ll had died; but he had been a good dutiful boy in parting
with her when his mother wished it, though it had cost him much pain
and many tears.

Well, Charles's mother was gone a long time, more than a month, and it
would quite shock you to be told how naughty Charles was all that
time; at last a letter came to say she was very ill, and then another
to tell them she was dead.

What would Charles then have given if he had not grieved her so often
with his perverse temper and wicked conduct? He now said when he saw
her again, he would beg her to forgive him; but when Charles did see
his poor mother again she was in her coffin and could not hear him;
and he cried exceedingly, and wished he had been good. Clara, though
she cried as much as Charles for her dear mother, was glad she had
obeyed her, and been so good while she was away.

"And I will always be as good as if dear mother could see me, and love
me for it too," said she to nurse the day after her mother was buried.

"My dear young lady," said nurse, "your mother _will_ see it, and love
you for doing your duty."

"How can dear mother see me? Her eyes are closed, and she is in the
dark grave," said Clara.

"But she will see you from heaven, Miss Clara, where she is gone to
receive the reward of her good conduct in this world; for though her
body is in the earth, her spirit is in heaven."

"And shall I never see my own dear mother again?" said Clara.

"Yes, Miss Clara; if you are good, you will go to heaven when you die,
and become an angel like her."

"Then," said Clara, "I will pray to God to make me good, and when I am
going to do anything wrong I will say to myself, 'If I do this, I
shall never go to heaven, and see my dear mother when I die.'"

"I wish," said nurse, "that Master Charles was like you, and would try
to be good."

But though Charles was sometimes sorry for his bad behavior, he did
not try to mend, because he thought it was too much trouble to be
good, and said he did not care, because he was the son of a gentleman.

Charles did not know that at this very time his father had spent all
his money, and owed a great many debts to different people; and at
last he ran away that he might not be put in prison; and the people to
whom he owed so much money came and seized his fine house and gardens,
and the coach, and all the furniture, and sold them by auction, to
raise money to pay the debts; so Charles found that, instead of being
rich, he was