"Ah, yes! in the Bible; but then in the Bible every one does what is right. I never think the persons we read of there could be like us."
"They did not always do right, though," answered Amy, "because it very often says that God was displeased with them. You know how angry Moses was once, and how he was not allowed to go with the Israelites. Whenever I read that, I always think that I should have felt exactly like him."
"I cannot say I ever thought much about it," said Dora. "One hears it all in church; but I always am so sleepy on a Sunday, that I cannot attend."
"But I suppose you are not always sleepy when you read at home."
"I never do read at home now; we used to do it when we were children, for mamma taught us to read like every one else out of the Bible, but I thought of nothing but the hard words, and it always appeared a lesson book, and so I never looked at it afterwards. I forgot, though, on a Sunday we were accustomed to read a chapter, but we have left off that lately—I don't quite know why, except that we are too old."
"Too old to read the Bible!" repeated Amy, with a feeling of painful surprise that her cousin should have such ideas.
"I don't mean too old to read it at all," replied Dora, "but too old to be forced to do it."
"Mamma does not force me to do it," said Amy; "but it seems to come naturally; the day would be quite strange if we missed it."
"Do you mean to say that you read it every day, or only on Sundays?"
"Every day," replied Amy. "We always read the psalms and lessons the first thing after breakfast, except on Wednesdays and Fridays, and Saints' days, when we go to church."