.

MR. and Mrs. Jennet had six children, three boys, and three girls; the eldest boy's name was George, the second Charles, and the third Thomas, and the girls names were Maria, Charlotte, and Harriot. In this little book I intend to give you some ac­count of each of them; as, I dare say, you will like to read about so many little boys and girls, and know which of them were good, and which naughty.

Mr. and Mrs. Jennet were both extremely fond of their children, and took great pains [Page 14] to educate them properly, and make them behave as all little boys and girls should do; but, notwithstanding all their care, Master Charles would very frequently give them a great deal of uneasiness, upon ac­count of his bad behaviour, for he was not at all good-tempered, and used continually to be getting into mischief, and quarrelling with his brothers and sisters. One day when his papa had given George and Tom an ap­ple, as a reward for their having read, and written, and said their tasks very well, he asked for one likewise; but his papa said, "No, Charles, I shall not give you an ap­ple, I assure you, you have not at all minded your book, nor your writing, if you had, I would have given you one as well as your brothers; but I will not treat naughty boys the same as if they were good; and if you do not behave bet­ter to-morrow than you have done to day, I shall look you up in my study, and not suffer you to go to play all day." Charles knew, [Page 15] that if he said any thing saucy, his papa would certainly punish him I so he hold his tongue, though he looked exceedingly cross and out of humour; and when he went into the garden he began to quarrel with his brother. George, said he, give me your ap­ple, for I have as much right to it as you. Indeed Charles, you have not, replied George, for my papa gave it to me, because I was good, and if you had been so, he would have given you one; but I will give you half, if you please—you are very welcome to half, though I cannot spare it all. You shall spare it though, said he, for I will have it all. If you say so, Charles, said George, you shall not have any: So will you have half, or go quite without? I will have all, replied he. Then you shall not have any, said George, and so good-bye to you, and away he ran, whilst Charles, who ran after him, but could not overtake him, kept throwing stones after him, one of which [Page 16]

hit his leg, and bruised it very much.

Whilst he was running after George, his brother Tom passed by playing with his ap­ple, tossing it up and catching [...]t again, like a ball. Tom, said Charles, give me that ap­ple! I will give you a bit of it, returned Tom, but I cannot spare it all. But you shall give it all, said Charles, for I will have it; and then he ran to him, and tried to get it out of his hand. Tom for a good [Page 17] while kept it, by turning it about, and stooping and putting it in his pocket. At last, Charles being stronger and older than his brother, threw him down upon the ground, and took it from him, tied his legs together, and then walked off eating the apple.

Tom was a good-natured little boy, and would not have minded parting with his apple, if his brother would have asked pret­tily for it; but he did not like to have it taken in such a manner, and to have his legs tied; so he could not help crying, and called out, Charles! brother Charles! pray come, and untie my legs! But Charles, like a naughty boy, did not attend to him, but only laughed at what he had done, and ate up the ap­ple, without returning poor little Tom one mouthful, though it was his own.

Whilst they were in this situation, George came by, and asked Tom what he was cry­ing for? I cannot help crying, said he, Charles has taken away my apple; but I [Page 18] would not mind that if he had not tied my legs together, so that I cannot walk at all! O! don't cry, my dear, replied George, I will untie your legs; and here, you may have my apple, if you please. No, thank you, brother, said Tom, indeed I will not take your's. I don't mind going without my apple, only I don't like to have it taken away as Charles took it. No body would like that indeed, said George; but you shall have a bit of mine, so he took out his knife, and after paring it, and taking out the core, gave little Tom half.

CHAP. II.

ALL the conversation which was re­lated in the last chapter between George and Tom, Mr. Jennet had overheard, as he happened to be walking the other side of the hedge by which they were standing whilst they were talking together, and it gave him great uneasiness to find, that his son Charles had been such a very naughty boy, not only in neglecting his learning, but likewise so much worse in his behaviour to his brothers; for it was very wicked, you know, to quarrel with them, throw stones, take away little Tom's apple, and tie his legs together; and therefore Mr. Jennet thought it very necessary to punish him for such be­haviour. He therefore called him, and asked how he came to be so naughty? But Charles, instead of acknowledging his fault, and be­ing sorry for it, only said, he did it because he wanted an apple, and should do so an­other [Page 20] time, unless he had one of his own. Why then, said Mr. Jennet, I think it is very necessary you should be prevented from doing so again: I shall therefore tie your hands behind you, and your legs together, as you did Tom's. Charles then began to cry, and beg his papa not to punish him; but Mr. Jennet told him, that as he thought he deserved punishment, he certainly should inflict

it, though he was very sorry to be obliged to do it. Accordingly he tied his hands be­hind [Page 21] him, and his legs together, so that he could not walk, and made him continue in that uncomfortable way all day, while George and Tom were enjoying their liberty, and running about.

CHAP. III.

MASTER George, the last time he had played at cricket, had struck his ball into a ditch and lost it. As therefore he wanted another, he went to his papa to ask leave to go to a shop and buy one. And pray, Sir, said he, may my brother Tom go with me? Yes, my dear, replied Mr. Jennet, if you will take [...] of him, and not let him run into the road, and come back again as soon as you have bought your ball. I will take care of him and come back directly, said George; so away he went, and little Tho­mas along with him.

They had not gone far before they met a little girl, not quite three years old, crying and sobbing most sadly. What's the matter, little girl? said George. What are you cry­ing for? I want Will! said the child, cry­ing so she could scarcely be understood. Who, my dear? said George. I want Will! she [Page 23]

answered. Who is Will? said he. Brother Will I want! Where is Will? asked George. He ran down that lane, and I don't know my way home. George then inquired where she [...]ived? To which she replied, at mammy's house. And where does your mammy live? She lives at Daisy-Down, said the little girl. Well, don't cry, said George, but stay here, and I will go and look for your brother. So [...]aking hold of Tom's hand, he ran down the [...]ne, through which the little girl told him [...]er brother went, calling Will! Will! all the [Page 24] way he ran, for he did not know his surname. At last he found some boys at play. Pray, said George, very civilly, is either of your names Will? Mine is, replied a boy of about fourteen years old! what do you want? And pray, said George, have you a little sister? Yes, half a dozen, answered the boy, do you want any of them? And where, said George, is one about three years old? I left her in the road, said Will! Did you so? said George, and who is to take care of her whilst you are at play? are you not ashamed to leave such a poor lit­tle creature by herself? she is crying enough to make her, sick: Pray go to her, and either take her home, or else let her be with you, and don't leave her in the road, perhaps she may be run over. I cannot help it if she is, replied Will! I shan't go to her 'till I have fin­ished my play; and if you are afraid she should be lost, pray take care of her yourself; George then told him how naughty it was not to take care of his sister. But he did not regard a word that was said, and after laughing a [...] [Page 25] Master George for his concern for his sister, went to play again with the other boys.

