Madam How and Lady Why | Page 8

and patient Madam How is in most matters,

her keeping silence and not seeming to see you is no sign that she has
forgotten. On the contrary, she bears a grudge (if one may so say, with
all respect to her) longer than any one else does; because she will
always have her own again. Indeed, I sometimes think that if it were
not for Lady Why, her mistress, she might bear some of her grudges for
ever and ever. I have seen men ere now damage some of Madam How's
property when they were little boys, and be punished by her all their
lives long, even though she had mended the broken pieces, or turned
them to some other use. Therefore I say to you, beware of Madam How.
She will teach you more kindly, patiently, and tenderly than any mother,
if you want to learn her trade. But if, instead of learning her trade, you
damage her materials and play with her tools, beware lest she has her
own again out of you.
Some people think, again, that Madam How is not only stupid, but
ill-tempered and cruel; that she makes earthquakes and storms, and
famine and pestilences, in a sort of blind passion, not caring where they
go or whom they hurt; quite heedless of who is in the way, if she wants
to do anything or go anywhere. Now, that Madam How can be very
terrible there can be no doubt: but there is no doubt also that, if people
choose to learn, she will teach them to get out of her way whenever she
has business to do which is dangerous to them. But as for her being
cruel and unjust, those may believe it who like. You, my dear boys and
girls, need not believe it, if you will only trust to Lady Why; and be
sure that Why is the mistress and How the servant, now and for ever.
That Lady Why is utterly good and kind I know full well; and I believe
that, in her case too, the old proverb holds, "Like mistress, like
servant;" and that the more we know of Madam How, the more we
shall be content with her, and ready to submit to whatever she does: but
not with that stupid resignation which some folks preach who do not
believe in lady Why--that is no resignation at all. That is merely saying
-
"What can't be cured Must be endured,"
like a donkey when he turns his tail to a hail-storm,--but the true
resignation, the resignation which is fit for grown people and children
alike, the resignation which is the beginning and the end of all wisdom
and all religion, is to believe that Lady Why knows best, because she
herself is perfectly good; and that as she is mistress over Madam How,

so she has a Master over her, whose name--I say again--I leave you to
guess.
So now that I have taught you not to be afraid of Madam How, we will
go and watch her at her work; and if we do not understand anything we
see, we will ask her questions. She will always show us one of her
lesson books if we give her time. And if we have to wait some time for
her answer, you need not fear catching cold, though it is November; for
she keeps her lesson books scattered about in strange places, and we
may have to walk up and down that hill more than once before we can
make out how she makes the glen.
Well--how was the glen made? You shall guess it if you like, and I will
guess too. You think, perhaps, that an earthquake opened it?
My dear child, we must look before we guess. Then, after we have
looked a little, and got some grounds for guessing, then we may guess.
And you have no ground for supposing there ever was an earthquake
here strong enough to open that glen. There may have been one: but we
must guess from what we do know, and not from what we do not.
Guess again. Perhaps it was there always, from the beginning of the
world? My dear child, you have no proof of that either. Everything
round you is changing in shape daily and hourly, as you will find out
the longer you live; and therefore it is most reasonable to suppose that
this glen has changed its shape, as everything else on earth has done.
Besides, I told you not that Madam How had made the glen, but that
she was making it, and as yet has only half finished. That is my first
guess; and my next guess is that water is making the glen--water, and
nothing else.
You open your young