they had really a great deal
too much leisure. They could not be forever playing at hide-and-seek
among the flower-shrubs, or at blind-man's-buff with garlands over
their eyes, or at whatever other games had been found out, while
Mother Earth was in her babyhood. When life is all sport, toil is the
real play. There was absolutely nothing to do. A little sweeping and
dusting about the cottage, I suppose, and the gathering of fresh
flowers (which were only too abundant everywhere), and arranging them
in vases,--and poor little Pandora's day's work was over. And then,
for the rest of the day, there was the box!

After all, I am not quite sure that the box was not a blessing to her
in its way. It supplied her with such a variety of ideas to think of,
and to talk about, whenever she had anybody to listen! When she was
in good-humor, she could admire the bright polish of its sides, and
the rich border of beautiful faces and foliage that ran all around it.
Or, if she chanced to be ill-tempered, she could give it a push, or
kick it with her naughty little foot. And many a kick did the
box--(but it was a mischievous box, as we shall see, and deserved all
it got)--many a kick did it receive. But, certain it is, if it had not
been for the box, our active-minded little Pandora would not have
known half so well how to spend her time as she now did.

[Illustration: PANDORA DESIRES TO OPEN THE BOX]

For it was really an endless employment to guess what was inside. What
could it be, indeed? Just imagine, my little hearers, how busy your
wits would be, if there were a great box in the house, which, as you
might have reason to suppose, contained something new and pretty for
your Christmas or New Year's gifts. Do you think that you should be
less curious than Pandora? If you were left alone with the box, might
you not feel a little tempted to lift the lid? But you would not do
it. Oh, fie! No, no! Only, if you thought there were toys in it, it
would be so very hard to let slip an opportunity of taking just one
peep! I know not whether Pandora expected any toys; for none had yet
begun to be made, probably, in those days, when the world itself was
one great plaything for the children that dwelt upon it. But Pandora
was convinced that there was something very beautiful and valuable in
the box; and therefore she felt just as anxious to take a peep as any
of these little girls, here around me, would have felt. And,
possibly, a little more s