You are a sweet girl, said Mrs. _Grant_, and will, I dare say, make an excellent nurse; she then fetched the two cradles; they are both of white sattin, the one had fine worked muslin curtains tied with blue, and a muslin dimity quilt fringe; and in it lay a little doll dressed like a little boy in a muslin robe, with a laced rose to his cap, and a blue sash. The other cradle had pink Persian curtains tied with white ribbon, and a white sattin quilt bound with pink ribbon; this contained a little girl in a muslin robe likewise, with a pink ribbon round her cap, and a pink sash round her waist. The goodness of your behaviour, said Mrs. _Grant_, I think entitles you to the privilege of chusing first; take which you like: Miss _Fanny_ will accept the other; and I dare say she will not let the puppy come into her nursery.
Miss _Lydia_ begged leave to let Miss _Fanny_ chuse first, and pressed her much to say which she liked best; but she constantly refused; till after this friendly contest had lasted some little time, Miss _Lydia_’s Mamma told her, it would be better for her to make a choice, as Miss _Fanny_ could not be persuaded to determine.
The dear girl had pitied _Fanny_, and wished that she should be pleased about the doll; and as she knew that she very much preferred the little boy herself, she naturally thought that _Fanny_ would do so too, and, therefore, left it for her, and took the little girl. _Fanny_ then took the boy, and promised to guard it from puppies, and all other mischances.
I thought, said the elder Miss _Lively_, you were wishing but the other day for a little boy doll. I expected you would have chosen that?
_Lydia_ said nothing. But Mrs. _Grant_, who guessed her reason, asked _Fanny_ which she really thought the prettiest? _Fanny_ thus called upon, said, they were both pretty; but she thought the little girl the prettiest. Then pray take it, said _Lydia_; for Indeed I left the boy because I thought you would like it best. And I, said _Fanny_, did not like to say any thing, because I thought my cousin liked the little girl best.
You are both charming girls, said Mrs. _Grant_, but I suppose, if you change, each will have exactly what she wishes. The exchange was made, and afterward the young ladies spent their time till dinner in nursing their children, and putting them into and taking them out of the cradle.