le."

"I wish you wouldn't say anything more about old Brindle," said Mrs.
Gray, trying to laugh, while her face grew red in spite of her efforts
to keep down her feelings.

"Well, I won't, Sally, if it worries you. But it is such a good
illustration that I can't help using it sometimes."

"I am glad he didn't hurt the cows," said Mrs. Gray, after a pause.

"And so am I, Sally. Glad on more than one account. It shows that he has
made an effort to keep down his hasty, irritable temper--and if he can
do that, it will be a favour conferred on the whole neighbourhood, for
almost every one complains, at times, of this fault in his character."

"It is certainly the best policy, to keep fair weather with him," Mrs.
Gray remarked, "for a man of his temper could annoy us a good deal."

"That word policy, Sally, is not a good word," replied her husband. "It
conveys a thoroughly selfish idea. Now, we ought to look for some higher
motives of action than mere policy--motives grounded in correct and
unselfish principles."

"But what other motive but policy could we possibly have for putting up
with Mr. Barton's outrageous conduct?"

"Other, and far higher motives, it seems to me. We should reflect that
Mr. Barton has naturally a hasty temper, and that when excited he does
things for which he is sorry afterwards--and that, in nine cases out of
ten, he is a greater sufferer from those outbreaks than any one else. In
our actions towards him, then, it is a much higher and better motive for
us to be governed by a desire to aid him in the correction of this evil,
than to look merely to the protection of ourselves from its effects. Do
you not think so?"

"Yes. It does seem so."

"When thus moved to action, we are, in a degree, regarding the whole
neighbourhood, for the evil of which we speak affects all. And in
thus suffering ourselves to be governed by such elevated and unselfish
motives, we gain all that we possibly could have gained under the mere
instigation of policy--and a great deal more. But to bring the matter
into a still narrower compass. In all our actions towards him and every
one else, we should be governed by the simple consideration--is it
right? If a spirit of retaliation be not right, then it cannot be
indulged without a mutual injury. Of course, then, it should never
prompt us to action. If cows or hogs get into my field or garden, and
destroy my property, who is to blame most? Of course, myself. I should
have