o endurance. She felt she was tabooed by these fashionable young ladies, and she fiercely

f the sport died away. Perhaps, too, a certain amount of fear restrained them. The slap administered to Laura Harris had made a

oldsmith's "Animated Nature." She began its perusal for the sake of the donor; then, gradually, this book of wonder fascinated her. The description it gave of strange, beautiful creatures, of birds especially, enthralled her. She gathered from the pages hints of far-away countries that called to her like a voice. This little town-bred heart was seized with a passionate love of nature and a foolish love of wild flowers. As she formed one of the regiment of girls who tramped, two and two, through the country lanes, the beauty of nature seemed to comfort Meg as if the touch of a reas

er a careful examination of the new pupil's acquirements, declared that Meg might beat the girls of the upper class in knowledge of some parts of history, a

had never been known to give a bad mark, contenting himself with feebly rubbing out the mistakes on the slates presented to hi

egan to observe for the sake of his method," said the professor to Miss Reeves, w

ght, was divided between admiration for Meg's correct ear and determination to learn, and despair over the stiffness of her fingers and

nese do use for eating. You thump-thump-thump! I hear it in my sleep. It ever gives me the nightmare." Sometimes Mme. Vallaria relented and with voluble heartiness would exclaim: "Oh, Povera!

nted to contempt. Her power of realizing historical facts and characters in which she took an interest was vivid, as if she had been a spectator of the events described, and had a personal acquaintance with the actors therein. He vowed she spoke of Julius C?sar as if she knew him, and of his murder a

e theme of the lesson was Queen Elizabeth's reign, and Meg surpassed herself in the

onation?"

Queen E

ter Abbey," Meg rejoined blankly, being

ont when he bantered his pupils, he set about biting what remained of

mid of Ghizeh!" he remarked another day as Meg placed the date of Cromwell a century

g. The child felt she was disliked, and with that precise and unsympathetic teacher her deficiencies came out flagrantly.

As far as outward appearances went she resembled her comrades; she was dressed like her fellow-pupils, her wardrobe having b

, so she now watched the routine of the school. The girls of the firs

as they passed, and she returned th

appeared to Miss Pinkett that a degradation had been inflicted on the school by the introduction of the "savage," and she ignored Meg with contemptuous coldness. This young lady's bosom friend, G

betray anything concerning her antecedents except the reiteration that her mother was a lady, fired the beauty's fanc

mean," Miss Pinkett said with an icy snif

auty had evolved her romance, was an attempt made by Meg to repe

ad written in Roman characters, "My mother." This drawing had been found in Goldsmith's "Animated Nature," taken out by prying fing

e sketch. With a cry she had snatched it out of the enemy's grasp, and,

stranger, and made advances to Meg,

sweets?" Ursula asked

m," said Meg with

ve none to give in return?

hem-that is all

said Ursula, turning away with a

ossoms disgraced corners as well as more favored places. It had rimmed with a fringe of velvet wallflower the top of the arid garden wall. The orange a

sniffing the air with head thrown back. "It is a sha

all, but she climbed it with the precision of a woodland animal, here grasping the trellis, there planting her foot on some bit of projecting masonry. "You'll fall!" cried a chorus of voices. "To climb that wal

h on the elbow, and a fragrant bunch of

acles, gazing at the child, who bore marks of h

no

rs with a hesitating expression as Mi

n this afternoon for this unlady-like and disobedie

forbidden fl

She was glad the day was so beautiful, that the room was full of sunshine, and the wandering puffs of wind brought in messages from the odorous sweet

ing episode proved that Meg's sense of loyalty survived ami

she had been found dissolved in tears on the discovery of a freckle upon her nose. Another rumor was current that the Beauty spent the afternoon of wet half-holidays locked up

it was the property of Miss Lister, others declared its contents had been used by the young ladies wh

ntroversy." One afternoon, to her surprise, she was beckoned

ant vision clothed in white, with hair unbound, wreathe

e theatrical profession. This little slip of the foot lights, who spent her life in alternate squalor and fairy-like splendor, had on one or two occasions dressed herself up fo

cocked on one side and her finger-tips caressing the roses i

d the effect on Meg

ttier as you are e

k like yo

ed the child, and s

t you drew, roses and

hristy minstrel painted pink and white-that's what you are like!" said Meg, with the conc

l for tea rang, and she encountered a group of

they doi

dressing up? Does s

it of a wh

id! Tell u

ung herself down on the floor and hammered the insensate boards with her fists. In her untamed heart she would

ell rang Meg w

er?" asked Miss Reeves, after she had

from their room, madam," sa

e knows," said Laura Harris, who might be relied upon

ows!" repeated s

n her cheeks," resumed La

ves, with an anxious brow,

gnora Vallaria, rolling her dark eyes. "Tell, my leetle Meg, what

d Gwendoline entered. The Beau

our room, young ladies?"

Beecham has been telling

er answer to the question

supercilious, Gwendoline, with pursed lips, imploring. She stood up, her little red lips closed tightly,

to make fun of a portrait of

s round the table, an expression of relief on th

iss Pinkett in an explanatory tone; "a lady suf

ent round

ly. "It is unkind to laugh at th

d Gwendoline that evening, when she got Meg alone. "I am awf

turning her back upon the Bea