Mary Martha Sherwood

“ And now, when it was time to go, Soffrona took up her empty basket, and giving the kitten a kiss, “Little Puss,” she said, “I will rejoice in your happiness, though it will be a loss to me, for I must part with my little darling. But I will not be selfish: mamma says that I can never make myself happy by making other things miserable. Good-bye, little Puss: if God will help me, I will try never to be selfish.” And she walked out of the cottage, wiping away her tears.
“But you will let her have Muff,31 won’t you, Martha,” said Sophia, “when her mother has brought her up, and can part with her?” ”

“ But18 when she had done all she could for Muff, she should have given her mind to her other duties; but she could not command herself to attend to any thing else all that morning, and learned her lessons so ill, that, if the lady had not been very indulgent, she would have deprived her of the pleasure of walking with Sophia to see the old woman, and to carry the petticoat.
There was a neat little maid-servant, called Jane, who used to walk out with Sophia and Soffrona when they had a long way to go; and Jane was ready waiting for the little girls by the time the lessons were done. ”

“ Now the boys heard the cries of the little girls; and, as the Bible says, The wicked flee when no man pursueth; (Prov. xxviii. 1.) so they all took to their heels, and ran away11 as fast as they could, leaving the poor little kitten in the water.
Soffrona and Sophia did not lose one moment after the boys were gone, but ran to the brook, and found the little kitten almost dead. However, they got it out, though they wet themselves up to the knees in so doing, and they returned to the tree, and Soffrona sat down, and laid it upon her lap, while Sophia wiped it dry ”

“ They found8 snail-shells, and painting-stones, and wild strawberries, and bilberries, and walnuts, and hazel nuts, and beautiful moss, and many kinds of flowers; and there they heard birds sing—cuckoos, and linnets, and blackbirds, and thrushes ”