"And I have told you the reason Harry gave for not choosing to speak when he was asked, and you said it was a good one; and you like him for his courage, don't you?" said Herbert. "Yes," said Mad. de Rosier; "those who are resolute, when they have good reasons for their resolution, I admire; those who persist merely because _they choose it_, and who cannot, or will not, tell why they choose it, I despise." "Oh, so do I!" said Favoretta: "you know, brother, whenever you say you don't choose it, I am always angry, and ask you why." "And if you were not _always_ angry," said Mad. de Rosier, "perhaps _sometimes_ your brother would tell you why." "Yes, that I should," said Herbert; "I always have a good reason to give Favoretta, though I don't always choose to give it." "Then," said Mad. de Rosier, "you cannot always expect your sister to admire the justice of your decisions." "No," replied Herbert; "but when I don't give her a reason, 'tis generally because it is not worth while. There can be no great wisdom, you know, in resolutions about trifles: such as, whether she should be my horse or I her horse, or whether I should water my radishes before breakfast or after." "Certainly, you are right: there can be no great wisdom in resolutions about such trifles, therefore wise people never are obstinate about trifles." "Do you know," cried Herbert, after a pause, "they used, before you came, to say that I was obstinate; but with you I have never been so, because you know how to manage me; you manage me a great deal more _cunningly_ than Grace used to do." "I would not manage you more _cunningly_ than Grace used to do, if I could," replied Mad. de Rosier; "for then I should manage you worse than she did. It is no pleasure to me to govern you; I had much rather that you should use your reason to govern yourself." Herbert pulled down his waistcoat, and, drawing up his head, looked with conscious dignity at Favoretta. "You know," continued Mad. de Rosier, "that there are two ways of governing people--by reason and by force. Those who have no reason, or who do not use it, must be governed by force." "I am not one of those," said Herbert; "for I hate force." "But you must also love reason," said Mad. de Rosier, "if you would not be _one of those_." "Well, so I do, when I hear it from _you_," replied Herbert, bluntly; "for you give me reasons that I can understand, when you ask me to do or not to do any thing: I wish people would always do so." "But, Herbert," said Mad. de Rosier, "you must sometimes be contented to do as you are desired, even when I do not think it proper to give you my reasons;--you will, hereafter, find that I have good ones." "I have found that already in a great many things," said Herbert; "especially about the caterpillar." "What about the caterpillar?" said Favoretta.