Taking Fanny's hand, she led her downstairs. At first, Mrs Norton said she should leave the doll and knife on the ground to show Mrs Leslie and her mamma how he had behaved, but Fanny entreated her not to do so, and putting the knife back into the cabinet, she took up her doll, over which her tears fell fast, while she tried to replace its head. "We will try and mend the doll, Fanny," said Mrs Norton, "but I am afraid an ugly mark must always remain, and though we may succeed in putting on its head, nothing can excuse your brother's behaviour." "Oh, but he is very young, pleaded Fanny," and it will make granny and mamma, and I am afraid papa also so angry with him, but pray, do not tell them if you can help it. And I ought to have remembered what a little boy he is--and I should not have lost my temper and hit him--it was very naughty in me. "Oh dear, oh dear, how sorry I am," and Fanny again, gave way to her tears. Mrs Norton acknowledged that Fanny should not have lost her temper, at the same time she tried to comfort her. Mrs Norton then told Fanny, that she would take the doll home to try and fix on its head. "I shall be so much obliged to you, though I do not deserve it," said Fanny. "I am glad that you do not feel angry with your little brother, naughty as he has been. It is a blessed thing to forgive an injury, and we are following our Lord and Master's precept in doing so." "I am sure that I should be doing what is very wrong, if I did not forgive him," answered Fanny, "because I pray to be forgiven as I forgive others, and as he has hurt himself so much, I hope no one else will be angry with him." "I trust that the way he has hurt himself will be a lesson to him," said Mrs Norton, as having wrapped up the doll in her shawl, she accompanied her pupil back to the schoolroom. She allowed Norman to remain sitting in the chair by himself, but before she left the house, she begged Susan to go and attend to him. As soon as Fanny saw her granny and mamma returning from their drive, she ran down to meet them. "Norman has cut his finger," she said, "but Mrs Norton does not think it is very bad, and I want you not to ask me how he did it; pray do this, I shall be so much happier, if you will." They said "yes." "Thank you, dear granny; thank you, mamma," exclaimed Fanny, kissing them both. I think Fanny Vallery had pleasanter dreams than her brother Norman that night. CHAPTER FOUR. HARD TO ENDURE. Mrs Vallery went upstairs to see Norman. She found him still seated in the chair looking very sulky. "Mrs Norton and Susan and everybody have been scolding at me," he muttered; "I wish you would send them all away. And Fanny is as bad as any of them, and nobody cares for me, and Fanny has slapped my face, and I will slap hers another time, though she is a girl," and Norman began to cry.