24 The Fairy Godmothers.

know wherein the fecret of being loveable and be-
loved lies! In holding faft the innocence and
fimplicity of their infant years; in the cheerful
{pirit, the univerfal kindheartednefs, the open
honefty, the fweet teachablenefs and readinefs of
belief, which are the real charaéteriftics of child-
hood and which we fo love to trace in their faces.
It was thefe things our Saviour called upon grown-
up people to imitate, and fo to receive the king-
dom of Heaven as little children. And oh, that
grown-up people would imitate thefe things ; for if
they would become in thefe refpects as little chil-
dren, the {weet caft of mind would be reflected in
their faces too, and the ugly looks given by envious
difcontent, deceitful thoughts, unkind intention
and reftlefs want of faith and hope would all be
wathed out of the world.

But now, my dear readers, can you call that
the beft of Fairy gifts, which had {o great a ten-
dency to bring the naughty paffions of grown-up
life into the heart, and therefore on to the face, of
alittle girl? Well, but riches have a tendency that
way; and though Julia was not a very naughty
girl fhe was being led into very fad feelings by the
Fairy gift. When fhe went down to the company,
her fecret anxiety was to examine all the dreffes
of her Mamma’s friends and refolve fome day to fur-
pafs them all. Even as it was fhe received much
pleafure from knowing that her own drefs was far
beyond the reach of ordinary folk. She thought
too of her necklace with fecret fatisfaction, when