. 'People, my dear,' resumed the lady, 'are transported when
they have committed crimes, which, according to the laws of our land,
are not thought quite wicked enough to be hanged for; but still too bad
to suffer them to continue amongst other people. So, instead of hanging
them, the judge orders that they shall be sent on board a ship, built on
purpose to hold naughty people, and carried away from all their friends,
a great many miles distant, commonly to America, where they are sold as
slaves, to work very hard for as many years as they are transported for.
And the person your papa mentioned was sold for twenty-one years;
but she died before that time was out, as most of them do: they are
generally used very cruelly, and work very hard; and besides, the heat
of the climate seldom agrees with anybody who has been used to live in
England, and so they generally die before their time is expired, and
never have an opportunity of seeing their friends any more, after they
are once sent away. How should any of you, my dears, like to be sent
away from your papa and me, and your brothers and sisters, and uncles
and aunts, and all your friends, and never, never see us any more; and
only keep company with naughty, cross, wicked people, and labour
very hard, and suffer a great deal of sickness, and such a number of
different hardships, you cannot imagine? Only think how shocking it must
be! How should you like it?' 'Oh', not at all, not at all,' was echoed
from everyone in the room.

'But such,' rejoined their mother, 'is the punishment naughty people
have; and such was the punishment the person your papa spoke of had;
who, when she was young, no more expected to come to such an end than
any of you do. I was very well acquainted with her, and often used to
play with her, and she (like the boy Frank has been talking of) used to
think it a mark of cleverness to be able to deceive; and for the sake
of winning the game she was engaged in, would not scruple committing any
little unfair action, which would give her the advantage.

'I remember one time, at such a trifling game as pushpin, she gave me a
very bad opinion of her; for I observed, instead of pushing the pin as
she ought to do, she would try to lift it up with her finger a little,
to make it cross over the other.

'And when we were all at cards, she would peep, to find out the pictured
ones, that she might have them in her own hand.

'And when we played at any game which ha