72 THE COUSINS.

incorrect language, no one had been more care-
fully taught the far more important lesson that
she should love and oe kind to all the creatures
of God, and she could only exclaim in her horror,
“Flies !”

“Yes; we catch flies for our birds at home,
and they pick them out of our fingers, and eat
them.”

“What! eat the poor flies ?”

“Yes, eat them; and here’s a fly now; I’:
catch it, and you shall see how quickly this little
fellow will nibble it up.”

“Oh, no—do don’t /” exclaimed Mary, clasping
her hands in a perfect agony of affright for the
poor fly ; ‘do don’t !”

“Do! well, I am doing it as fast as I can,”
said the rude and taunting boy, pursuing the fly
as he spoke.

“‘Oh, don’t—please don’t; the bird loves sugar
a heap better—indeed it does, and I'll get you
some sugar for it.”

“A heap! how high a heap?” and again his
sneering laugh made the colour grow brighter on
Mary’s cheeks; but the poor fly had been chased