“Yes, my child. I noticed it when you first came here. It has made you very unpopular with your playmates. When I went to the picnic this afternoon, I found that nearly all the girls were glad you had left them. They all said Katy and Jenny had done just right in leaving you.”
“It was very rude of them,” said Josephine, beginning to cry. “I haven’t done any thing to make them hate me so.”
“I hope they don’t hate you, but they don’t like you. I do not wonder that they don’t like you, either. You may call it rude, but the girls can never like you while you try to make servants of them.”
“Why, Mrs. Lee!” exclaimed Josephine.
“You may be surprised, but I have seen you send Flora upon a dozen errands in half an hour.”
“I have asked her to do something for me very often, perhaps; but I only asked it as a favor.”
“One should not ask too many favors. Now let me give you a rule, which I hope you will follow. Never ask others to do for you what you can just as well do yourself. You will have to ask many favors of your friends; and they will most cheerfully confer them, if you do not ask too many.”
“The girls said I was always asking them to do something for me. But I am sure I did not mean any thing wrong, and I will try to do better.”
“You are very polite to your playmates,” added Mrs. Lee; “and politeness is a good thing in a little girl; but we should be sure that it is true politeness, for there are two kinds.”
“I never knew there was more than one kind of politeness,” said Josephine.