chosen the left hand, she ought to have been content. If she had got the
apple, you would have had the credit of giving her an equal chance with
you, and she ought therefore to have had the full benefit of the chance.

"And then you, Lucy, did wrong, for, although Rollo asked you to choose,
he did not _actually promise_ you your choice, and as he was under no
obligation to give you either, you ought not to have insisted upon his
fulfilling his _implied promise_. Is it not so?"

The children both saw and admitted that it was.

"The best way, I think," she continued, "would have been for you, Rollo,
to have given the _pear_ to Lucy, as she was your visitor, and a young
lady too. Then she would have given you half in eating it. However, you
were not very much in the wrong, either of you. It was a sort of a
doubtful case. But I hope you see from it, Rollo, what I wanted to
teach you, that you are no more inclined to prefer other persons'
pleasure to your own, than other children are. Remember Jonas's couplet
hereafter. I think it is a very good one. Now go and get a knife, and
cut the fruit; and see, it does not rain but little; you can go and get
your pea-pods now."

Away went the children out into the kitchen after a knife. Rollo wanted
to cut the apple and the pear himself, and Lucy made no objection; and
we must do him the justice to say that he gave rather the largest half
of each to Lucy. They then went out into the shed, Rollo taking with him
a dipper of water to wash his feet when he came back from the garden.
Rollo then took off his shoes, and gave Lucy his share of the fruit, to
keep for him, and then sallied forth into the yard, holding the umbrella
over his head, as a few drops of rain were still falling.