"
His terror increased and with it his irritation; when the little
sweet face, choking away its sobs, pulled down nurse's head and
said--
"Please, dear nurse, I'm not much hurt; it was very silly to cry,
you know. He did not mean to do it. HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT HE WAS
DOING, did you, little boy? Nurse won't call a policeman, so don't
be frightened." And she put up her little mouth to be kissed by her
injurer, just as she had been taught to do at home to "make peace."
"That lad will mind, and be more gentle for the time to come, I'll
be bound, thanks to that little lady," said a passer-by, half to
himself, and half to Mr. Carson, whom he had observed to notice the
scene.
The latter took no apparent heed of the remark, but passed on. But
the child's pleading reminded him of the low, broken voice he had so
lately heard, penitently and humbly urging the same extenuation of
his great guilt.
"I did not know what I was doing."
He had some association with those words; he had heard, or read of
that plea somewhere before. Where was it?
"Could it be?"--
He would look when he got home.
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