to him: "Come, come, Sir, obey, or
it shall be worse for you."

If Cleopatra's word might be taken for it, her brother did every thing
wrong; but, on the contrary, whatever she thought of doing was the
masterpiece of reason and sound sense. If he proposed any kind of
diversion, she was sure to consider it as dull and insipid; but it
often happened, that she would herself the next day recommend the same
thing, and, having forgotten what she had said of it before, consider it
as the most lively and entertaining.

Her brother was obliged to submit to her unaccountable whims and
fancies, or else endure the most disagreeable lectures a little female
tongue could utter. If ever he presumed to be so hardy as to reason with
her on her strange conduct, instant destruction to his playthings were
the inevitable consequence of it.

Her parents saw with regret this strange and tyrannical disposition of
their daughter, and in vain did every thing they could think of to break
her of it. Her mother, in particular, continually enforced on her mind,
that such children never procured the esteem of others; and that a girl,
who set up her own opinion against that of every one else, would soon
become intolerable and insupportable to all her acquaintance. This
prudent advice, however, made no impression on her stubborn heart; and
her brother, wearied out by her caprice and tyranny, began to have very
little affection for her. It one day happened that a gentleman of a free
and open temper, dined at their house. He could not help observing with
what a haughty air she treated her poor brother, and, indeed, every
other person in the room. At first, the rules of politeness kept him
from saying any thing; but at last, tired out with her impertinence, he
began addressing his discourse to her mamma in the following manner:

"I was lately in France, and, as I was fond of being present at the
soldiers' exercises, I used to go as often as I could, to see their
manoeuvres on the parade, nearly in the same manner as they do here at
St. James's. Among the soldiers there were many I observed with
whiskers, which gave them a very fierce and soldier-like look. Now, had
I a child like your Cleopatra, I would instantly give her a soldier's
uniform, and put her on a pair of whiskers, when she might, with rather
more propriety than at present, act the part of a commander."

Cleopatra heard this, and stood covered with confusion; she could not
help blushing,