e_ can feel. And what is more, she can feel for other people as well
as herself. She would never play you such an ill-natured trick.'

'I should not mind it if she did,' argued Geoffrey; 'I am not such a
baby.'

'You would not mind that particular thing,' answered Margaret, 'because
you do not care about dolls; but you would mind her interfering with
_your_ pleasures, or injuring your property. You would think it very
ill-natured, for instance, if she threw away that heap of nuts which
you have hoarded like a squirrel on your shelf of the closet.'

'Nuts are not nonsense like dolls,' said he. 'Besides, she may have as
many of mine as she likes. I tried to make her eat some yesterday.'

'Yes, and half choked her by poking them into her mouth, when she told
you she did not want them. She cares no more for nuts than you for
dolls. You would think it no kindness if she teazed you to nurse her
doll.'

'I should think not, indeed,' answered Geoffrey, indignant at the very
idea.

'Of course not. Kindness is not shown by forcing our own pleasures down
other people's throats, but by trying to promote theirs. That is really
doing as we would be done by.'

'But doing as we would be done by is one's _duty_,' said Geoffrey.

'I fear it is a duty of which you seldom think,' replied his cousin.

'Why, one can't be thinking of _duty_ in those kind of things,' answered
he.

'Why not?' asked Margaret.

'Because they are such trifles; duties are great things.'

'What sort of things do you consider to be duties?' Margaret inquired.

'Oh, such things as letting oneself be tortured, like Regulus; or
forgiving an enemy who has shot poisoned arrows at one, like Coeur de
Lion.'

'Well,' said Margaret smiling, 'such heroic duties as those do not seem
likely to fall in your way just now, perhaps they never may. Our
fellow-creatures are so kind to us, that we are seldom called upon to
fulfil any but small duties towards them, or what you would consider
such; for I cannot allow any duty to be small, especially that of doing
as we would be done by. If we do not fulfil that in trifles, we shall
probably never fulfil it at all. This is a serious thought, Geoffrey.'

Geoffrey looked up; and as he seemed inclined to listen, Margaret
continued talking to him kindly but gravely, bringing many things before
his mind as duties which he had hitherto considered to be matters of
indifference. But Margaret would not allow any thing to be a tri