and I felt her influence over me. Jane at the moment approached
with the glass. Her sister, Marianne, wished to take it from her.
"No!" cried the child, with the sweetest expression of face,
"Charlotte must drink first."

The affection and simplicity with which this was uttered so charmed
me, that I sought to express my feelings by catching up the child
and kissing her heartily. She was frightened, and began to cry.
"You should not do that," said Charlotte: I felt perplexed. "Come,
Jane," she continued, taking her hand, and leading her down the
steps again, "it is no matter: wash yourself quickly in the fresh
water." I stood and watched them; and when I saw the little dear
rubbing her cheeks with her wet hands, in full belief that all
the impurities contracted from my ugly beard would be washed off
by the miraculous water, and how, though Charlotte said it would
do, she continued still to wash with all her might, as though she
thought too much were better than too little, I assure you, Wilhelm,
I never attended a baptism with greater reverence; and, when
Charlotte came up from the well, I could have prostrated myself
as before the prophet of an Eastern nation.

In the evening I would not resist telling the story to a person
who, I thought, possessed some natural feeling, because he was a
man of understanding. But what a mistake I made. He maintained
it was very wrong of Charlotte, that we should not deceive children,
that such things occasioned countless mistakes and superstitions,
from which we were bound to protect the young. It occurred to me
then, that this very man had been baptised only a week before; so
I said nothing further, but maintained the justice of my own
convictions. We should deal with children as God deals with us,