"And I will always be as good as if dear mother could see me, and love me for it too," said she to nurse the day after her mother was buried.
"My dear young lady," said nurse, "your mother will see it, and love you for doing your duty."
"How can dear mother see me? Her eyes are closed, and she is in the dark grave," said Clara.
"But she will see you from heaven, Miss Clara, where she is gone to receive the reward of her good conduct in this world; for though her body is in the earth, her spirit is in heaven."
"And shall I never see my own dear mother again?" said Clara.
"Yes, Miss Clara; if you are good, you will go to heaven when you die, and become an angel like her."
"Then," said Clara, "I will pray to God to make me good, and when I am going to do anything wrong I will say to myself, 'If I do this, I shall never go to heaven, and see my dear mother when I die.'"
"I wish," said nurse, "that Master Charles was like you, and would try to be good."
But though Charles was sometimes sorry for his bad behavior, he did not try to mend, because he thought it was too much trouble to be good, and said he did not care, because he was the son of a gentleman.