Carrys Rose | Page 3

about such a trifle."
"That may be all very true, dear," said her mamma, "but I do not like to see Herbert giving way to such a disposition. It has grieved both papa and me many a time to see our boy growing up with that constant wish to tease and torment any helpless creature he meets, more especially his own sister. We sent him to school to see if it would do him good; but I fear, if it has checked him it has not cured him. I should like to see my boy grow up manly and courageous; for it is only a cowardly disposition that tries to tease a little girl or torment a dumb animal."
Still Caroline could not help being sorry for Herbert, and when she saw him looking, as she fancied, very dull during dinner, she slipped away after him, thinking that he must be very unhappy, though all the time he was just indulging himself in a fit of the sulks. At first he was inclined to treat Caroline's advances to friendship in a surly manner, but a glance at her earnest, gentle eyes made him feel ashamed of himself; and being at the same time tired of his solitude, he at length consented to play a game at bagatelle. He even went so far as to say, "Well, after all Carry, you are a good little thing; I do annoy you terribly, which is not fair, because you are so forgiving. Well, to make up for it, I'll be very kind to you to-morrow."
When Herbert came to bid his mamma good-night in her room, he had quite forgotten that she had been angry with him during the day. He was very much surprised, therefore, when, instead of kissing him, she pushed him back from her knee, saying, "I fear I have no good-night kiss for you, my boy, at present."
"Why, mamma, what have I done?" said Herbert, the tears starting to his eyes, for he knew that if his mamma refused to kiss him she must indeed be angry.
"You surely have not forgotten how displeased I was with you this forenoon for teasing your sister!" said Mrs. Ashcroft in a tone of severity.
"But, mamma, Carry has forgotten it now; and I told her I was sorry," said Herbert eagerly. "I'm sure all I did to her couldn't hurt her so very much."
[Illustration: HERBERT AND HIS MAMMA.]
"Perhaps not, my son," said Mrs. Ashcroft; "but you remember the reason why we sent you away to school was to see if this bad habit of teasing could be cured. If I had thought you were to begin the very first day you were at home, I should have allowed you to stay at school during the holidays also."
"But there wasn't one boy stayed behind at school this half," said Herbert; "you surely wouldn't have left me all alone, mamma!"
"Indeed I would, Herbert," replied his mamma firmly; "and what is more, if you persevere in this bad habit, I shall speak to papa as to whether it would not be advisable to send you back to school even yet."
Herbert could not help seeing that his mamma really meant what she said, and this threat frightened him so much that he wept bitterly. "Mamma," he said, "if you will only forgive me this once, I will try very hard not to tease Carry all the time I am at home."
"Well, my boy," said Mrs. Ashcroft kindly, "we will give you one more trial, and I hope you will not only try very hard, but ask God to help you to be a good boy."
Herbert, before he went to his own room, opened his sister's door very carefully to see if she were in bed. Carry did not hear him, she was so intent looking out of the window at the rain. "I like to see the rain," she was saying to herself; "but I do hope it will pour itself out during the night, for Herbert's sake; it is very hard for him, poor fellow."
[Illustration: WATCHING THE RAIN.]
Herbert pulled to the door very gently, and retired to his own room, with the feeling stronger than ever that his sister was really "a good little thing."
[Illustration: NEPTUNE.]
The next morning was as bright as a morning could well be, with everything out-of-doors looking fresh after the rain, so that when breakfast was over, Herbert and Caroline, with the large dog Neptune, lost not a moment in setting out for a long ramble into the country. At first Herbert seemed to remember his words of the previous evening, and was very kind to Caroline, helping her carefully over the stepping-stones at the river, instead of frightening her as he used to do. Then he always held open the gates of the different