admitted by Alice, who saw him coming. She asked him to come in and
sit down, then inquired if he had travelled far, and set before him some
bread and butter and cold water.
"My father is a minister," she said, "and always asks travellers to stay.
We have some dinner in the oven, and we shall all of us like to have
you stay and dine. You look pale and tired; you had better stay."
These words Alice said with such a sweet, confiding earnestness, that
the wicked purpose died away from the heart of the intended thief. He
felt as if he was in the presence of an angel. He looked at her in wonder.
All the evil in him seemed to depart.
"You are very good," he said. "Do you take care of the house all alone
by yourself?"
"O yes," she replied; "it does not take much trouble. There is no one to
harm us. Would you like a book to read till papa and mamma come
home; here is my Testament; or would you like I should read to you?"
"Read to me," said the man.
As Alice read from the history of Jesus, the tears ran down the robber's
cheeks; he said nothing.
When the curate came home, he repeated Alice's invitation to dine. The
man accepted it. After dinner, when he thanked Alice and her father for
their kindness to him, he said to the curate, "Your daughter is an angel,
and has saved me from sin. I go away a better man than I came."
He then confessed the evil intentions with which he had entered the
house, told how Alice's trusting, gentle kindness had disarmed him, and
promised the curate that he would henceforward be a better man.
I do not mean to say that Alice never did any wrong thing. She was,
however, so sorry for a fault, she repented so soon, and then did all she
could to repair it, that no one could help forgiving her. She had a trick
of squinting now and then. Her mother thought that my curls perplexed
the bright eyes under them; and, to prevent the evil, drew up all the
pretty locks in a bunch, tied them together, and said, "Now, Alice, your
hair is all out of the way, and you will not squint."
Alice was annoyed by this; she was a little vain of my beauty, and the
disregard of her looks, which she thought these words indicated, fretted
her.
Her father saw this, and, to make the tying less disagreeable, said to her,
one day, "Alice, I see you don't like to have your hair tied up; you don't
think it reasonable. Come now, bear it patiently for a month; and, at the
end of that time, I will give you the little work box I am ornamenting
with straw."
Alice agreed, and promised to be patient, and to keep her hair tied up.
During the month, it happened that Alice was invited to a little party of
girls at her aunt's.
Alice hoped that her father and mother would absolve her from the
promise, that afternoon; but no, her mother only tied up her hair with a
new ribbon for the occasion. I, with all my beautiful curls, was drawn
away from her dear face as far as possible. Alice found this hard to
bear.
As she was on the way to the party, she could hardly keep from crying.
"What is the matter?" said her father.
"Nothing, father," said Alice, "only a little headache; mother has tied
my hair too tight."
"Loosen it," said her father.
Alice did loosen it, so that the string was just ready to come off.
When she arrived at her aunt's, where her father left her, I was just
escaping from my hateful confinement, and her aunt took hold of the
hair as the string fell on the floor.
"Shall I tie it on again, Alice, or shall your pretty hair go just so? I don't
see the use of tying it, but, if you really wish it, my dear, just step up
stairs, and Jane will do it for you very nicely. Perhaps your mother
would choose it to be tied; she is very particular. It is a pity to confine
such beautiful curls, but, if it must be so, we can't help it. Will you go
up stairs? Here is the string; it dropped on the floor."
"No," said Alice, "it is of no consequence;" and she put the string into
her pocket.
Again I fell upon her beautiful forehead, and kissed her rosy cheeks;
and every one admired my beauty.
Alice tried to forget that she was breaking her promise, and enjoyed
herself pretty well.
When she went home, her mother
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