SPEAK THE TRUTH.
"It is my doll, and he wants it," cried Susan, running to her papa and mamma, all in tears and anger. "I only wanted to look at it, you cross girl!" said Edmund, running after her, and trying to snatch the doll from her. "Hello, young man!" said his father, "do you use your strength only to oppress the weak? Fie! I thought it was the first duty of a man to protect a woman, not abuse her."—"Yes, papa, but Susan is such a pet, and such a peevish little girl."—"No, Sir," said Susan, "it is you who are a tyrant, and a rude, rude boy."—"I am no tyrant, miss."—"Yes, Sir, you are."—"Silence, if you please, both of you," cried their father; and their mother, drawing Susan towards her, asked her how the fray began. Now Susan was a girl of truth, and when she began to think over the matter, she found she had been cross, as her brother said; and, like a noble child, she would not change the truth to hide her fault; so she blushed, and was silent, and cast down her eyes. Edmund, therefore, came forward to speak, and he did say a few words bold enough at first, as thus: "Papa, now I will tell you all about it; I wanted to see Susan's doll, and so I—I," here he began to stammer. "Speak on," said his father; "you wished to see Susan's doll, and you asked her to let you look at it." Edmund was now quite silent, he too blushed and cast down his eyes, whilst Susan peeped at him slyly through a corner of her eye, and smiled upon him, with a pretty saucy smile. He felt willing to smile also; but he tried to look grave. "As Edmund does not go on to tell us all about it," said his father archly, "suppose, my little Sue, you begin the story where he left off." So Susan said, in a kind of whisper, "I would not have kept it, if he,"—then she stopped, and added, "I believe I was cross."—"No, no," cried Edmund loudly, "you were not cross, till I was rude. Papa," said he, firmly, "I wanted to snatch the doll from her, and that's the truth of the matter." His father shook hands with him, and said, "That's my fine fellow! Always speak the truth, even when it shews your faults." Susan held up her little mouth to her brother, and he kissed her, and called her his pretty little Sue; and their mother said, "There is nothing like speaking the truth for ending quarrels, and making us all live in peace."