coming right away," cried Emma, dropping her scissors and her
paper mouse, and running up to her Mother.

Her Mother took her up on her lap, and said, "My little girl, this will
_never_ do. You must learn to come at once when you are called; you
_must_ obey quickly. If you continue in this very naughty habit of not
minding until you are told to do a thing two or three times, you will
grow up a very disagreeable girl, and nobody will love you."

Emma looked up mournfully into her Mother's face, and said, "Mother, I
will try to do better."

She was a good-tempered child, and was seldom cross or sullen; but she
had this one bad habit, and it was a very bad habit indeed--she waited
to be told twice, and sometimes oftener, and many times she made her
kind Mother very unhappy.

For a few days after this Emma remembered what her Mother had said to
her, and always came the first time she was called. She came pleasantly,
for it is very important to mind pleasantly, and did every thing she was
told to do right away, and her Mother loved her dearly, and hoped she
was quite cured of her naughty ways.

But I am very sorry to have to say that a time came when Emma entirely
forgot her promise. You shall hear how it happened.

One morning Emma's Mother said to her, "Emma, it is time for you to get
up, and put on your stockings and shoes."

Emma did not move. She lay with her eyes wide open, watching a fly on
the wall, that was scrubbing his thin wings with his hind legs.

"Did you hear me, Emma? Put on your stockings and shoes."

Emma got up very slowly. She put one foot out of bed, and then looked
again at the fly. This time he was scrubbing his face with his fore
legs. So she sat there, and said to herself, "I wonder how that funny
little fly can stay upon the wall. I can't walk up the wall as the fly
can. What a little round black head he has got."

"Emma!" said her Mother, and this time she spoke in a very severe tone.

Emma started, and put her other foot out of bed, and took up one of her
stockings.

Her Mother got out of her bed, which was close to Emma's crib, and began
to dress herself. When she was dressed, she looked round, and saw Emma,
with one stocking half on, and the other rolled up in a little ball,
which she was throwing up in the air.

Her Mother was angry with her. She went up to her, and took her stocking
away from her, and told her to get into bed again, for if she would not
dress herself when her