"A young woman left for college one autumn. Before she left, she asked her mother to look after the potted violets and her aquarium in her bedroom. Her mother, who often seemed distracted, assured her that she would water the plants and take care of the fish. The daughter left with assurances from her mother that everything would be cared for. Two weeks after leaving, the girl called home, and, in the course of the conversation asked how the violets were doing. The mother apologized that she’d forgotten to water them and that they all died. A couple of weeks later, the daughter telephoned and inquired about the goldfish, the mother confessed that she had been busy and had neglected to feed them, and had
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