George and Tom were very sorry to find he would not be prevailed with to help his sister; and when they returned, they found her screaming still more than when they left her; for a great dog was come to her, and was licking her face and hands, not with a design to hurt her, but the poor little girl thought he was going to bite her, and was terribly frightened indeed.

[Page 26] George, who was an exceedingly good-natured boy, could not bear to see her in such distress, and he could not tell how to help her; for, to carry her home would take up a long time, and his papa, you know, told him to return directly, so he did not know what to do about it. At last, after thinking a little while, he determined to take her back with him, and and desire his mamma to send her home to her mammy. Come, little girl, said he, I will take care of you, don't cry, I will take care of you; give me your hand, and I will lead you, I am so tired, said she, I cannot walk any further. Then I will carry you, said George, and very good-naturedly took her up in his arms, and walked home as fast as he could; for he had been out longer than he ought to have been, and knew that his papa would be wondering he did not return.

CHAP. IV.

BEFORE Master George and Tom had got home they met Mr. Jennet coming to seek for them. George, said he, where have you been all this time? Did not you pro­mise me you would return directly? Sir, said George, I ask your pardon for staying so long; but, I am sure, when you hear what has kept me, you will not be displeased. This lit­tle girl we found alone in the road, and I have been trying to comfort her, and send her home. He then told his papa all that had passed between him and her brother; which, when Mr. Jennet heard, he was not at all angry that George had not returned sooner. Well, said he, I am very glad to hear you have been so well employed. I was afraid you had met with some accident, or had for­got that you said you would return soon; [Page 28] and that made me uneasy, for I should have been extremely sorry, either to have had you hurt, or that you should not have kept your word; for that would have been still worse, in my opinion, than being hurt: but you are a good boy, and it gives me great pleasure to see you so. Come, bring your little child home, and we will give her some victuals and drink, and then you shall conduct her to her mother, who, I am sure, will be much obliged you for the care of her daughter.

George was much pleased to find his fa­ther approved of what he had done, and with great good-humour, carried the little girl all the way in his arms. See, how kind he looks, wiping her eyes, whilst his [Page 29] brother Tom runs by his side, and his papa follows him.

CHAP. V.

MRS. Jennet and her three daughters were in the parlour when Mr. Jennet and the two young gentlemen returned.

Miss Charlotte was standing at the win­dow, folding up a shirt of her papa's, which she was making, and had just finished stitch­ing on the shoulder straps, and had left off work. Look, mamma, said she, there is my papa, and my brothers; and George has got a child in his arms. Whom can he have found? I don't know, indeed, my dear, said Mrs. Jen­net, looking up as she spoke. I will go and see, said Charlotte, and away she ran, and in her hurry the lock of the door caught hold of her pocket hole, and tore her frock.

Charlotte was a very good-humoured girl, but was rather too great a romp, and often would get herself into disgrace by means of her carelessness; for though her papa and mamma liked to see their children cheerful [Page 31] and merry, yet they did not like to see their little girls quite like little boys, and clamber over gates, and chairs, and tear their clothes off their backs. It certainly is not pretty for little girls to be so rude; but Charlotte was rather apt to forget herself, and not always behave quite so well as her mamma wished her.

I was beginning to tell you of her going to see whom George had in his arms when she tore her frock, which she never stopt to look at, when she was first entangled, but ran heedlessly away, by which means the frock was torn quite to the bottom. However she did not mind that, but called out to George, Who is that, George? What little girl is that? O! 'tis a nice little girl! said George, and carried her into the parlour. When he put her down, the poor little thing see­ing no body but strangers, burst out a crying, and said, I want my mammy! I want my mammy! And who is your mammy? my dear, said Mrs. Jennet. She is my own dear [Page 32] mammy! replied the little girl. But what is your name? said Mrs. Jennet. Little Nance, said she. Little Nance, is it? said Miss Maria: Then come to me little Nance, and don't cry, and I will give you an orange. Thank you, Ma'am, said the child, and made a pretty curtesy. There's a good girl, said Mrs. Jennet. See, my dear, how good she is; she does not forget to say thank you, Ma'am, for all she is such a poor lit­tle girl, and so very young. You, Charlotte, though so much older, forget to say so: Are you not ashamed that this little child should behave so much better than you do? and, see too how nicely she holds up her head; I am sure she is a nice little girl.

Mrs. Jennet then went out of the room, and returned with a large piece of bread, and some plumbs, which she gave to little Nance, who again remembered to say thank you, Ma'am, and made another curtesy.

Harriot, who was an exceedingly good girl, and took great pleasure in seeing children be­have [Page 33] have well, was much pleased with her civility, and asked her, whether she had any play-things? Yes, Ma'am, said she, mammy makes me a doll of her handkerchief. And have you no other doll? asked Harriot. No, Ma'am. Then I will give you mine. Shall I, Madam? said she, turning to her mamma as she spoke. Yes, my dear, if you please, said Mrs. Jennet.

I like to see you good-natured, and willing to part with your play-things, to please poor lit­tle girls who have none of their own. So Har­riot ran up staris and fetched her own down: [Page 34] it was dressed in a blue jacket, and black cap, and red shoes; it was a very nice doll, and Harriot was very kind to give it to little Nance, and so all children should be, if they wish to have any body love them.

After the little girl had eaten up her bread and plumbs, she began again to cry for her mammy. Don't cry, my dear, said Mrs. Jennet; you shall go to her, if you will be good. So she rang her bell, and desired the maid to carry her home to her mother. But Master George begged he might go with her, and so did all the young ladies. Mrs. Jen­net, who never denied them any thing proper to be granted, gave them leave to go; but Miss Charlotte, whose frock was in so shabby a con­dition, could not possibly attend them. At first she began to cry, when her mamma told her she might not go; but she soon wiped up her tears, as she well knew, if she was seen to cry upon such a trifling affair, it would much displease her mamma, and she would certainly be punished. Now, said her mamma, you [Page 35] see the consequence of not taking more care of your clothes. You cannot go out with your sisters. You know, Charlotte, you often suffer for it: I wonder you don't take more care. You should have stopt when you found the lock had caught hold of your frock; but you are very careless indeed; so now you must take off your frock and mend it. I want to go to play now, said Charlotte. You said I should leave off work when I had done the shoulder-straps. Well, Charlotte, replied her mamma, I did let you leave off then, and did not intend you should do any more; but you have so torn your frock, that it must be mend­ed: I cannot let you go so in rags. I there­fore insist upon it, that you go and change it immediately, and come and mend it. Charlotte knew that her mamma must me minded, and therefore thought it was best to do as she was bid at once, without saying any more about it: So she went up stairs, put on another frock, and then brought the torn one to mend, which she did before she went to play. Whilst Char­lotte [Page 36] was thus employed at home, George and Maria, Tom, Harriot, and the maid, went to carry little Nance to her mother, who lived at Daisy-Down, a small village about two miles from Mr. Jennet's house. When they came near the place where Nancy's mother lived, they met the poor woman (whose name was Brown) in great distress, looking for her little girl; for her son Will had returned home, and told her he had lost little Nance: nor could he tell what was become of her. He set her down only while he went to play, he said, and when he came to look for her she was gone. When poor Mrs. Brown heard this account, she was in such distress she did not know what to do with herself. Will too began to be very sorry he had not taken more care of his sister, and the whole family were in great affliction; for she was a very good little girl. When Mrs. Brown saw her child coming with the Master Jennets, she ran to them, and begged to know how they got her? Master George then told all about his finding [Page 37] her, and his wanting to persuade her brother Will to take care of her; but that he could not, and, added he, I would have brought her home at first, but I was afraid my papa would be uneasy at my staying so long, for I knew he expected me very soon.

