"We ought to spare expense," replied her father, "whenever we can supply its place by care, industry, and order. The true use of money is to give us those things which we could not otherwise obtain; for instance, we cannot make our own shoes or clothes; therefore, we pay for having them made; and according to the usages of society, we cannot enjoy a certain position, and still wait upon ourselves; we therefore pay, in order to have servants. But a lady who, instead of taking care of her own household, and superintending her servants, pays another to do it in her place, makes but a bad use of her money; for it is absurd to employ it in purchasing from others what we can do ourselves. The same may be said of those who, instead of employing their activity and care in doing good, only make use of their money. They spend a great deal, and accomplish very little; for he who does everything with money, has never sufficient."
"It seems to me," said Ernestine, "that we also lose the pleasure of doing good; for if I had had ten louis to give to Marianne, they would not have afforded me so much happiness as the care which you have allowed me to take of her all the summer."
M. de Cideville informed his daughter, that there were many persons who believed they could render themselves happy by getting rid of everything which occasioned them the slightest trouble, but who, on the contrary, gave themselves up to the most frightful ennui. He told her that this happened to all those who shrank from struggling with the first difficulties and annoyances of a project: and, in fact, Ernestine remembered that, at the first moment, she would gladly have transferred to her parents, had she dared to do so, the care of providing for Marianne's wants, and thus have lost all the happiness she had since enjoyed.
Ernestine has grown up. It is usually on her father's estate that she employs, every year, the four louis, and especially the astonishing talent she has acquired of doing a great deal of good with very little money. She is adored by every one in the village, and as she has rendered services to many among them, she readily obtains from them assistance for those who stand in need of it. Thus her resources multiply. She has sown, in a corner of her father's park, those medicinal plants which are most generally required, and has also learned to dry them. She hopes that Suzette, who is becoming a pretty good workwoman, will soon, under her direction, be able to instruct the other girls of the village. She and her nurse have also taught her to read. As for herself, she endeavours to learn everything which can aid her in doing good, without spending too much money, and she laughs very heartily when she calls to mind the regret she once felt at not being able to spend a louis on a moving picture.
FRANÇOU.
As Madame d'Inville was one day walking along the Boulevard, accompanied by her grandson Eugène, and her granddaughter Mélanie, they saw a concourse of people collected, in the form of a circle, around one of those men who perform difficult and perilous feats. He had with him a little girl, dressed partly as a boy and partly as a girl. Her hair was arranged in female fashion, as was the upper part of her dress, but the lower part terminated in trousers. This little girl was walking upon her hands, with her head downwards, and her feet in the air, and performing a variety of tricks, which amused the children very much, so that Madame d'Inville was kind enough to stop and look at them for some time. At length, after giving them some money, she went away. It was not that Madame d'Inville felt much pleasure in giving to persons who follow useless occupations; but as her grandchildren had been much amused, she thought it but right to pay for the pleasure they had received.
As they were walking along, Mélanie expressed her admiration of the dress of the little girl, all covered with spangles and chains of different colours. Eugène remarked that it was all dirty and torn, and that most of the things she saw glittering were nothing more than strips of gilt paper. Nevertheless, Mélanie appeared to be so dazzled with this costume, that her grandmamma jestingly proposed that she should go and take the little girl's place. Mélanie exclaimed against this, and Eugène said, "Probably Mélanie would not mind being beaten, as perhaps that poor little thing is every morning, before putting on her beautiful dress."