al.

"Then Miss Aylmer--what is the matter, Miss Aylmer?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," said Florence. She gave one wild glance in the
direction of Bertha Keys, but Bertha was too wise to meet Florence's
eyes just then.

"She feels it, but she must go through with it," thought the pupil
teacher. "I did not know that I had such genius, but I shall never
doubt my own power in the future. Is she indeed mean enough to take my
work and claim it as her own? Of course she is; it would be fatal to
me if she did otherwise."

As Florence slowly, very slowly, as if each step was weighted with
lead, crept forward to the front of the dais without any of that look
of triumph and pleasure which ought to have marked her face at such a
moment, Bertha Keys threw back her own head and allowed her watchful
light blue eyes to follow the girl, while a smile of sardonic import
curled her lips.

When Florence got opposite Sir John she suddenly, as if overpowered by
intense emotion, fell on her knees. She could not have done anything
which would more completely bring down the house. Cheers,
acclamations, hurrahs, every sort of congratulation filled the air.
When they had subsided for a moment and Mrs. Aylmer the less had
released the hand of Mrs. Aylmer the great, which she had clutched
frantically in her intense agitation, Sir John took Florence's hand and
with a slight motion raised her to her feet.

"Stand up, Florence Aylmer," he said; "you have done splendidly; I
congratulate you. The Scholarship is yours, nobly won, splendidly won.
Take your honors, my dear."

As he spoke he stepped to the table and brought back a small crown of
filigree silver. It was a simple wreath in the form of bay-leaves. He
laid it on Florence's dark head.

"This is yours," he said; "wear it with dignity; keep the great, the
good, the true always before you. And this also is yours," he said.
He slipped a thin gold chain with the ruby locket attached round
Florence's neck. He then placed the purse which contained the
Scholarship money for the ensuing year, and the parchment scroll, in
her hand. "And now, young people," he said, "let us all cheer three
times the winner of the Scholarship."

The girls cheered as lustily as schoolboys, the band in the corner
burst forth with the gay strains of "See the Conquering Hero Comes,"
and after a brief signal from Sir John there was suddenly heard outside
the report of a small cannon, which was the intimation