CHAPTER VIII.
MARY JAY’S INSTRUCTIONS.
After Lucy had been several days in Mary Jay’s school, and had learned to work quietly by herself, for half an hour at a time, Mary Jay said, one day, that she would go and take a walk with her in the recess.
“Well,” said Lucy, “and I wish you would go down behind the garden, by the great rock, and show me where that path leads to.”
Mary Jay assented to this proposal, and they set out together. Lucy clambered over the stile without any trouble, and Mary Jay herself got over much more easily than Lucy had supposed possible. In fact, although Mary Jay appeared to be very lame in walking, yet she could walk without any pain, and without much inconvenience to herself. The difficulty was rather apparent than real.
Lucy was surprised, therefore, to see how readily Mary Jay mounted the steps of the stile, and descended on the other side.
“I believe I will leave one of my crutches here,” said she to Lucy, “and then I can take hold of your hand.”
So she led Lucy with one of her hands, while she managed the remaining crutch with the other; and thus they walked along the path which led towards the rocky precipice.
“Now, Lucy,” said Mary Jay, “I will tell you of some of the difficulties which children meet with in school. There are three things, which it belongs to a good scholar to do, which are rather hard.”
“What are they?” said Lucy.
“To continue to study after you have got tired of study, to try to do what you think you can’t do, and to obey orders when you think they are wrong.”