ur or two in the cherry orchard she ran into
the house, washed her face and hands, smoothed her hair, and ran down
to the school-room, for she too wanted to look through her examination
papers. They were not difficult, and she was very quick and ready at
acquiring knowledge, and she soon felt certain that she could answer
all the questions, and, having folded them up, she replaced them in her
desk.

It was the custom of the school that each girl should keep her desk
locked, and Kitty now slipped the key of hers into her pocket. As she
did so the door was opened and Florence came in. Florence looked pale
and _distrait_.

"Do you know," she said, "I have got the most racking headache; I
wonder if you would hear me through my English History questions,
Kitty. It would be awfully kind of you. I am so wretched about every
thing and things seem so hopeless, and it is so perfectly miserable to
think of spending all the holidays here, for I don't believe Mrs.
Clavering is going to take us to the seaside after all. Really, I
think life is not worth living sometimes."

"Oh, but it is," said Kitty, "and we are only preparing for life
now--don't forget that, Florry."

"I can't take a high and mighty view of anything just now," said
Florence; "I am cross, and that's a fact. I wish I wasn't going to the
feast to-night. If it were not for the chance of being one of the
lucky three in the Scholarship competition I wouldn't appear on the
scenes at all, I vow I would not, with that horrid bit of cottony
cherry-colored ribbon--yes, I vow I wouldn't. Why, Kitty, how you have
stained your dress; you must have knelt on a cherry when you were
picking them just now in the orchard."

"So I have; what a pity!" said Kitty. She glanced down at the deep red
stain, and then added, "I'll run upstairs presently and wash it out."

"Well, don't catch cold, whatever you do. But stay, won't you first
hear me my English History questions?"

Kitty immediately complied. Yes, Florence was stupid; she did not half
know her questions; her replies were wide of the mark. Kitty felt at
first distressed and then very determined.

"Look here, Florence," she said, "this will never do; you must work
through that portion of English History all the afternoon, and I will
help you to the very best of my ability. I happen to know the time of
Queen Elizabeth so well, for it was a favorite time with my father. He
always loved those old stories of the