Indeed, she had found lying customary in this
community, and she had a New England horror of it. She looked at Zora
disapprovingly, while Zora looked at her quite impersonally, but
steadily. Then Miss Taylor braced herself, mentally, and took the war
into Africa.
"Do you ever tell lies, Zora?"
"Yes."
"Don't you know that is a wicked, bad habit?"
"Why?"
"Because God hates them."
"How does _you_ know He does?" Zora's tone was still impersonal.
"He hates all evil."
"But why is lies evil?"
"Because they make us deceive each other."
"Is that wrong?"
"Yes."
Zora bent forward and looked squarely into Miss Taylor's blue eyes. Miss
Taylor looked into the velvet blackness of hers and wondered what they
veiled.
"Is it wrong," asked Zora, "to make believe you likes people when you
don't, when you'se afeared of them and thinks they may rub off and dirty
you?"
"Why--why--yes, if you--if you, deceive."
"Then you lies sometimes, don't you?"
Miss Taylor stared helplessly at the solemn eyes that seemed to look so
deeply into her.
"Perhaps--I do, Zora; I'm sure I don't mean to, and--I hope God will
forgive me."
Zora softened.
"Oh, I reckon He will if He's a good God, because He'd know that lies
like that are heaps better than blabbing the truth right out. Only," she
added severely, "you mustn't keep saying it's wicked to lie 'cause it
ain't.
Pages:
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76