112 OBEDIENCE.

«“ Oh!” said Ben.

“JT say you did; you picked one first, and
if you had not picked one I should not.”

' Here Ben began'to cry. “I see how it
is,’ said the mother. “ It is too often so,
my dear Ben; it is too often so. You re-
member very well'what I tell Tim, but you
forget what I tell.you. Now I forbade you
both to pick the roses, and it seems you were
the first to disobey; and in this you were
more to blame than Tim, for ‘you led the
way to disobedience, and thus, by a bad

‘example, made Tim disobey also.”

« But, what is worse than all, your love of
telling tales induced you to tell of Tim,
when you were more to blame yourself.
This is very wrong; for as you are the elder
you ought rather to shield your little brother
from blame than to bring it upon him.”

. Poor Ben was in tears, and his little heart
was very sad, and he could not be comforted
till his mother forgave him, and took him to
her bosom, and said she hoped he would
never do so again. This he promised, and
then he brightened up, and the two children
went to their play.