d the opening lines, the actor stopped her. Taking the book from
her, he turned to the part where Touchstone, quaintly humorous, holds
forth upon "the lie seven times removed."

"Read this," he said briefly, holding out the book to Nora.

Nora began and read glibly on, unconsciously emphasizing as she did so.
Down one page she read and half way through the next before Mr. Southard
seemed satisfied.

Then he again held conversation with Miss Tebbs, who nodded and looked
smilingly toward Nora, who stood scowling faintly, rather ill-pleased at
attracting so much attention.

"It looks as though Nora had made an impression, doesn't it!" whispered
Jessica to Grace, who was about to reply when Mr. Southard motioned to
her. Grace, who knew the scene by heart, went fearlessly forward, and
read the lines with splendid emphasis. Marian and Eva Allen followed
her, and acquitted themselves with credit. Then Eleanor's turn came.
Handing her coat, which she had taken off and carried upon her arm, to
Edna Wright, she walked proudly over, then, without a trace of
self-consciousness, began the reading of the designated lines. Her voice
sounded unusually clear and sweet, yet lacked something of the power of
expression displayed by Grace in her rendering of the same scene. When
she had finished she handed the book back with an air of studied
indifference she was far from feeling. She had decided in her own mind
that Rosalind was the part best suited to her, and felt that the honor
now lay between herself and Grace. No other girls, with the exception of
Nora, had been allowed to read as much of any scene as they two had been
requested to read.

But Eleanor had reckoned without her host, for there was one girl who
had not as yet come to the front. The girl was Anne Pierson, who in some
mysterious manner had been all but overlooked, until Miss Tebbs spied
her standing between Grace and Nora.

"Can you spare us a moment more, Mr. Southard?" said Miss Tebbs to the
actor, who was preparing to leave. "You have almost missed hearing one
of my best girls. Come here, Anne, and prove the truth of my words."

Grace drew a long breath of relief. She had eagerly awaited Anne's turn
and was about to call Miss Tebbs's attention to Anne, just as that
teacher had observed her.

As most of the girls present had heard Anne recite, there was a great
craning of necks and a faint murmur of expectancy as she took her place.
They expected her to live up t