CHAPTER XIII.
THE REWARD.
Mrs. Wilmot was with me three weeks, and then returned home to preparefor receiving her children again. It was from a letter of hers that Ilearned what I am now going to tell you.
Clara returned wearing the locket. Did you ever read a fairy tale inwhich a young prince is said to have been presented with a ring thatpricked his finger whenever he was in danger of doing wrong? Clara'slocket was to her what this ring was to the young prince. Whenever shewas about to spend money either on her own fancies or the fancies ofothers, it would remind her that till her debt was paid, the money inher purse was not hers, and that to be truly generous, she must first bejust. A month passed, and she took to Mrs. Wilmot nearly two dollars,which was all that remained of her pocket-money after paying Cecille.Mrs. Wilmot praised her for the effort she had made to do rightly, andClara was almost happy. Another month went by.
Cecille came to give her morning lesson, and immediately after it, Claraand Grace appeared at the door of the room in which Mrs. Wilmot wasseated.
"Come in, my children," she said very pleasantly, for she thought sheknew their errand.
They walked up to her. Clara paid her debt even to the last penny.
"Now, mamma Wilmot," said she, when it had been received, "can youconfide in me again?"
"Yes, Clara, fully, entirely, far more than before you had ever made itnecessary that I should try you as I have done. Before that trial I_hoped_ that you would persevere in doing right at the expense of somepain to yourself, _I am now sure_ that you will. I always knew that youhad right feelings, Clara, and I loved you for them; I now know that youhave right principles, and honor you for them. Why do you smile, Grace?"
"Because it seems so strange, mamma, that you should talk of honoring alittle girl like Clara."
"A little girl, Grace, who resists the temptation to do wrong andsteadily perseveres in doing right, is as deserving of honor as any one,and I repeat that I honor Clara."
Tears stood in Clara's eyes, and her cheeks were flushed with emotion.
"Then, mamma Wilmot, you will not be ashamed to wear the locket?"
"No, my love, I shall be proud to wear it."
Clara took something from Grace, saying, "You must let me put it on,Grace."
"But you must first sew it to my bracelet," said Mrs. Wilmot, taking offthat which Grace had woven and which she wore tied with a piece ofriband.
"No," said Clara, "here is the bracelet as well as the locket," and sheproduced a very handsome hair bracelet, fastened to the locket withsmall gold rings, and clasped it with a most triumphant air on Mrs.Wilmot's wrist.
"You did not weave this, Grace."
"No, mamma, Cecille wove it, and I paid her for it just what thejeweller pays her, and then I got Mr. Brenner to put it on the locket,and yet I have some of the money left that I have saved up these twomonths."
"Why, have you been saving too?"
"Yes, mamma, Clara would not let me spend my money on her, because shesaid you told her she must practise self-denial, and it would not beself-denial if I gave her what she wanted."
"That was being a little extravagant in your understanding of what Imeant, Clara; I only intended that you should be self-denying in the useof your own money."
"Was I wrong to refuse Grace?" asked Clara anxiously.
"No, my dear--not wrong. It was more than I demanded of you, but withyour understanding of my words, it was quite right."
"But, mamma," said Grace, a little impatiently, "I was going to tell youthat Clara and I both have some money left, and now that we see how muchwe can save, we thought--that is, we wanted to ask you whether we couldnot do some good with it."
Mrs. Wilmot smiled.
"Don't laugh at us, mamma: it is not very foolish--is it?"
"Foolish, my child!--it is very wise; and if I smiled, it was withpleasure that my children should have had such a thought. This is beingtruly generous. Older people than you sometimes make the mistake ofcalling those generous who value money so little that they throw it awaywithout thought or care; but the truly generous value it much, becausethey know that it can buy clothing for the naked, and food for thestarving. What they so value, they can neither keep from those to whomit is due, nor throw away on foolish trifles. So, you see, the trulygenerous are just and economical. But what _good_ have you thought ofdoing first with your money?"
Clara now spoke: "We thought first we would try to get some good clothesfor the Sandfords, that they may go to Sunday School."
The Sandfords were the three little girls whom Clara and Grace taught. Icannot repeat to you all that Mrs. Wilmot said in reply to thisproposal, but I can tell you what she did. She went with the girls tomake their purchases, showed them how to lay out their money mostadvantageously for their little pupils, cut out the garments for themwhen the cloth was brought home, and directed them how to make them. Inthis work Martha and Lucy, Kate and Emma assisted--so that their kindlyand generous feelings were awakened, and they too began to save fromtheir own selfish gratifications to give to those who were in want.
Mrs. Wilmot now takes the children with her when she goes to visit thesick and the poor around her, and in these visits they often find someobject for their charity. Sometimes it is an old woman who needs aflannel wrapper--sometimes, a child who is walking on snow and icewithout shoes. These they would once, perhaps, have passed withoutnotice; but now they do, what we all should do--they look out foropportunities to do good.
Aunt Kitty's Tales Page 40