thoughts and feelings. In Rollo's case, at this time, it was but a drop
of water. For after having sat some time in his chair, his heart
remaining pretty nearly the same, a drop of water, which, somehow or
other, contrived to get through some crevice in the boards and shingles
over his head, fell exactly into the back of his neck. The first feeling
it occasioned was an additional emotion of impatience and fretfulness.
But he next began to think how unreasonable and wicked it was to make
all that difficulty, just because his father was preventing his going
out to stay all day in the rain, when a single drop falling upon him
vexed and irritated him.

He also looked out of the window towards the garden, and the dry ground,
and all the trees and garden vegetables seemed to be drinking in the
rain with delight. That made him think of the vast amount of good the
rain was doing, and he saw his own selfishness in a striking point of
view. In a word Rollo was now beginning to be really penitent. The tears
came into his eyes; but they were tears of real sorrow for sin, not of
vexation and anger.

He took up his little Bible, to read one of the passages, as his father
had advised him. He happened to open at a mark which his father had put
in at the parable of the prodigal son. The first verse which his eye
fell upon, was the verse, "I will arise and go to my father." Rollo
thought that that was exactly the thing for him to do--to go and confess
his fault to his father.

So he laid down his little Bible, wiped the tears from his eyes, and
went down stairs. He met his father in the entry. He went up to him, and
took his hand, and said,

"Father, I am really very sorry I have been so naughty; I _will try_ to
be a good boy now."

His father stooped down and kissed him. "I am very glad to hear it,
Rollo," said he. "Now you may go and find Lucy. I believe she is up in
your mother's chamber."

Rollo went off quite happy in pursuit of Lucy. He found her sitting on a
cricket in his mother's room, looking over a little picture-book. Rollo
ran laughing up to her, and said,

"What have you got, Lucy?"

"One of your little picture-books. Will you lend it to me to carry
home?"

Rollo said he would, and then they began to talk about what they should
do. It rained very fast, and they could not go out of doors; and, after
proposing several things, which, however, neither of them seemed to
like, they turned to Rollo's mother, and asked