“Sometimes I don’t, m’m; ’most always I do.”
“That’s right, little dear; that’s right. A lie is an abomination; do you see? Can you say the word?”
“A-bommer-nation,” repeated Dotty.
“‘An abomination to the Lord.’ That means He hates it. Now, if you ever feel as if you wanted to tell a lie, will you stop long enough to say ‘abomination’ three times?”
“Yes’m.”
“All, answer me.”
“Yes’m,” cried the children in chorus, looking up from their paper balls, and paper boats, and picture-books.
“That’s right, little dears,” said Mrs Piper; and then she waddled away to hear a class of one boy in arithmetic. After this she told the children to study their spelling lessons; and while they were doing so she looked around with a satisfied smile, and taking the tea-pot off the stove, and filling it, began to water the plants in the windows.
Dotty bit her lips.