that very garden which had been the scene of their strife, and
consequently of their misery; and then spoke to them the following
speech; which she delivered in so mild a voice, that it was
sufficient to charm her hearers into attention, and to persuade
them to be led by her advice, and to follow her example in the
paths of goodness.

'My dear friends and schoolfellows, you cannot imagine the
happiness it gives me to see you thus all so heartily reconciled.
You will find the joyful fruits of it. Nothing can show so much
sense as thus to own yourselves in fault; for could anything have
been so foolish as to spend all your time in misery, rather than
at once to make use of the power you have of making yourselves
happy? Now if you will use as many endeavours to love as you have
hitherto done to hate each other, you will find that every one
amongst you, whenever you have anything given you, will have
double, nay, I may say eight times (as there are eight of you) the
pleasure, in considering that your companions are happy. What is
the end of quarrels, but that everyone is fretted and vexed, and
no one gains anything! Whereas by endeavouring to please and love
each other, the end is happiness to ourselves, and joy to everyone
around us. I am sure, if you will speak the truth, none of you
have been so easy since you quarrelled, as you are now you are
reconciled. Answer me honestly, if this is not truth.'

Here Miss Jenny was silent, and waited for an answer. But the
poor girls, who had in them the seeds of goodwill to each other,
although those seeds were choked and overrun with the weeds of
envy and pride; as in a garden the finest strawberries will be
spoiled by rank weeds, if care is not taken to root them out;