While they were away, Aunty Stevens said, "Isn't that a pretty hard
test?"

The children's mother shook her head thoughtfully at the dancing fire.

"I hope not," she said. "I don't wish them to do things now that they
will repent of afterwards. But it seems to me that if they are trained
now to be unselfish, they will always be so. Don't you think, dear Mrs.
Stevens, that the whole trouble with the world is its selfishness?"

"No doubt at all about it," said the older woman, nodding emphatically
over her flying needles.

"Then if the world is to be made better, and rid of this, which lies at
the bottom of all the crime, sin and unhappiness, the younger ones of us
will have to be taught to sacrifice, at least some luxuries, to help
give less fortunate ones the necessities of life," said Mrs. Rayburn,
getting interested, and talking fast and earnestly.

"How I hate the expression 'Look out for number one,' It's such teaching
as this, that makes human beings so forgetful of others," she went on
after a little pause, "and the modern socialist only seems to be trying
to exchange one set of selfish, grasping rules for another of the same
sort. So the world will go on, until the laws are again based on the
teaching of our Lord, and Christian socialism will prevail."

"Yes, you are quite right, but what are you among so many?" asked Aunty
Stevens, smiling across at her friend.