Page:History of Charles Jones, the footman (2).pdf/5

 inconveniencies, they may change their places every year of their lives, and never be satisfied after all. This is a lesson I have learnt by long experience.

Though by God's blessing I had received a more religious education than most children, it yet soon appeared that I had many faults, which it was necessary for me to be corrected of before I could become a good servant. At first, when I was sent upon an errand, I was much given to loitering. I was then too young to consider that by loitering in errands I was wasting what was not my own, my master's time. Besides this fault, as every thing which I saw and heard in my master's house was such as I had never seen or heard before, I was too apt to talk of it to my old play follows, or at the village shop. But as soon as ever I beeamebecame [sic] a little older, I began to reflect that this was very wrong. One Sunday evening, when I had leave to go home to see my parents, I was beginning to tell my mother how there had been a great uproar at the parsonage the day before, about—Here she put her hand upon my lips, and said, 'Charles, not a word more of what has passed at the parsonage. Whatsoever happens in your master's house is never to be spoken of out of your master's doors. A tale-bearing servant is always an unfaithful servant; he betrays the trust which his master puts in him."

My mother's vehemeneevehemence [sic] surprised me a little, but it made so much impression upon me, that I was pretty well broken of the fault from that very