tell them that such and such things must on no account be touched,
and explain the reason why; at the same time I gave them free
permission to play with other things that could sustain no serious
injury. Only once or twice has any of them ventured to trespass on
forbidden ground. But, instead of scolding, or even administering a
reprimand, I forbade the one who had done wrong coming to my room
for a certain time. In no case have I had to repeat the
interdiction. If I can thus govern them in my room, I am sure you
can do it in the whole house, if you go the right way about it."

"You say that you always attend to them when they come to you?" said
Mrs. Elder.

"Yes. I try to do so, no matter how much I am engaged."

"If I were to do that, I would be attending to them all the time. I
couldn't sit a moment with a visitor, nor say three words to
anybody. You saw how it was this morning. The moment I sat down to
talk with Mrs. Peters, Mary came and commenced interrupting me at
every word, until I was forced to put her from the room."

"Yes, I saw it," replied the brother in a voice that plainly enough
betrayed his disapproval of his sister's conduct in that particular
instance.

"And you think I ought to have neglected my visitor to attend to an
ill-mannered child?"

"I think, when Mary came to you, as she did, that you should have
attended to her at once. If you had done so, you would have relieved