Mrs. Brown thanked him a thousand times for his care of her little girl, and said, she did not doubt but that he would be a good man, as he was so good and kind a boy. She likewise thanked the young ladies for their kindness, and particularly Miss Harriot for the doll she had given her Nance. They then wished her a good night, and returned home; and George bought himself a ball as he went back. For though that was his business, when he first set out in the morning, yet he had been so busy, taking care of the little girl, that he had not had an opportunity of doing it.

When he was in the shop buying his ball, he saw a very good kite, which he asked the price of, and finding he had money enough, he [Page 38] purchased it for his brother Charles. Tom begged he might carry it home, which George gave him leave to do, as he always tried to please every body.

The kite was almost as big as Tom, so that when he put it upon his back it quite hid him, and the kite looked as if it was walking alone. Look, here is the picture of Tom going home with the kite upon his back.

CHAP. VI.

AS soon as they got home, George and Tom went directly to carry their purchase to Charles. Here, said George, I have bought you a kite, brother Charles; will you be pleased to accept of it? I bought it on purpose for you. Yes, I will have it! said Charles. I think I never heard such an ugly manner of receiving a present in my life. Instead of saying, thank you, brother, I am much obliged to you, but am sorry you have given yourself so much trouble, and put yourself to any expence on my account, to say, Yes, I will have it. Could any thing sound more unmannerly, and differ­ent to what he ought to have said, in return for his brother's kindness? Charles then began to cry again, for you know his papa had tied his hands and feet together: And now, when he saw such a nice kite, he wanted sadly to be at liberty, and go to play with it.

[Page 40] George and Tom were very sorry to see him in such a state, and went to their papa to beg him to release him. But Mr. Jennet said, No, my dear boys, I cannot consent to that: I am very sorry to confine him; I don't like to punish any of you; but if children will be naughty, they must suffer for it; it makes me very uneasy to think that he should deserve it; but I should be as much to blame as he is, if I did not en­deavour to prevent his being so naughty again. If he will behave as he should do, I will untie him when he goes to bed.

As Mr. Jennet never broke his word, George and Tom knew it would be useless to urge it any farther. They therefore went back to sit with Charles, who, I am sure, did not de­serve their kindness in keeping him company, instead of playing out of doors, and diverting themselves; as he only pouted, looked cross, and said, it was owing to them that he was punished, because they would not give him their apples.

[Page 41]

George said all he could to persuade him to be good, and ask his papa's pardon; but he would not mind, and only continued cross to every body all day, and very uncomfortable to himself: For people who are out of humour, are always uncomfortable and unhappy.

When night came, and it was time for the young gentlemen and ladies to go to bed, Mr. Jennet was in hopes that Charles would acknow­ledge his fault, and ask to be forgiven; but [Page 42] Charles, although he had been in a state of punishment all day, was still not good enough to do that: So Mr. Jennet said to him, Charles, I see you are determined to be a naughty boy, and as that is the case, I assure you, I am de­termined to make you good; and if you will not be so without, you must be punished 'till you are; and unless you will ask my pardon this moment for being so naughty, and giv­ing me so much trouble and uneasiness, you shall go to bed with your legs tied together, and your hands tied behind you; and so you shall continue all night.

Charles cried sadly when he heard his papa threaten him so much, but still continued naughty, and would not ask forgiveness; so his papa had him put to bed, and then went up and tied his legs and arms again, and so he lay all night, and very uneasy he found it. By the time morning came, he was quite tired of his confinement, and began to be sorry he had been so naughty, and wished most heartily he had been good sooner. He could not get up [Page 43] because his legs and arms were tied, but de­sired one of his brothers to go and tell his papa that he was sorry he had behaved so.

Mr. Jennet, very kindly, went up stairs di­rectly (which was more than he deserved, as he had been obstinate so long, and therefore had no right to expect to be heard the moment he chose to ask forgiveness) to hear what he had to say.

Charles, when he saw his papa, burst out a crying, and said, he would be a good boy, if he would be so kind as to untie him. If you will, said Mr. Jennet, I will release you; for it is no pleasure to me to give you any punish­ment; I wish to see you happy, but you never can be so, unless you are good.

He then untied his hands and feet, and sat by him all the time he was getting up, talking to him, trying to persuade him to be good, and always kind and obliging to every body; at the same time assuring him, if he was naughty, he should certainly punish him the [Page 44] next time, with much greater severity than he had now done.

When he was dressed he let him go down to breakfast, bidding him wipe his eyes, leave off crying, and be a good boy. And indeed his papa was much pleased to find Charles be­ginning to be good; for nothing gave Mr. Mrs. Jennet so much joy, as to see their child­ren all good and happy together.

CHAP. VII.

AS soon as breakfast was over, Mr. Jennet and his three sons went into the study, as they constantly did for four or five hours, to read, write, and repeat their tasks; whilst Mrs. Jennet, with the young ladies, spent the same time in the parlour in reading, writing, needle­work, and all their various occupations.

Miss Maria was working a muslin apron for her mamma, which she did very neatly, and [Page 46] took great pains to keep it clean, as it looks very ugly to have work dirty. Miss Charlotte, as was said before, was making a shirt; and Miss Harriot was stitching a pocket for her sis­ter Charlotte; and when that was finished, she was to begin one for herself. She was a very neat little work woman, indeed every thing she un­dertook she did extremely well, for she took uncommon pains with herself, and always tried to mind all the instructions which either her pa­rents, or any good friends were so kind as to give her. She never, like some silly children, did those things out of their sight, which she knew they would not approve of if they had seen her; but she very wisely considered, that it was only for her benefit they troubled them­selves to tell her what was proper, or what not so, and therefore at all times endeavoured to follow their advice; and this made her improve faster than either of her sisters, and consequently be much more admired and beloved than they were: For though they were far from being such naughty girls as many are, yet they were [Page 47] not so good as Miss Harriot, particularly Miss Charlotte, who, in this respect I am now speak­ing of, used frequently to be very silly. I re­member once I was standing in the hall, whilst Miss Charlotte and Harriot were in the parlour. They did not know any body was near them, and I overheard the following dialogue.

