You are glad, always, to give pleasure to any human being, are you not ?" "Yes," Mercy would reply unhesitatingly.
"Very well.

To the person who comes to see you, you give pleasure: therefore, you are glad to see him." "But, Mr.Allen," would persist poor Mercy, "that is not what the person thinks I mean.

Very often some one comes to see me, who bores me so that I can hardly keep awake.

He would not be pleased if he knew that all my cordial welcome really meant was,--'I'm glad to see you, because I'm a benevolent person, and am willing to make my fellow-creatures happy at any sacrifice, even at the frightful one of entertaining such a bore as you are!' He would never come near me again, if he knew I thought that; and yet, if I do think so, and make him think I do not, is not that the biggest sort of a lie?
Why, Mr.Allen, many a time when I have seen tiresome or disagreeable people coming to our house, I have run away and hid myself, so as not to be found; not in the least because I could not bear the being bored by them, but because I could not bear the thought of the lies I should speak, or at least act, if I saw them." "The interpretation a visitor chooses to put upon our kind cordiality of manner to him is his own affair, not ours, Mercy.

It is a Christian duty to be cordial and kindly of manner to every human being: any thing less gives pain, repels people from us, and hinders our being able to do them good.