"But think, Marietta, how cross you will be! Think how often I shall be obliged to scold you, in order to make you do your duty; for you know I must make you do it in order to fulfil my own: for although we have been to Malmaison, we must nevertheless do our duty. What a day I shall have! for you are not the girl to spare me in these things."
"And what makes you think that?" inquired Marietta, somewhat piqued.
"Oh! it would be all very well," replied Madame Leroi, "if you were older, and had more sense; I should then say to you, 'My child, so long as I was necessary to you, I devoted myself to you; now it is your turn to devote yourself to me, and endeavour to be useful to me; do, therefore, what I ask you, in order to spare me the trouble;' and you would do it, for you would be reasonable."
Marietta immediately got up, put away her things so quickly, and commenced her lessons with such a firm determination to overcome her lassitude, that she soon quite forgot it. She carried out her resolution bravely during the whole morning, and at all points. She never once hesitated to get up the moment her mother required her to do so, and even anticipated her commands and wishes as often as she could. Noticing that Madame Leroi was looking for her footstool she was the first to perceive it, and hastened to place it under her mother's feet. On another occasion, when the ball of worsted had rolled to the farther end of the room, Marietta was there as soon as it, and brought it back to her mother, who said to her, smiling, "Indeed, Marietta, I shall be tempted to believe, that to day it is you who belong to me;" and Marietta, full of joy, threw her arms round her mother's neck. However, the moment after, having stumbled through a passage on the harp, she became cross with her mother because she made her repeat it.
"Marietta," said Madame Leroi, "do not force me to remember that it is I who belong to you, and that if you persist I shall be obliged, in spite of myself, to scold you."
Marietta immediately resumed her task, and this morning, which had commenced so unfavourably, terminated without a cloud, and in the happiest manner possible.
At their dinner, which was always very simple, they had two mutton cutlets. "Mamma," said Marietta, "will you give me the one with a bone?"
"Certainly not, my child," replied her mother, "for you know that I like it best; and," she added, smiling, "I have your interest too much at heart to permit you to contract the bad habit of thus preferring yourself to others."
"And yet, mamma, you pretend to belong to me."
"Oh! my child, I know my duty too well to allow you to abuse my devotion:" and she helped herself to the cutlet.