CHARLOTTE. Pray, Harriot, while your mamma is out of the room, why do you keep your feet in the stocks? Do you like to keep them so close confined?

[Page 48] HARRIOT. No, I do not much like it; but my mamma, you know, bid me put them in when I first went to work.

CHARLOTTE. Yes, I know she bid you put them in; but now she is gone out of the room she won't see you. I always take mine out when she goes away.

HARRIOT. I know you do, but I think that is very naughty. Don't you consider that mamma loves us dearly, and only tells us what is right for the sake of making us good and happy: It can be of no advantage to her I am sure, whether we turn out our toes or not. If we behave ever so ungenteelly, people will not accuse mamma on that account; but they will dislike us very much indeed: As well they may. Besides, I think it is quite wicked not to do what my mamma chooses I should. She is very kind to us, and, I am sure, we ought to mind her, and be good always.

CHARLOTTE. Yes, we ought to be good, to be sure; but if we are good when she sees us, I think that is quite enough.

[Page 49] HARRIOT. O! fie, fie, Charlotte! I won­der you are not ashamed of saying so! I would not do what my mamma don't like, upon any account: That I would not. Besides, you al­ways get into some trouble or other when you behave so. You know, the other day, when she bid you not touch her knife, that you cut your fingers most sadly, playing with it when she went out of the room; and when you clamber­ed over the rail into the orchard, after she told you not, you know, how you tore your stock­ing, and your leg too▪ Don't you remember it?

CHARLOTTE. Yes, that I do, for my leg is not well yet; nor more is my hand that I cut, for it is very sore.

HARRIOT. I am sorry you should be hurt; but indeed, Charlotte, you deserve to meet with such accidents, when you will not mind, and do what mamma likes, because she don't [...] you.

Just as Miss Harriot said this, Mrs. Jennet returned into the room; and Miss Charlotte, [Page 50] upon hearing her mamma coming, tried to put her feet into the stocks; but, in her hurry she staggered against Miss Harriot, threw her off her stool, and finding herself likewise in danger of falling, caught hold of a little table which stood by her; but instead of being able to pre­vent the accident by so doing, she pulled it down upon herself and sister, and very much hurt and bruised them both; nor were those all the bad consequences which ensued, for Mrs. Jennet had just been filling her little ink bottle from a larger one, which she had set upon the table, and that falling down, had broke and emptied itself over the young ladies; though, as Miss Charlotte had saved her sister's clothes, by falling over them, most of the ink was poured upon herself, and a terrible figure she made when she got up. The ink bottle fell upon her head, so that it ran all down her hair, face and neck, and upon her frock, and then upon her work (her papa's shirt) which she had in her hand.

[Page 51] As soon as Harriot could get up she ran out of the room to call somebody to wipe her sister. The maid soon came in, and wiped her as dry as she well could, and mopped up the ink from the carpet; but it left a sad black mark upon the floor, which she could not get off. She then took Charlotte up stairs to wash and un­dress her: But, with all her washing, she could not possibly make her face and neck clean; the ink would not come off, and she looked ex­actly like a tawny Moor for a great many days;

[Page 52] so that (before their papa and mamma told them it was not good natured) her brothers called her, Sister Tawny, and Charlotte Blacky.

When she was clean dressed, her mamma called her to her, and very gravely said to her, I hope, Charlotte, you now see the bad effects of not minding what I say to you. All this mischief which you have done, is owing to your not keeping your feet in the stocks when I went out of the room. Had you minded my words, and done your duty by obeying my orders, you would not have been in such a hurry at my return, to put your feet in the pro­per place: You would neither have thrown down and hurt, either your sister or yourself: You would not have broke the bottle, and wasted all the ink: Nor would you have spoiled your papa's shirt, or your own clothes: But some bad consequence always follows when lit­tle children will not mind what is said to them.

I will tell you a history of a little girl I once knew, who used to be guilty of the same fault, [Page 53] and whose sufferings, I hope, will teach you to be more obedient for the future.

CHAP. VIII.

AFTER Masters Jennet had finished their studies above stairs, and their three sisters below, they all went to play together in the garden; and Charles, who was then in good humour, took his kite, and, with the assistance of his brothers, flew it very well.

They were all much delighted to see it mount so high in the air; and there is no saying how long they might have pursued the amusement, [Page 63] had not a trifling accident happened, which put a stop to their sport.

Little Tom, who was running as fast as he could, with his head tossed back, looking at the kite, and not seeing where he went, ran with such force against a large tree as knocked him down backwards, and not only stunned him with the fall, but happened to hit his head a violent blow upon a sharp stone, cut so large a gash upon the back of his head, as made it bleed very much indeed. All his brothers and sisters ran to him, and tried to lift him up; but finding he could not stand, they began to think he was dead; and when they saw the blood run, they were all sure that was the case.

George and Charles took him up between them, whilst Miss Maria walked beside them, holding her handkerchief to the wound in his head to stop the blood, and Charlotte and Harriot made all the haste they could in doors, calling out, Tom is killed! Tom is [Page 64] killed! Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Jennet, and two or three of the servants, all came out together to see what was the matter, and met poor little Thomas carried in the manner related, and his brothers and sisters crying as they brought him in. As soon as ever they saw him they perceived he was only stunned, and not dead.

Mr. Jennet took him in his arms, and said, do not cry, my dears, your brother will be better presently, I hope; and having put [...] to his head to do it good, laid him on the bed, where he had not been long before he began to open his eyes, and speak, and soon afterwards fell asleep, and when he awaked was much better, and able to go down stairs to dinner. You cannot imagine how greatly rejoiced his brothers and sisters were to see him so much recovered, for they had all concluded he was dead. When, therefore, they found him well enough to sit and eat a little dinner, they were so delighted they scarcely knew how to express their joy.

CHAP. IX.

