lf and
then presented a small hand to the other young man with the remark:

"I think you are both just as mean as you can be to surprise me in this
way!"

Her eyes told a different tale, however, and when explanations were duly
made, the two visitors were invited inside and given seats. The class
in reading was then dismissed and that in spelling called to what was
now seemingly to them an unexpected misery. A bombshell, or a ghost at
the window, would not have produced any more consternation than those
two strange visitors. This class, that one by one filed up in front of
the teacher's desk, and ranged themselves in line, stood trembling, and
the boy at the head, to whom was put the first word, was unable to utter
a sound. The next one spelled it wrong, and it was tried by two others
and finally spelled right by a girl who could hardly do better than
whisper it. She was told to go to the head, and after that the rest did
better. The search for knowledge in that school had received a set-back,
however, for that day, and Alice decided to do the wisest thing and
dismiss her band of pupils without delay. When the room was cleared of
them she turned to her two callers and said with mock seriousness: "The
first class in deportment will now define propriety."

"Propriety is--is--Propriety," replied her brother, "consists in two
young men surprising one small and very saucy schoolma'am and letting a
lot of imprisoned boys and girls escape to the woods and enjoy an extra
hour of freedom."

"Not right," said Alice severely; "the next pupil will now answer."

"Propriety," answered Frank, "consists in two young men escaping from
the city and relieving one tired school-teacher from her duty and
permitting her to go and gather flowers if she will. But which was the
girl you told the fairy tale to, Miss Page?" he added, as Alice began
putting her books away.

"The only one in the spelling-class you two bold bad men didn't scare
half out of her wits," she answered.

Frank walked about the room, peering curiously at its rather primitive
fittings. Around three sides extended a breast-high shelf, carved and
cut by many a jack-knife, and beneath it a narrower one where books and
slates were stowed. In front were rows of backless benches for seats,
and in the centre of the room an open stove shaped like a fireplace.
Around this were three long, low seats with backs, and on the sides
where the door was, a desk stood on a low platfor