Whatever might be her secret suffering, with the little ones Emma
was invariably patient and tender. However dirty they had made,
themselves during the day, however much they cried when hunger made
them irritable, they went to their aunt's side with the assurance of
finding gentleness in reproof and sympathy with their troubles. Yet
once she was really angry. Bertie told her a deliberate untruth, and
she at once discovered it. She stood silent for a few moments,
looking as Bertie had never seen her look. Then she said:
'Do you know, Bertie, that it is wrong to try and deceive?'
Then she tried to, make him understand why falsehood was evil, and
as she spoke to the child her voice quivered, her breast heaved.
When the little fellow was overcome, and began to sob, Emma checked
herself, recollecting that she had lost sight of the offender's age,
and was using expressions which he could not understand. But the
lesson was effectual. If ever the brother and sister were tempted to
hide anything by a falsehood they remembered 'Aunt Emma's' face, and
durst not incur the danger of her severity.
So she told her stories to the humming of the machine, and when it
was nearly the children's bedtime she broke off to ask them if they
would like some bread and butter. Among all the results of her
poverty the bitterest to Emma was when she found herself _hoping
that the children would not eat much_.
Pages:
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687