Madame de Rivry, although she liked Eudoxia, agreed that she busied herself much more in finding fault with her companions, than in making herself agreeable to them.
"That would be compromising her dignity," replied Madame de Croissy.
From that moment Eudoxia endeavoured to overcome her dislike and timidity. She mingled more frequently in the amusements of her companions, and at last took pleasure in them. But being now more at her ease with her playfellows, she told them more freely what she thought, and when she could not make them listen to reason, she would leave them with emotions of impatience, which she was unable to control.
"But why do you get impatient?" said her mother to her one day; "do they fail in their duty towards you, by not being as reasonable as you are?"
"No, mamma, but they fail in their duty to themselves, when they are so unreasonable, and it is that which irritates me."
"Listen, Eudoxia," continued her mother, "do you remember how irritable you used to be with your cousin Constance, because she paid so little attention to what she did, and broke everything that came in her way? One day you happened, by a carelessness of the same kind, to upset the table on which my writing-desk was placed; and I remember that from that time you have never been impatient with her."
"Oh! no, mamma, I assure you."
"Did you consider the fault of less importance because you happened to commit it yourself?"
"Quite the reverse, mamma, but that showed me that it was more difficult to avoid it than I had at first imagined."