Cissy, aged nine years, smiles at this remark, and says,—“You don’t know what you’re talking about, my dear child; I can be aunt or grandmamma: Johnny can be father, if he likes.”
Johnny is marching up and down the room with a gun over his shoulder. He is two years old, and likes to be one thing at a time, so he answers in a gruff voice,—“No, me tan’t: Donny soldar; tan’t be father now;” and he continues his march.
“I shall call it Tommy,” says Lily.
“Teddy’s a prettier name,” suggests Cissy.
“Shan’t call it Teddy,” rejoins Lily; “peoples ’ill think he’s a donkey.” Lily once knew a donkey who had that name.
“Pretty Teddy! Teddy! Teddy!” cries Cissy in a teazing way. Whereupon Lily, who, I am sorry to say, is very short-tempered, raises her little hand, and brings it down smartly on Cissy’s face. A skirmish takes place: the sparrow flies off to a distant part of the room; and mamma, coming in at the moment, finds voices raised, tears flowing, and red and angry faces.
After hearing what each has to say, mamma thinks that both children have been very naughty, and she tells them to make it up. Neither will say that she is sorry. Then mamma looks very grave, and tells the children how we ought always to ask pardon when we have done wrong.
At last peace is restored: the little girls kiss each other and are quite happy again. Then Cissy says:—“Sometimes people had better not ask pardon, mamma dear. Don’t you remember Hans Christian Andersen’s story in ‘What the Moon saw?’”
“I doubt very much, dear, if there is any story of Hans Christian Andersen’s which teaches us we ought not to ask pardon, when we have done wrong: I don’t know which you can be thinking of. ‘What the Moon saw’ is a collection of little stories, one of which is supposed to be related every evening by the moon to a poor artist, who was fond of looking at her from his window. The moon relates to him something she has seen on the world every evening. But, Cissy dear, get the book, and read us the story you are thinking of; it is sure to be amusing.”
