'And then money is the god of such people, I suppose, and they are the
ones that break the first commandment?'

'Not the only ones, my dear; there are a great many earthly gods, and
they are continually leading us away from the God of heaven. Whatever we
love better than Him, becomes our God, for to that we yield our
heart-worship.'

'I never thought of that before, mother. Yesterday, Jane Wiston told me
that her mother didn't visit Mrs Aimes because she was poor; and when I
told her that you said Mrs Aimes was very pious, she said it did not
make any difference, ladies never visited there. Is Mrs Wiston's god
money?'

'If Mrs Wiston, or any other person, honours wealth more than humble,
unaffected piety, she disobeys the first commandment. But in judging of
others, my dear, always remember that _you cannot see the heart_, and
so, however bad the appearance may be, you have a right to put the best
possible construction on every action.'

'How can I believe that Mrs Wiston's heart is any better than her
actions, mother?'

'In the first place, Jane might have been mistaken, and money may have
nothing to do with her mother's visits; and if she is really correct,
Mrs Wiston may never have considered this properly, and so at least she
deserves charity. I desire you to think a great deal on this subject,
and when you understand it better, we will talk more about it.'

'I think I understand it now, mother. Every thing we love better than