I am delighted even with seeing my little lamb happy, when I feed and caress him. I think it is a great pleasure to have the power of making any thing happy.
Cherish, my dearest child, this disposition, and these feelings; and if you should ever meet with unkindness from others, do not let that incline you to be less kind and good. Bear always in your mind the text I once taught you, “Be not overcome of evil; but overcome evil with good.” And if you see persons by their ill-temper offend God, and vex every body they are connected with, instead of making their bad behaviour an excuse for your own, think what a sad thing it would be if you, seeing the disagreeableness of their behaviour, were to become like them; and on the contrary, think what an honour it will be to you, if, by your example, by seeing you always patient, and kind, and disinterested, others leave off disputes and selfishness, and grow good.
Here he comes; and I am sure you both feel far more joy than the mere spending of a shilling could have given you; and the older you grow the more I trust you will know and understand of that kind of joy.
While Miss _Lydia_ was at work with her Mamma, a servant came in, and said, a little girl and boy at the gate asked for Miss _Lydia_. _Lydia_ coloured; and upon her Mamma’s asking who they were? said, with great eagerness, It is little _Sally_ and her brother, Madam: may I go down to them? Pray let me go by myself? You shall see the little girl before she goes home.
Mamma’s consent was soon obtained, and _Lydia_, having first stepped into her room, and hastily taken a little bundle out of the drawer, flew down stairs.
When she got to the gate, she saw _Sally_ holding a pretty little basket made of rushes, with little tufts of silk at the four corners, and covered at top with green leaves.
As soon as _Sally_ saw Miss _Lydia_, she presented the basket to her, and told her, that the maid, who had bidden her to come to the house this morning, told her it was Miss _Lydia_’s birth-day; and she had made that basket, and taken the liberty to bring it to her.
It is a very pretty basket, indeed, said Miss _Lydia_; and lifting up the leaves on the top, she saw the basket was almost full of little cakes and lozenges, and on them Sally had put some bunches of services.