, and that I had made such a bad use of, and reduced me to
a poor boy, as you see."

When the little boy heard this he looked very serious, and said: "I
have been very naughty, but I will do so no more," and he went into
the house, and never teased Charles or Giles again.

A few months after this, when Charles and Giles were working as usual
in the garden, they saw a gentleman come down one of the walks,
leading by the hand a little girl dressed in a black silk frock and
bonnet trimmed with crape.

"Ah, Giles," said Charles, "how like that young lady is to my sister
Clara. I wonder whether I shall ever see my dear sister Clara again."

"Brother Charles, dear brother Charles, you have not then quite
forgotten your sister Clara," said the little girl, throwing her arms
round his neck as she spoke.

When Charles saw that it was, indeed, his own dear sister Clara, he
kissed her and cried with joy.

Then he told Clara all that had happened to him since the day they had
parted, and how sorry he had been for all his past conduct, and he
asked her who the gentleman was that had brought her into the garden.

"It is our uncle, dear Charles. You know our dear mother had a brother
who lived in India that she used frequently to talk about. Well, when
he came home, and heard that mother was dead, and we were in distress,
he came to nurse's cottage, and took me home to his house, and has
now come to find you, for he is very good and kind, and loves us both
for our dear mother's sake."

"And will he take me home too?" said Charles.

"Yes, my boy," said Charles's uncle, taking him by the hand, "because
you are good and kind, and are no longer cross and proud, as I heard
you used to be. You shall come home with me this very day, if you
please, and I will teach you everything that a young gentleman should
know, and you and Clara shall be my children so long as you continue
to be deserving of my love, and are not unkind, nor despise those who
are beneath you in situation."

"Indeed, uncle," said Charles, "I can now feel for the poor, and I
would rather remain as I am than be rich if I thought I should ever
behave as I used to do."

"My dear child," said his uncle, kissing him with great affection,
"continue to think so, and you will never act amiss. The first and
greatest step toward amendment is acknowledging our faults. What is
passed shall be remembered no more, and I doubt not but that we shall
all be happy for the time t