er awkward."

At that moment, though, the rest of the family came up, and Audrey, who,
true to a habit taught her by her grandmother, always carried two,
provided the little mourner with the much-needed handkerchief.

But though she provided for her wants Audrey was thoroughly vexed and
upset with the little mourner. It seemed to her that the two children
really did go out of their way to spoil everyone's enjoyment.

Her eye fell on Tom standing close beside her. "It all comes of your
naughtiness in the first place," she said irritably, "if you hadn't
brought all these animals up here we might all have had some pleasure, and
Rudolph would have been alive and happy. Now you and Debby have the
satisfaction of knowing that by your behaviour you have spoilt the day for
everyone, and killed a poor little helpless kitten."

Audrey was not observant or she would have noticed her little brother's
white face and quivering lips. If she had been sympathetic she would have
understood that the sorrow which filled his heart was doubled, trebled, by
the knowledge that his act--innocent little joke though it was, was at the
bottom of the tragedy--but Audrey understood neither. She was annoyed and
she wanted to hurt.

Mr. Carlyle, who, if he had not heard all, had seen more than Audrey was
capable of seeing, went over and put his arm around his little son's
shoulders protectingly. He knew what the boy was enduring--that he was
learning in that hour a lesson which would remain with him all his life.

"If we could all of us foresee the consequences of what we do," he said,
"we should be saved from doing many a wrong and foolish thing. If we
could look ahead and see the effect of what we say, we would often bite
our tongues rather than utter the words trembling on them. When I was a
little boy, my mother taught me some verses which I hardly understood at
the time, but they have often come back to my mind since, whenever I have
felt inclined to blame other people. I will tell them to you, that you
may remember too.

"'Happy are they, and only they,
Who from His precepts never stray.
Who know what's right, nor only so,
But always practice what they know.'

"But always practise what they know," Mr. Carlyle reflected thoughtfully.
"I wonder which of us do that?"

Audrey coloured deeply, and found no words to say. Thoughts came crowding
on her mind, remembrance of many things left undone, of many complaini