Now, this good mother would gladly have bought another ring for Annie, and let Lillie keep her treasure, but that would not have been the right thing; so she took Lillie out walking with her, and as the little girl skipped and danced along, (for a little happy creature like that, scarcely ever walks,) she began her painful duty by saying, "Lillie, what is the golden rule?"
"I know," said Lillie, "Do as you would wish to be done by."
"Well, do you understand what it means?"
"Why, yes, mamma; papa says the golden rule means, that I must be good and kind to everybody, because I always want everybody to be good and kind to me."
"Well, Lillie," said her mother, in a very kind tone, "I must tell you about a mistake I have made. I am very, very sorry for it. I gave you two rings on Christmas day, and your cousin tells me, that she meant the cornelian ring for Annie. Now, Lillie, what will you do?"
"Oh, mamma!" exclaimed Lillie, and then she stopped, while a painful flush came all over her face, her little breast heaved, and her large and lovely blue eyes filled with tears. She felt very miserable, for a moment, then checking a rising sob, she said, softly—
"Mamma, you made two 'steaks. You said Christmas day, that I had too many presents; that was one 'steak, and Annie had too few, that was two 'steaks. I—I must give this ring to sister Annie. It is her ring. I shall only have one ring, but, never matter," and she sighed——and then she smiled.
"That is right, my darling," answered her mother, "that is doing just as you would wish to be done by."
So Lillie, with her great resolution filling her noble little heart, said not a word more, but hastened home with her mother, and walked straight up to Annie, with such a heaven-sent smile illuminating her sweet face, and took the precious ring off her finger, and said, "Here, Annie; this is your ring, take it; it was meant for you all the time, but mamma didn't know it," and here the rosy lips began to tremble, and Lillie was silent.