gain, she was quite as ready to yield to little Susan and
Willy, because they were younger. Her brothers and sisters, in their
turn, were far less apt to contend for any privilege or advantage, than
they would have been, if she had shown herself more tenacious of her own
rights.

Mr. Wilton used occasionally to go into the city, a few miles distant,
upon business. He usually went in a chaise, taking one of the children
with him. The excursion was to them a very pleasant one, and all
anticipated, with a great deal of pleasure, their respective turns to
ride with their father. It happened that the day when it fell to Maria's
turn, was to be the close of an exhibition of animals, which had been
for a short time in the city. Maria's eye brightened with pleasure as
her father mentioned this circumstance at the dinner table, and inquired
if she would like to visit the caravan.

"O, father!" exclaimed George, eagerly, as he laid down his knife and
fork; "a caravan!--Mayn't I go?"

"You cannot both go," replied his father; "and I believe it is Maria's
turn to go into town with me."

"Well," said George, "but I don't believe Maria would care any thing
about seeing it;" and his eye glanced eagerly from his father to Maria,
and then from Maria to his father again.

"How is it, Maria?" said Mr. Wilton; "have you no wish to visit the
caravan?"

Maria did not answer directly, while yet her countenance showed very
plainly what her wishes really were. "Is there an _elephant_ there,
father?" she, at length, rather hesitatingly inquired.

"There probably is," replied her father.

"An _elephant_!" repeated George with something of a sneer; "who has not
seen an elephant? I would not give a farthing to go, if there was
nothing better than an elephant to be seen."

"What _should_ you care so much to see?" inquired Mr. Wilton.

"Why, I would give any thing to see a leopard or a camel."

"A leopard or a camel!" repeated his father in the same tone in which
George had made his rude speech; "I am sure I wouldn't give a farthing
to see either a camel or a leopard."

"No," said George, "because you have seen them both; but _I_ never did."

"Neither has Maria seen an elephant," returned Mr. Wilton; "so what is
the difference?"

George looked a little mortified at the overthrow of his argument. But
still his eagerness for the gratification was not to be repressed.--"I
shouldn't think a _girl_ need to care about going to see a parcel