“I am sure even you would have been satisfied if you had seen the state the poor little fellow was in when he was brought home,” replied Mrs. Eldon. “You would have thought him quite punished enough. She will not be so hard-hearted by and by, Mary, when she has children of her own,” continued Mrs. Eldon, smiling.
But Sarah was far from satisfied, and was disposed to contend the point, when her sister, rising, said,
“It is time for me to be going home. Is there any thing you want, or that I can do for you?”
“Nothing,” replied Sarah.
“Without,” said Mary, laughing, “you will give Georgey a whipping as soon as you get home. Now acknowledge, Sarah, that you would feel better if Mrs. Eldon would promise to act upon the suggestion.”
“I think Georgey would be the better, if I am not,” replied Sarah. “It is of great importance that he learns early that no misdemeanor will be overlooked.”
“When I can prevent the recurrence of a fault, I am satisfied,” replied Mrs. Eldon.
But Sarah was not. She was always for punishing the past, whether it had reference to the future or not.
Her sister bade her good morning, and Sarah remarking that “Charlotte would ruin her children if she persisted in her present system,” the subject dropped, and the friends soon after parted.
“Do you think Sarah will ever marry, Mrs. Eldon?” Mary asked one day; to which she replied,