les of letters to teachers and scholars, which must be
answered. Invitations were to be sent. All the preliminaries of a
great gathering were to be attended to, and both the excitement and
the listlessness attendant on a closing year were to be met and
combated.

It would be interesting if we could tell the story of each individual
during this eventful period, but it would fill a whole volume by
itself, so we must be contented by telling simply of those with whom
we have had the most to do.

Miss Ashton tried as far as she could, with so much else to attend to,
to have a little personal conversation with every pupil who had been
under her care for the year. Sometimes she saw them alone, sometimes
she took them in classes, according to the importance of what she had
to say. Before talking with Marion she sent the following short letter
to her mother:--

MY DEAR MRS. PARKE,--I should esteem it a personal favor if you
would allow your daughter Marion to remain with me free from
expense to you for another year. She has proved in all regards
not only an excellent scholar, but, as I wrote you before, the
influence of her lovely Christian character has been of great
value to me. I shall be glad to do all I can to help her into
the influential and well-balanced future I see before her. You
need have no fear that a feeling of indebtedness to me will be a
burden to her, delicate as her feelings are. I propose, by
putting her at the head of my post-office department, to fully
repay myself for all she will receive. This will not interfere
with her studies or her needed recreation, but will come at
hours she can easily spare.

Hoping this will meet with your cordial approbation,

Truly yours,
A. S. ASHTON.

It was not until an answer to this had been received that Miss Ashton
sent for Marion to come and see her. Marion had in the mean time a
letter from her mother, asking if she wished to remain. To which
Marion had answered, "Yes! Yes!" So now all Miss Ashton had to do was
to tell Marion how satisfied she was both with her and the
arrangement, and Marion to tell her kind teacher of her delight in
remaining.

Gladys was to return with her father after a pleasant summer spent at
Rock Cove, and to her, Miss Ashton had much wise advice to give
regarding her future. A motherless child, an indulgent, though w