r hand was so tired that she read it over by
way of a rest, with the result that she was quite astonished to discover
how miserable she had been! Everything she had said was true, and yet
somehow the impression given was of a depth of woe which she could not
honestly say she had experienced. Perhaps it was that she had omitted
to mention the alleviating circumstances--Miss Everett's sweetness,
Fraulein's praise, hours of relaxation in the grounds, signs of
softening on the part of the girls, early hours and regular exercises,
which sent her to the simple meals with an appetite she had never known
at home. Five days at school, and on the whole there had been as much
pleasure as suffering. Then, was it quite fair to send home such a
misleading account?

Rhoda drew from her pocket the latest of the five loving letters penned
by the maternal hand, and read it through for the dozenth time. Sunday
was a lonely day for new-comers, and the period occupied by the sermon
in church had been principally occupied by Rhoda in pressing back the
tears which showed a presumptuous desire to roll down her cheeks and
splash upon her gloves. It had been a sweet consolation to read over
and over again the words which showed that though she might be one of a
crowd at "Hurst," she was still the treasured darling of her home.
There was nothing original in the letter; it simply repeated in
different words the contents of its four predecessors--sorrow for her
absence, prayers for her welfare, anxiety for the first long letter.

"I can hardly wait until Monday morning. I am so longing to know how
you are faring!" Rhoda read these words, and looked slowly down upon
her own letter. Well! it would arrive, and the butler would place it on
the breakfast-table, and her mother would come hurrying into the room,
and seize it with a little cry of joy. She would read it over, and
then--then she would hand it to her husband, and take out her
handkerchief and begin to cry. Mr Chester would pooh-pooh her
distress, but she would cry quietly behind the urn, and despite his
affectation of indifference he, also, would look worried and troubled;
while Harold would declare that every one must go through the same stage
before settling down, and that Rhoda might be expected to "make a fuss."
She had been so spoiled at home!

Rhoda dug her pen into the blotting-paper, and frowned uneasily. Five
days' experience at school had impressed her with the feeblen