he started to run after the
naughty girl.

For a few moments she ran with all her might, and had nearly caught
Fanny, when a stone tripped her up, and she fell upon the ground.

Then she thought of the milk, and tried to save it; but the cover of the
kettle came off, and it was all spilled on the ground.

The fall did not hurt her, but the laugh with which her misfortune was
greeted by Fanny roused a very wicked spirit in her heart, and dropping
the pail, which she had picked up, she pursued her.

But the naughty girl had the start of her, and though she followed her a
good way she could not overtake her. Then she stopped in the path, and
cried with anger and vexation. The thought of the milk which had been
spilled, was, after all, the worst part of the affair.

Walking back to the place where the accident had happened, she picked
up the pail again, and began to think what she should do. It was of no
use now for her to go to Mrs. O'Brien's. She had no milk for the
children's supper.

What would her mother say to her if she should return home and tell her
she had spilled all the milk? She had told her to be careful, and she
felt that she had been very careless.

It was not necessary that she should chase the naughty girl, whatever
she said; and she could not help seeing that she had been very careless.
While she was thinking about it, Ben Tinker came along. He lived in the
next house to Mr. Lamb, and the children were well acquainted with each
other.

"What is the matter with you, Kate?" asked Ben, when he saw that her
eyes were red, and her face was wet with tears.

"I have just spilled a pailful of milk on the ground," sobbed Kate.

"O, well, it's no use to cry for spilled milk," laughed Ben.

"I was carrying it to Mrs. O'Brien."

"No matter; she will get along very well without it."

"That ugly Fanny Flynn struck me on the head, and that's what made me
spill the milk."

"Didn't you hit her back?"

"I couldn't catch her; she ran away. I was chasing her when I fell down
and spilled the milk."

"You can catch her some time; when you do, give it to her."

But Kate had got over her anger, and heartily wished she had not
attempted to catch Fanny. Besides, she very well knew that Ben was
giving her bad advice.

That passage from the New Testament, "If any man smite thee on the one
cheek, turn to him the other also," came to her mind, and she felt how
wicked it was to harbor a desire for revenge.

The