Susy; "we can't tell what God will think best; but anyhow, it was I that
did it."

"But, Susan, thee must think how innocent thee was of any wrong motive.
Thee did not get angry, and push thy little sister, thee knows thee
didn't, Susan! Thee was only in a hurry, and rather thoughtless. The
best of us often do very foolish things, and cause much mischief; but
thee'll find it isn't best to grieve over these mistakes. Why, my dear
little Susan, I have lived eight years to thy one, and if I should sit
down now and drop a tear for every blunder I have made, I don't know but
I could almost make a fountain of myself, like that woman thee tells
about in the fairy story."

"The fountain of Pirene that Pegasus loved," said Susy; "that was the
name of it. Why, grandma, I never should have thought of your saying
such a queer thing as that! Why, it seems as if you always did just
right, and thought it all over before you did it. Do _you_ ever do
wrong? How funny!"

Mrs. Read smiled sadly. She was not an angel yet; so I suppose she did
wrong once in a while.

"Now, grandma, I want to ask you one question, real sober and honest.
You know it was so dark that morning in the middle of the night, when we
were going down the back stairs? Now, if I'd made a great deal worse
mistake than calling Prudy a snail,--if I'd pushed her real hard, and
she had fallen faster,--O, I can't bear to think! I mean, if the
chair-prongs had hit her head, grandma--and--killed her! What would they
have done to _me_? I thought about it last night, so I couldn't go to
sleep for the longest while! I heard the clock _strike_ once while I was