rience than yourself. You can go to your room also for
the present, and to-morrow morning you will resume your duties in the
lower school."

Fanny and Sibyl both turned away, neither of them saying a word to the
other. They had scarcely done so before Miss Symes came in, her face
flushed with excitement, and accompanied by the twins.

"My dear girls, where have you been?" said Mrs. Haddo.

"With Mrs. Miles," said Sylvia.

"I cannot blame you, under the circumstances, although you have broken a
rule. My dears, thank God for His mercies. Here is the lost packet."

Sylvia grasped it.

Hester rushed towards Sylvia and laid her hand over her sister's. "Oh!
oh!" she said.

"Now, girls, can I trust you? I was told what took place this
morning--how you went to Betty without leave, and promised to return
with the packet. Is Betty awake at present, Miss Symes?"

"Yes," said Miss Symes, "she has been awake for a long time."

"Will you take the girls up to Betty's room? Do not go in yourself. Now,
girls, I trust to your wisdom, and to your love of Betty, to do this
thing very quietly."

"You may trust us," said Hetty.

They left the room. They followed Miss Symes upstairs. They entered the
beautiful room where Betty was lying, her eyes shining brightly, fever
high on her cheeks.

It was Hetty who put the packet into her hand. "Here it is, Betty
darling. We said we'd find it for you."

Then a wonderful thing happened; for Betty looked at the packet, then
she smiled, then she raised it to her lips and kissed it, then she put
it under her pillow. Finally she said, "Oh, I am sleepy! Oh, I am
tired!"

CHAPTER XXIII

RESTORATION

Notwithstanding the fact that the lost packet was restored, Betty's life
hung in the balance for at least another twenty-four hours. During that
time she tossed and sighed and groaned. The fever ran high, and her
little voice kept on saying, "Oh, that I could find the packet!"

It was in this emergency that Miss Symes came to the rescue. She called
Sylvia and Hester to her, and desired Hester to stand at one side of
Betty's little, narrow, white bed, and Sylvia to place herself at the
other.

Betty did not seem even to know her sisters. Her eyes were glassy, her
cheeks deeply flushed, and there was a look of intense restlessness and
great pain in her face. "Oh, that I might find the packet!" she
murmured.

"Do what your heart prompts you, Sylvia," said Miss Symes.

Sylvia imme