to herself, "She deserves to be ill. She treated
Mabel unkindly, and now it has come back to her, and she is suffering
for it. Yes, she deserves it." And before she went to rest that night
she read in her little Bible a few verses about the sin of pride, with a
mental reference to Julia, and also some passages concerning
retribution, and wrong-doing coming home to the sinner.

She was not following in the footsteps of the Lord, who hates sin, yet
loves the sinner, but thought only of her cousin's just punishment, and
wondered how she would bear to meet all her school-fellows again. She
was not cherishing the love that vaunteth not itself, that is not puffed
up, that rejoiceth not in iniquity; the love that never faileth, and
that covers a multitude of sins.

Was there not something of the spirit of the Pharisee in Ruth's heart?
Was she not beginning to sit in the seat of the scornful, and to look
down upon her cousin from her superior position? Well, pride must have a
fall, sooner or later, whether it be pride of position or pride of
heart.

CHAPTER XIII.

HARD AT WORK.

Ruth went to school alone the next morning, for Julia was so unwell from
the excitement of the day that she seemed quite ill and feverish, and
was scarcely able to lift her head from the pillow. Her eyes had dark
rims round them, her head ached terribly, and she was certainly quite
unfit to attend to her studies and to meet her school-fellows.

None of the girls liked to ask Ruth what had happened after her return
home, and they scarcely ventured to inquire for her cousin. They
evidently felt that they had gone too far, and began to speak kindly to
Mabel and to treat her in their usual manner.

But the poor girl could not easily forget the slights she had received,
and amid their new-born kindness she turned naturally to the one who had
befriended her while the others behaved rudely. She soon grew quite
intimate with Ruth, and even ventured to speak of the trouble which had
befallen her father that summer, and of her future prospects.

"Of course," she said, "papa would not have thought of allowing me to
remain at such an expensive school as Miss Elgin's, but grandmamma has
kindly promised to pay the expenses of my education for two years, and
if I study hard for that time I hope that I shall be able to teach, and
to help papa and mamma."

Ruth could thoroughly sympathise with her friend, and entered into her
feelings, her hopes and