g-point in the never-ending pursuit of knowledge; and
Longfellow's beautiful lines often recurred to her mind,--

"The lofty pyramids of stone,
That, wedge-like, cleave the desert airs,
When nearer seen and better known,
Are but gigantic flights of stairs."

Then the feeling grew to be more and more strong with her, that every
new acquisition--every step in mental discipline which God had given
her the opportunity of making--was a talent to be held in trust and
used in His service. Mrs. Eastwood had explained that, though we may
often have to study during the years of school life without seeing
what special use we may be called to make of our acquisitions, still
God will undoubtedly find some use for whatever power we have gained
while following the leading of His providence. "Therefore," she would
say, "the doubt whether such and such a thing will ever be of any use
to us is no excuse for sloth in acquiring it, when it is clearly our
duty to do so."

Her studies were rendered doubly interesting by the companionship of
Mary Eastwood, who was animated by the same spirit, and in whose
friendship she found her greatest pleasure during the winter. Stella
was rather surprised at the affectionate greeting between her cousin
and Miss Eastwood the first day they met at school, for she had
scarcely given Lucy an opportunity of telling her more than that they
had met often at Oakvale.

"Well, to think of your having all at once struck up such a violent
friendship with that stiff, quiet Miss Eastwood!" exclaimed Stella,
who thought her cousin's choice of a friend rather unaccountable.
Lucy's efforts to draw together her cousin and her friend were
unsuccessful, and perhaps this was quite as much Mary's fault as
Stella's, arising from her strong feeling against cultivating intimacy
with any one who was "of the world." It was almost the only practical
point on which she and Lucy disagreed, for Lucy tried to persuade her
that she might do real good if she would come more in contact with her
irreligious schoolmates. But Mary replied that this might do for some,
but she did not feel strong enough,--she might herself be led away.
She was not yet fully persuaded in her own mind.

So Lucy gave up the point, and had a somewhat difficult position to
maintain between her cousin and her friend,--not that Mary was ever
jealous, but Stella did not at all like the affection her friends to
be diverted towards any one els