AS soon as dinner was over, Charles was in a hurry to go and look after his kite, as he had left it without regarding what became of it to help his brother Tom, when first he fell down; and was so taken up with the thoughts of him afterwards, that he never looked for it until after dinner, when he saw Tom so much better. He went into the garden in hopes of finding it there; but no kite was to be found, nor could he tell where to go and seek for it, as it pos­sibly might fly a great way after he left it before it fell to the ground. However, he resolved to go the way the wind blew when he flew it, and enquire of all the neighbours, whether it had fallen into any of their gardens? So having asked his papa's leave, he set off in the search of it. He stopt at seve­ral of the neighbours gates, and asked very [Page 66] civilly to go into the garden and look for his kite, and they all very kindly permitted him to go; but no kite could he find. At last as he was walking on, intending to ask one more lady to let him go into her garden, he saw a great many boys standing together, and as he passed by, turned his head towards them, and perceived they were just beginning to raise a fine large kite; which, upon looking more earnestly at, he found

was his own. He directly ran up to them [Page 67] and called out, That is my kite! so pray give it me directly! for I have been look­ing for it! Your kite? said the boy, who was running with the string in his hand, in order to make it fly, I wonder what made it your's! I am sure it is my own, and I wonder what made it your's! replied Charles; for, I am sure, it is mine! That it is not, said the boy. That it is, answered Charles! and I will have it! That you shall not said the boy, for I found it, and will keep it, and not give it to you, I assure you. You will not? said Charles, then I will give you that, striking him a blow in the face. O! you chuse to fight, do you, master? replied the boy; if that's the case, I will fight with you with all my heart, and immediately he stript and began.

Charles (who, as has been said before, was not of a good temper) in a most violent pas­sion attacked the boy, who being rather stronger than himself, presently conquered, and beat him most terribly indeed; whilst [Page 68] the blood ran as plentifully from his nose and face, as before it had done from his brother Tom's head. At last, with his eyes almomst beat out, and extremely hurt, he begged the boy to leave off, saying, he did not chuse to fight any more; upon which the boy left him; and Charles seeing the kite in a little boy's hand, who had been holding it during the battle, ran to it, and in a violent rage drove his hand through it, and tore it all to pieces. There! said he, if you will not let me have it, you shall never have it again. Upon Charles's offering this violence to the kite, all the boys who had only stood and looked on before, immedi­ately began to resent it, and kicked, and cuffed, and beat him about until he could scarcely crawl home: Where he was glad to return, as fast as in his miserable condition he could; and had he stayed much longer, it is very probable he might have been killed, for they not only thrashed him, but [Page 69] threw stones at, and pelted him with mud and dirt all the way he went.

CHAP. X.

WHEN Charles came into the parlour, his papa and mamma, and all his brothers and sisters, were quite amazed to see him; both his eyes were swelled as big as eggs, and the blood from his nose had run into his mouth, and all down his chin and throat, and over his waistcoat; and his coat and hair were all covered with mud; so that he made a most shocking appearance indeed. What have you been about, Charles? said Mr. and Mrs. Jennet; where have you been to? and what is the matter with you? Charles answered, I have been fighting with a boy for my kite! I am so provoked I don't know what to do with myself! I found my kite: some boys had it, and they would not give it me. I wish I could kill them! O fie, for shame! said Mr. Jennet, is that a proper manner of talking; because a boy has offended you? I am ashamed of you indeed, Charles: [Page 71] but pray tell me all about it. How did the boy get the kite? I don't know how he got it, said Charles: but I am quite positive it was mine, and I told him so, and asked him to give it me directly, but he would not. I am afraid, replied Mr. Jennet, you did not behave right, and ask for it in a civil pro­per manner: If you had, I think he would have returned it. Did you tell him how you lost it? No, not I (said Charles) I told him it was mine, and I would have it; and when he would not give it me I struck him; that was all; and then he thrashed me so un­mercifully; but he never will have the kite again however! I am glad of that! I took care he should not have the pleasure of fly­ing it any more, for I tore it all to pieces, and broke the sticks, and then, like a par­cel of cowards, half a dozen boys fell upon me all at once, and threw stones and mud at me. I shall not, said Mr. Jennet, pretend to justify the behaviour of the boys for throwing [Page 72] stones at you: but indeed, Charles, it is en­tirely your own fault, that you are now in this sad, bruised, shabby condition; and had it not been for your own hasty disposition, you might, in all probability have reigained your kite, and saved yourself those blows you have received. How often have I told you never to put yourself in a passion; but to enquire calmly and good humouredly into things, before you allow yourself to be angry. Had you followed my advice, and done so now, how much trou­ble and shame might you have saved yourself: The boy, no doubt found the kite where it had fallen, therefore until he met the true owner of it, was at liberty to keep it. When you saw him with it, you should civilly have enquired whether he did not find that kite, as you had lately lost it, and should be greatly obliged to him if he would return it. Had you, Charles, made use of such kind of expressions, I doubt not but the boy would have returned it: Or, had he refused to do so, you might have said, If you think that I am mistaken, and that it is not [Page 73] mine, pray let my papa and brother see it, and they will be able to tell you; for they know my kite. Had you, I say, Charles, behaved in this manner, you might have been certain that I would have taken care you should have had your

kite again: But to put yourself in a passion, and begin to fight! what could you expect but to be beaten, and disgraced as you are? And then to destroy the kite, was surely the height of folly and indiscretion; as it is now impossible for you [Page 74] to have it restored, even though the boy should be convinced it really was your's. But people who will be silly, and wicked enough to put them­selves in such passions, will always suffer for it; and it is very proper they should; but I cannot help being very sorry, that any of my children should be so naughty; however, you must go and be washed, and cleaned, though you really do not deserve to have any care taken of your bruises. Had you been hurt like Tom, without being guilty of a fault, I should have been ex­tremely sorry for the pain you suffered; but now, I think, you well deserve it all: And, I hope, the miserable condition you are now in, will keep you from putting yourself in a pas­sion, and fighting again.

Charles listened to all his papa said, but it did not seem to have any very good effect; for when Mr. Jennet ceased speaking, he muttered out, I am glad I have spoiled the kite however!

Mr. Jennet again endeavoured to convince him of the folly of such behaviour. How can you, Charles, said he, chuse to act so much like [Page 75] the dog in the manger? and because you could not enjoy the pleasure of playing with the kite yourself, rejoice that nobody else can? I don't wonder, that you should be sorry to lose so nice a plaything, after your brother had been so very kind as to give it to you; but when once it is gone and you have it not, why should you be glad that it cannot be of service to another boy? Indeed, Charles I am much concerned to find you have so bad a disposition; and, I assure you, that un­less you take pains with yourself, to grow more good tempered, you will always be an unhappy, miserable man; as it is impossible for any per­sons who are cross, selfish, and passionate, ever to be happy, or make any body love them.

Charles made no reply to what his father said, but went out of the room to be washed and cleaned.

CHAP. XI.

