noble courage which comes to those who think of others, not themselves.
"I cannot write," she said, passionately. She said the words aloud,
dashing down her pen and making a blot on the fair sheet of manuscript
paper. At that moment the door was opened and Bertha came in.

"I thought I heard a noise," she said; "so it is you? What are you
doing there, Florence?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing; but why have you come to tempt me?" said
Florence. She raised two haggard eyes to the pupil teacher's face.

"Not to tempt you, but to help you, poor child. Of course, you will do
what I wish. There, Florence, I wrote your essay for you last night.
It came over me and I wrote it without much trouble. Here it is, dear;
you have only to copy it; put it in your desk for the present, there is
plenty of time, and go back to bed, dear, for you look worn out."

Florence burst into tears. The next moment she had flung her arms
around Bertha's neck and laid her head on her shoulder.

"There, there," said Bertha, "there, there, you are overcome, but it
will be all right now."

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE GUESTS ARRIVE.

It wanted three days to the Scholarship competition. The girls who
were called in the school the lucky three now scarcely spoke on the
subject--the other girls watched them anxiously. All lessons, except
those in connection with the Scholarship, were suspended so far as Mary
Bateman, Kitty Sharston, and Florence Aylmer were concerned.

The trial essays, the essays which were to be the supreme test of
merit, were all written, and in sealed envelopes were handed in to Mrs.
Clavering. Meanwhile exercises on history, French, German, arithmetic,
were the order of the hour. The girls were busy all day long. The
three faces were somewhat pale, and lines which ought not to have
appeared round the young eyes and lips were beginning to make
themselves manifest.

"I shall be truly thankful when the thing is over," said Mrs. Clavering
to Sir John; "this is bad for them, very bad. In particular I do not
like Florence Aylmer's expression. The girl thinks too much about this
matter. If she fails she will have an illness."

"And if she succeeds Kitty will fail or have an illness," said Sir
John, restlessly.

"Kitty will feel it, but she will not have an illness," said Mrs.
Clavering; "you have but to see the expression on the two faces to know
that. Kitty is anxious also and resolved, but there is a firm, steady,
fine