Poor Nettie was mortified enough by the result of her impulsive act. She was quite frightened by the crowd, and their joyous cheering filled her with terror, for she did not understand that these honest, kindly people were filled with joy because a little girl’s heart was made happy.

Her parents talked to her kindly and seriously of the necessity of learning to govern her impulsiveness, and Nettie promised; but, alas! the promise was broken again and again, until she learned by hard and terrible experience to be a careful, thoughtful child. She now found that she had spoiled every one’s pleasure for the day.

Her mother suffered from a nervous headache, brought on by the fright and excitement. Her father was obliged to leave, when they were comfortably established in the hotel, in order to transact some important business, and had taken Eric with him, starting immediately after their dinner.

When he went off with Eric, Mrs. Hyde went to her room to lie down, forbidding Nettie to leave the parlor, that she might feel assured of the child’s safety.

Allan had a letter to write to Dr. Francis and his friends in Hamburg; so Nettie was obliged to amuse herself.

She obtained permission from her mamma to take Froll out upon the balcony, and played with her for a little while quite happily. But by and by Froll spoiled all the fun; for she would climb up the blinds and mouldings to the utmost limit of her chain, which was just long enough to admit of her reaching the window-sill and thrusting her head into the room where Mrs. Hyde lay. Now, Mrs. Hyde was really afraid of Froll, and these performances were not calculated to cure her headache. She spoke to Nettie once or twice from the room; but finding the monkey’s visits repeated, she sent Allan down to tell Nettie that, if Froll came up to her window again, she must return to her cage, and Nettie to the parlor.

“I won’t let her go up again,” said Nettie. “Now, Froll, be good; do climb down the other way, after this cake. See, Frolic, see!” and she threw a little fruit cake over the railing.

Quick as a flash, Froll went after it; so very quickly, as to pull the end of the chain from Nettie’s hand.

Before the child had time to think, the mischievous monkey had seized the cake, and was travelling quickly up the blinds and moulding, over the sill, and, as Nettie drew a frightened breath, in at the window.

“O, dear!” said Nettie; “now I’ll have to be punished. It’s silly of mamma to be so easily frightened.”

Her mamma, meanwhile, had just fallen into a doze. The rattling of the chain startled her; she opened her eyes, and saw the ugly little black monkey perched close beside her. She was quite startled, and very angry with Nettie, of course: after securing the monkey safely in her cage, she called Nettie to her, and speaking quite severely, told her to return to the parlor, to sit down on the lounge, and neither to rise from it, nor touch anything, until her father and Eric came home. Poor Nettie! It was very dull indeed for her, and before long she was sobbing quite bitterly.

Meanwhile Allan finished his letter, and took up his cap, meaning to take a walk around the square. Looking into the parlor, and seeing Nettie’s distress, he resolved to give up his walk and to comfort Nettie.

“I wouldn’t cry, Nettie,” he said, so softly and kindly that she stopped crying, and looked up at him. “I will stay with you now. I’ve written my letter.”

Nettie’s face lighted up instantly, but fell again as she exclaimed,—

“But it is not fair, Allan: you told Eric you should take a walk; mamma is very unkind and unjust, too! I could not help Froll’s going up that time.”

“O, Nettie,” said Allan, “don’t ever speak so of your mother, so kind and good. My mamma is dead, Nettie; and if yours should ever be laid away in the cold, cold ground, you would feel so dreadfully to think you had wronged her!”

Nettie was crying again.

“I do love mamma, and it was very bad of me to speak so; but, O, dear! I never do do anything right. I don’t see why I can’t be good, like Adele.”

“I know what makes Adele so good and gentle,” said Allan. “She loves the Lord, and tries to please him.”

“But I can’t!” said Nettie, piteously.

“O, yes, you can, Nettie. Every one can.”

“Grown-up people can, I know.”

“And children too,” said Allan, earnestly. “Let me tell you a story auntie used to tell me, when I was blind.”

Nettie assented, and Allan repeated the story of “Little Cristelle,” unconscious, the while, that he was fulfilling the teaching of song in ministering to Nettie.

“O,” said Nettie, drawing a long, deep breath, “I think, Allan, that it’s the most beautiful story I ever heard. Do you know who wrote it?”

“No,” said Allan. “I used to think it was auntie’s own; but I asked her once, and she said, ‘O, no, indeed!’ and that she did not know who wrote it, but thought it was a translation from the German.”

“Adele would have liked that so much!” said Nettie thoughtfully, “and she would have been just like little Cristelle, too.”

“Yes,” said Allan, “I think she would; and that would have been because both of them were trying to please the Lord. Don’t you see, Nettie?”

“But after all, Allan, it is not a true story.”

“It’s an allegory,” said Allan. “It means that if we do every little simple kindness for the sake of helping others and pleasing the Lord, that we shall be children of the Lord, and live in heaven with him.”

“Then, Allan, you are one of the ‘children of the Lord;’ for you do kind, generous things all the time, and—”

“No, no, Nettie,” said Allan, hastily interrupting her. “I am very selfish, and I have to try very hard, and pray to the Lord Jesus to help me to be good.”

“But you do give up for the sake of others, you know; now this afternoon—”

“I am having a delightful time, and enjoying myself hugely,” said Allan, interrupting her again, and laughing merrily. “I’ll go and get my checker-board, and we’ll have a game.”

Thus, thanks to the kind-hearted Allan, the afternoon wore pleasantly away, and when Mrs. Hyde and Eric returned, Allan and Nettie were both very happy, and in the midst of an exciting game. Mrs. Hyde had slept off her headache, and was giving orders for tea on the balcony, to the children’s intense satisfaction.