as an excuse for giving way to ill-temper, and, in fact, leaving ourselves
to be tossed and shaken by every tremble of our nerves. That is as if a
man should give himself into the hands and will and caprice of an
organ-grinder, to work upon him, not with the music of the spheres, but
with the wretched growling of the streets."

"But," said Wynnie, "I have heard you yourself, papa, make excuse for
people's ill-temper on this very ground, that they were out of health.
Indeed," she went on, half-crying, "I have heard you do so for myself, when
you did not know that I was within hearing."

"Yes, my dear, most assuredly. It is no fiction, but a real difference that
lies between excusing ourselves and excusing other people. No doubt the
same excuse is just for ourselves that is just for other people. But we can
do something to put ourselves right upon a higher principle, and therefore
we should not waste our time in excusing, or even in condemning ourselves,
but make haste up the hill. Where we cannot work--that is, in the life of
another--we have time to make all the excuse we can. Nay more; it is only
justice there. We are not bound to insist on our own rights, even of
excuse; the wisest thing often is to forego them. But we are bound by
heaven, earth, and hell to give them to other people. And, besides, what
a comfort to ourselves to be able to say, 'It is true So-and-so was cross
to-day. But it wasn't in the least that he wasn't friendly, or didn't like
me; it was only that he had eaten something that hadn't agreed with him.
I could see it in his eye. He had one of his headaches.' Thus, you see,
justice to our neighbour, and comfort to ourselves, is one and the same
thing. But it would be a sad thing to have to think that when we found
ourselves in the same ungracious condition, from whatever cause, we had
only to submit to it, saying, 'It is a law of nature,' as even those who
talk most about laws will not do, when those laws come between them and