will find that you can rely upon her, that she will not run to you with every unpleasant thing she hears, and that if the day of sadness comes and she is near you, she will try and console you. As the years go by you will be surprised to discover that the girl you thoroughly liked has become the friend with whom you are on the most affectionate terms, while she who adored you for a day or a year has either entirely forgotten you, or else when you meet her again you are amazed that you could have cared for a woman who seems so foolish.
A good friend is a blessing straight from Heaven, but it is a blessing like a beautiful flower: it does not bloom all at once, but requires continual care. It will not stand rough handling or neglect. You must be gentle and considerate; you must allow to it the same individual life that you have yourself, and while you may differ it must be without the utterance of unkind words. You must never permit anyone to speak ill of your friend to you, and if something should seem to come between you, a coldness for which you can find no cause, then the good friend will seek out the other, discover the reason, and clearly explain away whatever has seemed wrong. Just be a little careful, and in electing who shall be close to you choose that girl whom in the years to come you can still call by that sweet old name, your "own familiar friend."
