the
sacrifice to honor the Blessed Virgin?"

With some embarrassment, Abby admitted that this was her motive.

A sudden thought occurred to Marion. "Then, Abby, you shall!" said
she. "I'll arrange it; but don't say a word about it to any one. Let
the girls think you are to be Queen, if they please. Why, missy," she
went on, becoming enthusiastic, "it is really a clever idea for our
drama. We shall have a lovely May piece, after all."

Marion hastened away, intent upon working out the new plan which her
quick fancy had already sketched in outline. To be sure, she and Ellen
had devised a different one, and agreed that each should write certain
scenes. Ellen had taken the first opportunity that morning to whisper
that she had devoted to the drama all the previous evening and an hour
before breakfast. Marion, indeed, had done the same.

"But it will not make any difference. We can change the lines a
little," she said to herself, after reading the manuscript, which Ellen
passed to her at the hour of German study,--a time they were allowed to
take for this particular composition.

Ellen, however, thought otherwise.

"What! another plan for the May piece!" she said, when Marion
mentioned the subject. "Why, see all I've written; and in rhyme, too!"

"But it can be altered without much trouble," explained her friend.

"No, it can't. You will only make a hodge-podge of my verses," she
answered, excitedly. "I do think, Marion, that once we agreed upon the
plan, you ought to have kept to it, instead of changing everything just
because of a notion of a little girl like Abby Clayton. Here I've been
working hard for nothing,--it was just a waste of time!"

Marion pleaded and reasoned, but without avail. Ellen's vanity was
wounded. She chose to imagine that her classmate, and sometimes rival,
did not care whether her lines were spoiled or not.

"No, no!" she reiterated. "I'll have nothing to do with your new plan.
You can get up the whole piece yourself."

"At least give me what you have written," urged Marion. "We are so
hurried, and the children ought to have their parts as soon as
possible."

But Ellen remained obdurate.

Marion consulted the others of the class, and, after some discussion,
they decided in favor of the later design. For the next few days she
devoted every spare moment to the work. By the end of the week she had
not only finished the portion she had been expected to write, but also