IN the evening, after the two wounded young gentlemen were gone to bed, Mr. and Mrs. Jennet, Miss Maria, and Master George, went to take a walk, and seeing a great many boys to­gether, Mr. Jennet inquired whether either of them had found a kite that day? Yes, Sir, said one of them very civilly, I found one this morn­ing. And pray, replied Mr. Jennet, what did

[Page 77] you do with it? Why, Sir, answered the boy, I will tell you. I and my playfellows were go­ing to fly it, when a boy came, and squalled out, that it was his, and he would have it; now as I did not know by what right it was his, I said, he should not have it; but, said he, I will! so I told him he should not! and upon my refusing to give it him, without telling me that he had lost one, or giving me any reason to think that it be­longed to him more than to myself, he gave me a knock in the face, so then I gave him another, and we went to fighting, and I beat him; and af­ter I left off, like a simpleton as he was, he tore and broke the kite all to pieces; so that if it really was his own, he can never have it again. It was a thousand pities to spoil it, for it was a charming good one. But, said Mr. Jennet, how came you not to return it when he told you it was his? I would, Sir, answered the boy, if he had asked me civilly, or told me he had lost it; but he demanded it in so insolent a manner, that I assure you, I thought he deserved to go with­out [Page 78] out it; and indeed I did not believe it was his; for I thought if it had been, he would have given an account in what manner he lost it, and not only have said, I will have it: Indeed said Mr. Jennet, I cannot wonder at you, for when people will put themselves in a passion, instead of talk­ing reasonably upon any subject, there is no possibility of understanding what they mean. I do not therefore blame you for refusing to de­liver the kite 'till you was asked civilly for it; but I think you did wrong by fighting about it. I did not want to fight, Sir, said the boy; but I assure you, he began first, and was in such a rage, that I was obliged to beat him as I would a wild beast, to keep him from doing me some mischief. I am sure I don't like fighting; I would rather by half live peaceably with every body, for I hate quarrelling, and my father and mother say it is very wicked. I think so too, said Mr. Jennet, and then, after wishing him a good night, returned home.

After they were seated, Mr. Jennet, took one of the hands of Master George, and Miss Maria, [Page 79] in his own, and said, I hope, my dears, what you

have this afternoon seen and heard, will warn you from ever suffering yourselves to be in a pas­sion. You see how terribly your brother Charles is beat and hurt, owing to his own violent tem­per, and because he would not give himself [...]e to talk coolly and reasonably with the boy, who you find would willingly have given him the kite, had Charles asked properly for it. Not only with regard to your playthings, whilst you are children, would you be able to manage [Page 80] much better, if you would be aways calm and good humoured, and patiently wait to hear what each had to say; but likewise when you are men and women, you will find that nothing will succeed as you wish, if you suffer your­selves to be agitated and discomposed when any circumstance happens different to what you like: And once more I will repeat, for you cannot too well remember, that no one, whether children, men or women, can ever be happy who are not good humoured. Here Mr. Jen­net stopped; and after George and Maria had kissed and wished their papa and mamma a good night, made a bow and curtesy, and went to bed.

CHAP. XII.

THE next morning Master Tom's head was pretty well, but Master Charles's face and eyes were very bad indeed, and frightfully ugly he did look; his eyes black, his nose and mouth extremely swelled, and a great cut on one side of his chin, which the point of a nail had torn in one of his falls, while he was fighting; so that had any little boys seen him, I think they would have taken care never to fight any more, had they ever been so silly before.

Whilst they were at break fast, a man came to the door with a box upon his head, directed for Mr. and Mrs. Jennet. They ordered it to be brought in, and then told the children to try and untie the cord that was round it, which af­ter a good deal of difficulty, they did, but then it was locked, and having no key, [...] looked sadly disappointed, as they were in hopes to have found it open. What shall we do now? said they. How shall we get it open? for it is [Page 82] locked, and we have no key? O! said Mr. Jen­net, here is a key, and your mamma has another, so I hope we shall soon open it, and see its con­tents. Charles took the key and opened the box,

while they all stood round to see what was in it; but how were they surprised to find three rods, a fool's cap, and four silver medals, each tied through [...] [...]ole with a yellow ribband. On one of them was the following words, Whoever wears this, is a cross child: Upon another, Whoe­ver wears this, cannot be depended upon when [Page 83] out of sight: Upon a third, The wearer of this has told a lie: And on the fourth, This medal is a badge of sloth and idleness. All the Miss and Master Jennets were much disappointed to find the box contain such disagreeable objects, and all of them looked very grave, turned away, and walked to their seats. I find, my dears, said their papa, the sight of what the box contains is very disagreeable to you; and no doubt, rods and such kind of things, must be far from agree­able to any body: For my part, I dislike the sight of them as much as any of you can, and shall be very glad never to be obliged to open the box any more; but it is the duty of all parents to make their children good; and if they will not be persuaded to mind without, they must be punished. You may depend upon it, there­fore, that these rods, this ridiculous fool's cap, and these medals will be taken out, and used, if any of you render it necessary, otherwise, the box shall never again be unlocked. He then locked it up, and carried it out of the room; but soon returned with another box of the same sort, [Page 84] though much larger than the first. Now, said he, try my dears, and open that. They were all so disappointed at the contents of the other, that they had no great inclination to open it; but upon their papa's giving them the key, and telling them to do it, they unlocked it, and lifting up the lid, discovered it to be filled with books, bats, balls, kites, nine pins, marbles, work-bags, house wi [...]es, dolls, boxes, and a great variety of pretty things, which I do not now recollect. They soon changed their counte­nances, and each one▪ smiled at so pleasing a prospect. Well, how do you like the contents of this box, said Mr. Jennet? They all replied, they liked it very well. And which, said he, should you chuse to receive some of; what is now before you, or what you saw in the other box? They all again replied, that they should much prefer what they now saw, and never de­sired to have another sight of the other as long as they lived. Neither do I, replied their papa; and I assure you, it entirely depends upon yourselves, whether it is ever opened [Page 85] again or not. If you are good, and behave as you ought, as you all very well know how to do, this box (touching the one before them) is the only one that shall ever be unlocked, and, from this I will reward you according to your merits; but if you are naughty, and will not mind what is said to you, I again repeat, that the other must be opened, and what is in it, used upon you, with great severity.

CHAP. XIII.

FOR the whole week following the arrival of the two boxes, all the Miss and Master Jennets behaved extremely well indeed; so that their papa and mamma thought proper to reward them out of the good child's box, as it was called, the other being named the naughty child's box: and as they thought books would not only amuse, but at the same time instruct them, they gave each of them a book. To Master

[Page 87] George they gave one intitled the Father's Gift; to Miss Maria, the Mother's Gift; to Charles, the History of the Holy Bible; to Charlotte, Virtue and Vice; to Harriot, the Lilliputian Masquerade: and to Thomas, the Juvenile Biographer: all of them very pretty, entertaining, instructive books, very well worth your reading, and sold by Mr. Thomas, at his Book-store, near the Court-House, in Worcester, and by all the booksellers in town and country. This par­ticular direction is given, in case any good little children should wish to read them, and not know where to buy them; and, no doubt, their papas and mammas will will­ingly assist them in the purchase, if they will take pains with their reading, and mind the good advice which is given in those pretty books.

