“It was evening when Mercury went away. The next morning, at the usual hour, the greater part of the people arose, but the sun did not appear as before. It was the time of summer, and the hour of sunrise was four o’clock. But now it was nine, and the sun had not risen. This caused a good deal of confusion in the village; the farmers wished to be at work in their fields; the dairy women wished to milk their cows; the traveller to set out on his journey; the fisherman to go to his nets; but all were prevented by the total darkness. The fact was that there were some lazy people in the village, and the sun had always risen too early for them; so now they determined to snooze it out; and consequently it was not till twelve o’clock that all could agree to have the sun rise; so that about half the day was lost. “This was only the beginning of trouble; for when the sun was up, it was difficult to get all to agree when it should set; and thus everything was thrown into confusion. Similar difficulties occurred in regard to everything else. The people could not all agree to have a brisk wind for several months; in consequence of which fevers began to visit the place, and pestilence swept off numbers of the inhabitants. Nor could they agree upon any particular day when all were ready to have it rain; so that at last, when they did agree, the rain was too late, and everything was parched up; and the crops were cut off, and the cattle died, and the people came near starving to death. Nor could they agree upon the degree of heat that was required for vegetation; for many people did not like hot weather, and so it was kept very cold; and this was another reason why famine came upon the land. “After having tried the experiment for a year, and finding that more than one half the people of the village had perished, and that the rest were very miserable, those that remained signified their wish to communicate with Jove. Accordingly Mercury came to them, and the people desired him to take back to his master the power he had placed in their hands. ‘Tell him,’ said the people, ‘that we are now satisfied that Jove is wiser than we; and that it is in mercy, and not in judgment, that he has ruled over the weather. We wish to restore things to their former condition; for we believe that it is best for man that there should be a providence, whose ways are above our ways, and whose thoughts are higher than our thoughts.’” “This allegory,” continued Cherry, “may teach you, Frederic, what I have before said, that things are better managed as they are, than if confided to men: and instead of grumbling at the ways of providence, we should submit to them in cheerfulness, regarding them as the ways of a Father, who knows the wants of his creatures, and tenderly regards their happiness.” “This is all very well,” said Frederic; “and I thank you for it, Cherry; but I am afraid I shall never be like you. Pray how is it, Cherry, that you make yourself so cheerful?”