DEAN's 
 
 Slluatratiii /artjirag 3Jnnka. 
 
 CARELESS WORDS. 
 
 LONDON: DEAN & SON, 
 11, Ludgate Hill. 6 
 
 S 
 
CARELESS WORDS. 
 
 " Oh, dear !"' exclaimed Nellie Martin, 
 as she came in from school, and threw her 
 books down on the table, <c I do think a 
 boarding-school is the worst place in the 
 world." 
 
■;•«■• 
 
 CARELESS WORDS. 3 
 
 " Why," replied Mabel Lee, " I thought 
 you liked it ever so much ; you said you 
 did, yesterday," 
 
 " Well, I thought so then, but I don't 
 now, for the girls are making unkind re- 
 marks about me ; and I mean to write to 
 mamma, and ask her if I may come home." 
 
 A slight smile spread over Mabel's 
 countenance, as she rejoined : 
 
 " 1 suppose you never say anything 
 against the other girls, do you?" 
 
 "No, indeed, not as they do, I am 
 sure. Why, if I said one half as many 
 things about Gertrude Leland as she does 
 about me, 1 should be ashamed to shew 
 my face anywhere." 
 
 " Well, Nellie, suppose you and I each 
 take a piece of paper and write down 
 every slanderous' expression that we hear 
 each other use this evening, and at nine 
 o'clock compare our papers." 
 
 " Well, I am willing, but I don't 
 believe we shall have anything to write ; 
 at any rate, I think your paper will be 
 blank. If you would only try it with the 
 girls in the next room, there would be 
 some fun in it." 
 
CARELESS WORDS. 
 
 The evening wore away, and nine 
 o'clock arrived. As soon as the first stroke 
 ftf the bell was heard, Nellie pushed aside 
 
 her books, saying, " Now, Mabel, let me 
 hear what you have to say; you must 
 read first, because you have the longest 
 
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 CARELESS WORDS. 5 
 
 list. ^ Indeed, it seems to me your 
 pencil has done nothing but write, write, 
 all the evening." 
 
 11 And it strikes me that your tongue 
 has done nothing but run, run, all the 
 evening. But I must begin, or we shall 
 not be in bed in time. I have — let me 
 see—one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, 
 eight, nine, ten breaches of the Ninth 
 Commandment against you on my paper." 
 
 " Not so many, I know ; let me hear." 
 
 " In the first place, when you opened 
 your books to commence studying, you 
 thought Miss Lane was the crossest teacher 
 that ever lived, she gave such long and 
 hard lessons." 
 
 u I remember that, but that is the 
 strongest expression I have used, is it not ?" 
 
 " We will see. Then, you asked me if 
 I intended to keep my two silent hours 
 this evening ; I told you no, not until to- 
 morrow morning; upon that, you called 
 Mrs. an unfeeling creature, for re- 
 quiring to keep them at all. 
 
 " Soon after that, the fire needed some 
 attention. You went to the coal- box for 
 
6 CARELESS WORDS. 
 
 some coals, and accidentally tore your 
 dress on a nail which was sticking in the 
 inside of it. You declared that the next 
 time you had a box sent you from home, 
 you hoped your brother John would have 
 nothing to do with nailing it up ; the 
 ' little scamp/ I think was the epithet you 
 
 used. You sat down to mend your dress, 
 but could not find your thimble; I re- 
 minded you that you lent it to Fannie, 
 yesterday, and you replied that you 
 wished she had been at the bottom of the 
 Red Sea, before she came in here borrow- 
 
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 CARELESS WORDS. 7 
 
 ing your things. I could not help smiling, 
 then ; for I remembered that you bor- 
 rowed hers a week ago, and lost it ; and 
 she was obliged to use yours instead. 
 
 " About eight o'clock, Sarah came in to 
 ask you where the History lesson com- 
 menced ; you told her ; but no sooner had 
 she left the room, than you exclaimed, ' I 
 hope I shall never be accused of following 
 her example ; she had better keep her 
 ears open when the lesson is given out. I 
 believe she always hears with her elbows.' 
 
 " Our lamp w r ent out, a few minutes 
 ago. You called the lady with whom we 
 board, a ' stingy old woman ' that could 
 not afford to supply us with decent lamp- 
 oil. 
 
 " Oh, Mabel, did I really say that ? I 
 don't remember it ; why, how wicked it 
 was ! It was entirely my fault that the 
 lamp did not burn well ; for when I had 
 sealed my letter, I played with my seal- 
 ing-wax until I had nearly covered the 
 wick with it, Well, please don't read 
 any more to me, for I am heartily 
 ashamed of myself. In future, I will try 
 
 3*/ 8^8. 
 
8 
 
 CARELESS WORDS. 
 
 to keep a strict watch over my tongue; 
 and over my thoughts, too, for I suppose 
 I should never say such things if I did not 
 think them first." 
 
 Ar Mabel lay in bed that night, think- 
 ing over the events of that day, this verse 
 came into her mind : " In the multitude 
 of words there wanteth not sin ; but he 
 that refraineth his lips is wise."