All the Miss and Master Jennets were exceed­ingly well pleased with their different books, and after thanking their parents in an handsome manner, went to read them. As soon as they [Page 88] had read through, and looked at all the pretty pictures in their own, they lent them to each other, and, by that means, had the pleasure of seeing six entertaining books apiece; and in­deed it employed them several days, before they could read them through. After they had en­joyed this amusement for four days, and all had very good humoredly lent them to one another, whenever desired to do so, Charles, who seldom continued good long together, began to grow naughty again; and when his sister Harriot de­sired him to lend her his book, he very rudely, and crossly refused, and said, No, indeed I won't▪ Are you going to read it, brother Charles? said Harriot. If you are, I do not desire it: but if you are not making any use of it, I should be much obliged to you for it, for a little while, and you shall have it the moment you want it. But al­though Harriot spoke so very prettily, he only answered, "That she should not have it! and though he was not reading it now, he could not tell how soon he should! besides, whether he read it or not, he liked to keep it in his own [Page 89] pocket, and she should not have it at all!" Mr. Jennet did not interrupt him, till he had done speaking, and then he said, Charles, you know I always keep my word, and never promise what I do not perform. I told you if you were good you should be rewarded with something out of the good child's box, and accordingly I gave you a pretty book, because you had been good for some days. I likewise told you if you were naughty, you should be punished, and I now must keep my word. I am sorry to be obliged to unlock the naughty child's box; but your be­haviour makes me do it: he then took the key out of his pocket, and fetched in the medal which had the words upon it, Whoever wears this is a cross child! and tied it with the yellow ribbon round his neck. He cried sadly at having it put on; and to be sure that is not to be wondered at, as it looked extremely ridiculous to see a yellow ribbon round a boy's neck: and a bow, and long ends hanging upon his coat down his back, and a medal bobbing about under his chin with such [Page 90] disgraceful words upon it: but, as he had been so cross to his sister, it was proper he should be punished. All his brothers and sisters looked very grave when they saw it put on: indeed, some of them could not help shedding tears upon the occasion, as they were all very fond of each other, and did not like to see one another in affliction: they asked their papa to take it off, but, after again telling them how necessary it is to punish children when they are naughty, and convincing them that he must not break his word, and praising them for their affection to their bro­ther, he insisted upon its being worn all day.

Charles was quite ashamed of walking about, for every body who saw him took hold of the medal, and read the inscription upon it. Some people said, there's a cross boy! Do not go near him! Others said, that boy deserves to be whip­ped! So that he found he was laughed at, and despised by every one who saw him, and most heartily sorry he was that he had behaved so.

[Page 91]

In the afternoon, some gentlemen and ladies drank tea with Mr. and Mrs. Jennet, and Charles felt so exceedingly ashamed when he came into the room, he did not know which way to look. As soon as he made his appearance, not know­ing at first what it was, they all enquired, why he chose to wear so much frightful yellow rib­bon round his neck? But when they were close enough to read the words upon the medal, they begged he would not come near any of them, as they all greatly disliked cross people. Charles was [Page 92] so mortified at the disgrace, that he could not help crying all the time he was in the room; and very early desired leave to go to bed; and upon his promising not to behave so any more, and acknowledging he was sorry for his fault, his papa took off the medal, and permitted him to retire.

When Saturday came, and they all had been very good, excepting Charles one day, that he was naughty about lending his sister his book, Mr. and Mrs. Jennet again opened the good child's box, and took out of it a bat and cricket-ball for George; a very pretty flowered work­bag for Maria; a doll for Charlotte; a battledoor and shuttlecock for Harriot; a kite for Thomas; and as Charles had been much better than usual, excepting that one day when he was punished, they were so kind as to give him an orange; telling him at the same time, that they were very sorry that he had by his behaviour forfeit­ed a more valualuable reward; but as he had been good some days, he should not go quite unrewarded from out of the good child's box; [Page 93] and they hoped by the next week he would gain something better. After having seen the sad consequences of being naughty, not only as it produced punishment, but likewise as it was the cause of going without some pretty play­thing at the end of the week, it never could have been thought that any of the Miss or Master Jennets would again be silly, and occa­sion the displeasure of their parents; but, I am sorry to say, some of them stood in need of repeated chastisements. Miss Charlotte was apt to be very silly, and one day, she, Harriot, and little Tom, had been to take a walk in the field behind the house with the maid; and Miss Charlotte, instead of walking in the path, ran all over the field in the very dirtiest parts she could find out. The maid desired her not to do so; but instead of minding, she only tried to persuade her brother and sister to do so too; but they, like very good children, stopt the mo­ment they were desired. Upon which Charlotte laughed at them, and called them tender chick­ens and foolish gostins, to mind what the maid [Page 94] said, and not only ridiculed their proper beha­viour, but likewise made faces at Mrs. Deborah (the maid) and flung dirt at her. When they

got home, Mrs. Jennet asked Deborah how she happened to go out in so very dirty a gown and cloak, as in general she looked very tidy, and clean? I did not go out so dirty indeed, Mad­am, said Deborah; but Miss Charlotte did it. How did Charlotte do it? enquired Mrs. Jennet. She then told the whole affair, and how sadly Miss Charlotte had behaved, and wanted to [Page 95] make her brother and sister as bad as herself; but they were very good, and did not mind her. If that is the case, replied Mrs. Jennet, I think she behaves as if she had not common sense: the fool's cap will therefore be the properest head dress she can wear. Charlotte began to cry, and beg it might not be put on; but her mamma said, you know, Charlotte, if you will be naughty, you must be punished, and if you did not chuse punishment, you would not be guilty of such things as deserve it. Indeed, mamma, I do not chuse it, said Charlotte, pray do not put it on! You cannot expect, replied Mrs. Jennet, that I should break my promise, if I did, I should be still naughtier than you; and you know very well that I have told you, if you will be naughty, you shall be punished. She then unlocked the naughty child's box, and took the fool's cap, and placed it upon Char­lotte's head. The cap was made something in the shape of a sugar loaf, and had two long ears, like asses, hanging from the sides, and was painted red, blue, green, yellow, scarlet, [Page 96] and black; with bits of all coloured ribbons streaming from it, and in the middle of the front was the picture of a naughty child cry­ing; so that, you may think, it looked ex­tremely ugly and ridiculous. Miss Charlotte screamed so loud when it was put on, that her mamma threatened to tie up her mouth, and took out her handkerchief for that purpose; but Charlotte left off, so she put it in her pocket again. When dinner was ready, Mr. Jennet was quite shocked to see his daughter with so frightful a cap on her head; nor could her bro­thers

