"O mother! I've been a naughty girl to-day!"
Mrs. Carlton drew her closer to her heart, kissed her with great tenderness, and said:
Jessie wept violently, and was silent, for her heart was too full of emotion, to coin its thoughts into words. Mrs. Carlton, like a sensible mother, said nothing until the floods of Jessie's grief passed away. Then smoothing her head with her hand, she spoke in tones, so soft and lute-like, that they sounded like sweet music in Jessie's ears, and said:
"Tell me, my dear, what troubles you so much?"
Thus soothed, Jessie raised her head, and said:
"I want Pa and Uncle Morris to hear, too."
Mr. Carlton laid aside his book, smiled, and said:
Uncle Morris drew his chair close to Jessie, patted her head, and said:
"That's right, my little puss, make a clean breast of it. Confession is the pipe through which the great Father conducts the guilt of his little ones, when, for his Son's sake, he buries it in the fountain of forgetfulness."
Thus encouraged, Jessie gave a full account of how she came to hide in the little cave with Emily. When she had finished her story, Uncle Morris said--
"Ah, I see, the little wizard has been busy again. I'm sure it was he who helped Emily to tempt my little puss. An _impulse_ acted upon you, Jessie, and, without thinking, you hid in the cave, which was not a very grave fault in itself; but, as most little faults will do, it led you to commit a really serious evil; as you say, by pretending not to hear yourself called, you _acted a lie_, which was a sin against God. You also filled your party with alarm about you, which gave them great pain of mind. That was an offence against them, because it was your duty to do all in your power to afford them pleasure. The hawk did, indeed, catch my chicken on the day that she was pleased. Do you understand my proverb, now, Jessie?"
"Do, my child? There is only one way by which any of us can escape from the chains of evil. Confess your _sin_ to God, ask his forgiveness for the Great Shepherd's sake, and apologize to your friends for giving them pain."
Jessie said she would do both of these things. Then her heart turned to her cousin, and she said--
"Just tell her your own thoughts and feelings about the matter, my child. Maybe, she will be led to see the wrong of her own conduct, and you may yet be to her what your brother Guy has been to Richard Duncan."