The boys looked one upon another, and were silent, till the eldest of them, Giles, replied, “I am sorry that I killed it, but I did not know that there was any harm.”
“Surely,” said Ella, in a very gentle voice, “in a world where there is so much pain, one would be sorry to add, even in the least degree, to the amount of it. There is another feeling,” continued she, “that should make us merciful to every creature; we should look upon it as one of the wonderful works of God.”
“Why,” said Anthony, “a butterfly is only a caterpillar after it has wings.”
“True; but what human skill could form a caterpillar! It has been calculated that in a single caterpillar there are sixty thousand muscles!”
An exclamation of astonishment burst from the boys.
“They must be finer than spiders’ threads,” cried Giles.
“I daresay,” replied the lady, “that you are not aware that each separate spider’s thread is said to be formed of about three thousand joined together.”
“The world seems full of wonders,” exclaimed little Robert.
“It is indeed; the more we search into God’s works, the more wisdom and skill do we behold.”