FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26  
27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   >>   >|  
ent, and Miss Rutherford came hastening down, with alarmed aspect, begging to be told what was the matter. But the summoner had turned and fled at the first sight of the lady's garments. Miss Rutherford darted into the schoolroom, and at once there was quietness, save for half-choked sobs here and there, and a more ominous kind of moaning from the crowded corner. "Gracious goodness, children, what is it? Who's that lying on the floor? Harriet Smales! What _ever_ has happened?" The cluster of children had fallen aside, exposing a strange picture. On the ground lay a girl of twelve, her face deadly pale, save in the places where it was dabbled with fresh blood, which still streamed from a gash on the right side of her forehead. Her eyes were half opened; she was just recovering consciousness; a moan came from her at intervals. She had for support the lap and arms of a little girl, perhaps two years younger than herself. Heedless of the flowing blood, this child was pressing her pale cheek against that of the wounded one, whose name she kept murmuring in pitiful accents, mixed with endearing epithets. So unconscious was she of all around, that the falling back of the other children did not cause her to raise her eyes; neither was she aware of Miss Rutherford's first exclamations, nor yet of the question which was next addressed to her by the horrified schoolmistress. "How did it happen? Some of you run at once for a doctor--Dr. Williams in Grove Road--Oh, quick!--Ida Starr, how _did_ it happen?" Ida did not move, but seemed to tighten her embrace. The other pupils all looked fearfully hither and thither, but none ventured to speak. "Ida!" repeated Miss Rutherford, dropping on her knees by the two, and beginning to wipe away some of the blood with her handkerchief. "Speak, child! Has some one gone for the doctor? How was it done?" The face at length turned upon the questioner was almost as ghastly and red-stained as that it had been pressed against. But it had become self-controlled; the dark eyes looked straight forward with an expression marvellously full of meaning in one so young; the lips did not tremble as they spoke. "I did it, Miss Rutherford. I have killed Harriet. I, and nobody else." "You? How, child?" "I killed her with the slate, Miss Rutherford; this slate, look." She pointed to a slate without a frame which lay on the floor. There were sums worked on the uppermost side, and the pencil-mar
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26  
27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Rutherford

 

children

 

looked

 

Harriet

 

killed

 

doctor

 
happen
 

turned

 
aspect
 
pupils

ventured

 
thither
 
fearfully
 

dropping

 
alarmed
 

handkerchief

 
embrace
 

beginning

 
repeated
 

matter


addressed

 
horrified
 

schoolmistress

 

Williams

 

begging

 

tighten

 

hastening

 

tremble

 

worked

 

uppermost


pencil

 

pointed

 

meaning

 
ghastly
 
stained
 

length

 

question

 

questioner

 

pressed

 

expression


marvellously

 

forward

 
straight
 

controlled

 
places
 
dabbled
 

choked

 
twelve
 
deadly
 

streamed