[Page 97] and sisters, or the servants, keep from looking at it, to see how strange and ridiculous it looked. After dinner she again begged it might be taken off. Her mamma told her it should, when she had been to Deborah, and asked her pardon, and told her, she was sorry she had behaved so badly, and promised not to do so any more. Charlotte did not like the thoughts of asking pardon; but when she found her mam­ma would not take it off, unless she did, she went out of the room, saying she would go and ask Deborah's pardon. Instead of which, she only went up stairs into her own room for a few minutes, and then returned, and asked her mam­ma to take the cap off. Have you, then, asked Deborah's pardon? said Mrs. Jennet. Yes, Madam, I have, said she! Only think how ex­tremely wicked it was to say so, when she knew she had not. Mrs. Jennet likewise knew she was telling a fib, for she had heard her go up stairs, and the maid was all the time below. Mrs. Jennet then said, Charlotte, how dare you be so [Page 98] very wicked, and naughty, as to tell such a fib. I thought you said you did not like punishment; but you must now be punished with very great severity indeed. I am quite ashamed of you, and do not know when I shall ever depend upon you again; but though you tell lies, I shall not, I assure you▪ but shall punish you as I always said I should, if you spoke any thing which was not true. She then again opened the naughty child's box, and took out one of the three rods which was in it, and the medal that had the words, The wearer of this has told a lie. Then taking hold of Charlotte, tied the medal round her neck, and led her into another room by herself where she whipped her as much as she deserv­ed, for being so wicked a girl; and that, you know, was a great deal, so that she was most terribly punished indeed.

Mrs. Jennet then returned into the parlour, and found all the children crying for their sister. I do not at all wonder, my dears, said she, to see you cry; I can scarcely keep from it myself. I love all my children, and am extremely sorry [Page 99] that any of them should suffer pain and uneasi­ness; you may, therefore, well be concerned now, that she has undergone so great a degree; and another cause sufficient to cry for, is, the thought of her having been guilty of so wicked a thing as deceit, and lying; but I hope she will never be so naughty again. Mrs. Jennet then fetched Charlotte into the room (for she had left her by herself for a few minutes after she had corrected her) and she remained in the parlour all the rest of the day, with the fool's cap upon her head, and the medal round her neck; nei­ther would her mamma suffer her to speak a word to any of her brothers, or sisters, for fear she should teach them to be as naughty as her­self, saying, if she did not make the proper use of her tongue, which was speaking the truth, she should not use it at all; so, you may be sure, she spent a most miserable, unhappy afternoon. At last bed time came, and her mamma was then so kind as to let her go to bed, though, indeed, children who tell lies do not deserve a bed to [Page 100] sleep upon, or blankets to keep them warm▪ but Mrs. Jennet was in hopes, as she appeared very sorry for her faults, that she would never be guilty of the same again, and therefore per­mitted her to go to bed. But the thoughts of her crime was so much in her head, that she could sleep but very little all night; and the disgrace she was under, made her mind ex­ceedingly uneasy indeed, so that she only laid and cried, and sincerely repented that she had been so very naughty.

CHAP. XIV.

AS soon as ever she was up in the morning, she went to Deborah, and asked her to for­give her, for the rudeness she had been guilty of to her whilst she was walking in the field. She then went into her mamma's room, and most earnestly begged, that she and her papa would

pardon her, promising never to commit the same fault for the future. Mr. and Mrs. Jennet, see­ing she was sensible of the wickedness and folly [Page 102] of the crime she had committed, after talking a great while to her, and convincing her of the bad consequences of deceit and falsehood, tel­ling her that nobody would ever depend upon her, or believe what she said, and also that it was extremely wicked, and would certainly make her very miserable; they at last kissed her, and let her go down to breakfast; but still they behaved very gravely to her, for it was impossible to have as good an opinion of her, as if she had not been so naughty. She was, herself, very uneasy at the thoughts of her folly; and endeavoured, all in her power, to make amends by being very good, and doing every thing she was bid, which, to be sure, was the only way to regain the love of her friends. But, still it was impossible to untell the falsity she had spoken; nor could she be so much de­pended upon afterwards, as if she had not told it. When Saturday arrived, all the young folks waited with great patience, though they thought the time rather long, until the good child's box should be opened, and when it was unlocked, [Page 103] Master George had another book, a History of Birds and Beasts given him: Miss Maria a very hand­some fan: Master Charles a set of nine-pins: Miss Harriot a set of doll's tea things; and Master Thomas a bag of marbles; but Miss Char­lotte, who had, during the week, been so ex­tremely naughty, had not any one thing given her, not even so much as an orange or an apple. She was, you may be sure, sadly mortified, to be obliged to go without, though she could not but acknowledge she did not deserve any, and all the others were much delighted with their presents.

The example of Charlotte's punishment, had so good an effect upon them, that all except­ing Charles, took care never to deserve the same: neither was Miss Charlotte ever guilty of telling another lie. Little Thomas, at one time, neg­lected his book for a few days; so that he was obliged to wear the medal which was the badge of idleness and sloth, and, excepting that, Mr. and Mrs. Jennet never had occasion to unlock the naughty child's box for any of their children

but Charles; who, notwithstanding all the pains that were taken with him, and all the encourage­ment he met with when good, would frequently be very naughty, and was so bad as to oblige his papa to use, not only all the disgraceful medals and fools cap, but also the rods upon him. All his brothers and sisters, when they grew up, were very worthy men and women, comfortable to themselves, and beloved and admired by every body who knew them. Whereas, Charles, from the badness of his disposition, and cross disoblig­ing [Page 105] temper, was despised, and shunned by all mankind; nobody liked to be in company with him, and even his brothers and sisters went but seldom to see him; though they would have gone with all their hearts, if he would but have been kind and civil to them; but, instead of be­ing so, he was so quarrel some, that they never knew how to please him, or not give offence. In short, he was a most miserable, unhappy man, and past all his time extremely uncomfortable, without being beloved by any one person in the world. He lived by himself, for no one chose to live with him; nor could he ever get servants to stay with him above a month at a time; neither did any of his neighbours visit him, because they did not chuse to keep company with so bad tempered a person. His sad behaviour gave the greatest uneasiness to his parents, and they would certainly have died of grief, had they not been comforted by the very different con­duct of his brothers and sisters, who, by their kind and dutiful behaviour, gave them great satisfaction and joy; and, by their constant at­tention [Page 106] to every thing their father and mother liked, repayed that pains and care they had taken of their education. It is much to be wished that all children, who read this history, will learn to imitate the good Miss and Master Jennets, and, if ever they have been naughty before, it is to be hoped, that like Miss Char­lotte, they will repent, and be sorry for their crimes, and take care never to be guilty of the same again, for fear lest they should at last come to be as unhappy and miserable as Master Charles; which, they may depend upon it, they will be, if, like him, they neglect to mind what is said to them.

I hope therefore, the child who is now reading this pretty book, will remember and always take pains to be good.