ow."

"I think you can," said her teacher, kindly. "You certainly had the power,
when you stood out there in the entry, to stop and think before you
touched the things."

"I don't know," said Gypsy, shaking her head, thoughtfully; "I don't
believe I had."

"But you wouldn't do it again?"

"I guess I wouldn't!" said Gypsy, with an emphasis.

"What you can do one time, you can another," said Miss Melville.

Gypsy was silent.

"There's one other thing about it," continued her teacher, "besides the
impropriety of playing such a trick in school hours--that is, that it was
very unkind to me."

"Unkind!" exclaimed Gypsy.

"Yes," said Miss Melville, quietly, "unkind."

"Why, Miss Melville, I wouldn't be unkind to you for anything!--I love you
dearly."

"Nevertheless, Gypsy, it was very unkind to deliberately set to work to
annoy me and make me trouble, by getting the school into a frolic.
Anything done to break the order of study-hours, or to withstand any rule
of the school, is always an unkindness to a teacher. There is scarcely a
girl in school that might help me more than you, Gypsy, if you chose."

"I don't see how," said Gypsy, astonished.

"I do," said Miss Melville, smiling, "and I always think a little vote of
thanks to you, when you are quiet and well-behaved. An orderly scholar has
a great deal of influence. The girls all love you, and are apt to do as
they see you do, Gypsy."

There was a little silence, in which Gypsy's eyes were wandering away
under the apple-boughs, their twinkling dimmed and soft.

At last she turned quickly, and threw her arms about her teacher's neck.

"Miss Melville, if you'll give me one kiss, I'll never be an old woman
again, if I live as long as Methuselah!"

Miss Melville kissed her, and whispered one or two little loving words of
encouragement, such as nobody but Miss Melville knew how to say. But Gypsy
never told what they were.

"I believe there's a bolt left out of me somewhere," she said, as they
left the school-house together; "what do you suppose it is?"

"It is the strong, iron bolt, '_stop and think_,' Gypsy."

"Um--yes--perhaps it is," said Gypsy, and walked slowly home.

CHAPTER IV

GYPSY HAS A DREAM

"Come, Tom--do."

"Do what?"

"You know as well as I do."

"What did you observe?"

_"Tom Breynton!"_

"That's my name."

"Will you, or will you not, come down to the pond and have a row?"

"Let's hear you tease a little."

"Catch