Marion Berkley

cosily and comfortably, and which no one but the sisters ever entered, except on state occasions, or under circumstances like the present. It must be confessed t

d be said to have much affection for Miss Stiefbach, they all held her in the most profound respect, and

severe punishment. The remarks which I overheard this morning, as I entered your room, were enough in themselves to have merited a stern rebuke, even if they had not been followed by a direct insult to myself. I am surprised indeed, that any young ladies brought up in refined society should have made use of such expressions as 'swell' and-and-other words of a like nature.

ol, and in his presence, on the next French day, which will be Friday. I should not have subjected you to this mortification, if you had shown any willi

ly as she had entered it. Several of the girls were standing at the study door waiting for her to come out, for the whole story had by this time become pretty freely circulated, and every one was impatient to know the result of the interview. Mari

ld to soothe and quiet her, but never once asking the questions that were uppermost in her own mind, for she knew that, as soon as this first hysterical fit of weeping was over,

ssionate tones, "Florence! Florence! what do you think she is go

ss," replied Flo, while she had h

bominable. She wouldn't have made any other girl do it, but she knows how proud I am, and she thinks now she'll

ly dared to comfort and sympathize with her, except by caresses, for fear of increasing her excitement, and she could only throw her

bsided, but left its traces in a severe headache; her temples

ne, she kissed her quietly, and as her eyes were closed was about to leave the room without speaking, when M

and try to get to sleep. Don't come downstairs to supper. I wil

ve to old Stiffback how deep she has cut, and I mean she shall find it will take more than she can do to humble me. Be sure and let me kn

er again to lie still and go to sleep,-a thing which she

was to endure, she sobbed and wept as if her heart would break; and then the image of Miss Stiefbach, with her calm, cool face, and deliberate manner, seeming so much as if sh

pared to acknowledge that she had done wrong, and to ask pardon for her fault. But Miss Stiefbach, by presupposing that she felt no reg

t, finding it impossible to quiet herself, much less to sleep, she g

he whole matter. Every laugh she heard she believed to be at her expense, and she dreaded meeting h

avorite; almost all the girls admired her, but t

as all. Many who would have liked to know her better, and who would have been glad to make advances of intimate friendship, felt themselves held back from doing so,

her keen sense of the ludicrous, combined with a habit of saying sharp, sarcastic thing

ed her to conceal her real feelings, and often when she was at heart angry with herself, and ashamed of her wilful, perhaps unkind, be

lorence and Miss Christine knew how sincerely she longed t

ually sharp and cutting to one of her companions, but had appeared perfectly unconscious of having d

ceiving no answer, she gently opened it, when what was her astonishment to find Marion stretched upon the floor, weeping violently. She went to her, and, kneeling down beside her, called her by na

egretted her own faults and failings, and was resolved to conquer them. From that time a secret bond of sympathy was established between pupil and scholar, and though no word was spoken, a mild, reproachful glance from Miss Christine, or he

er mother, and the pride and glory of her father, to whom she appeared almost faultless, it was no wonder that she found it hard to get on smoothly when thrown amo

tself; and she was shocked when she discovered how man

was at home; but there her remarks rarely wounded any one; but at school s

delightful stories, or made such pretty paper-dolls, or drew them such lovely pictures as M

rance in the library there had been a general rush towards her, and she was greeted

w that she could not tell her without further exciting the curiosity of the other girls, and she was forced to take her book, and appear to be deeply interested in

Marion's voice, asking, in a perfectly natural tone, "Did

ed her. Neither did she throughout the evening appear other than bright and cheerful, effectually silencing by her own apparent ease any surmises or que

med, "How Miss Stiefbach had ever swallowed