oking at for its beauty, yet that one wanted to look
away from for something in its expression, and could not for those
diamond eyes. They were fixed on the lady-teacher now. The latter turned
her own away, and let them wander over the other scholars. But they
could not help coming back again for a single glance at the wild beauty.
The diamond eyes were on her still. She turned the leaves of several of
her books, as if in search of some passage, and, when she thought she
had waited long enough to be safe, once more stole a quick look at the
dark girl. The diamond eyes were still upon her. She put her kerchief
to her forehead, which had grown slightly moist; she sighed once, almost
shivered, for she felt cold; then, following some ill-defined impulse,
which she could not resist, she left her place and went to the young
girl's desk.

"What do you want of me, Elsie Venner?" It was a strange question to
put, for the girl had not signified that she wished the teacher to come
to her.

"Nothing," she said. "I thought I could make you come." The girl
spoke in a low tone, a kind of half-whisper. She did not lisp, yet her
articulation of one or two consonants was not absolutely perfect.

"Where did you get that flower, Elsie?" said Miss Darley. It was a rare
alpine flower, which was found only in one spot among the rocks of The
Mountain.

"Where it grew," said Elsie Veneer. "Take it." The teacher could not
refuse her. The girl's finger tips touched hers as she took it. How cold
they were for a girl of such an organization!

The teacher went back to her seat. She made an excuse for quitting the
schoolroom soon afterwards. The first thing she did was to fling the
flower into her fireplace and rake the ashes over it. The second was to
wash the tips of her fingers, as if she had been another Lady Macbeth. A
poor, over-tasked, nervous creature,--we must not think too much of her
fancies.

After school was done, she finished the talk with the master which had
been so suddenly interrupted. There were things spoken of which may
prove interesting by and by, but there are other matters we must first
attend to.

CHAPTER VII. THE EVENT OF THE SEASON.

"Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests
the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday
evening next.

"Elm St. Monday."

On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large "S" at the
top, and an embossed bor