; and back of all that, lay
in Faith's mind a deep, searching, pressing interest in the subject
matters of it. What of all that, _she_ knew,--how little,--and how much
the boys;--how vastly much Dr. Harrison; what far-reaching fields of
knowledge there were in some people's minds. Where was Faith's mind
going? Yet she was almost as outwardly quiet as Mr. Linden himself. All
her shew of feeling was in the intent eye, the grave face, and a little
deepening and deepening tinge in her cheeks.

The questioning and answering was over--the boys were all in their
ranks--there was a little hush and stir of expectancy,--and Dr.
Harrison gave his hand to a very bright lady with a basket and led her
to a position by his side, filling the eye of the whole assembly. Faith
looked over to her with a tiny giving way of the lips which meant a
great self-gratulation that she was not in the lady's place. There she
stood, very much at home apparently,--Miss Essie de Staff, as fifty
mouths said at once. She was rather a little lady, not very young, nor
old; dressed in a gay-coloured plaid silk, with a jaunty little black
apron with pockets, black hair in curls behind her ears, and a glitter
of jewelry. It was not false jewelry, nor ill put on, and this was Miss
Essie de Staff. She belonged to the second great family of
Pattaquasset; she too had been abroad and had seen life like the
Harrisons; but somehow she had seen it in a different way; and while
the de Staffs had the shew, the Harrisons always had the reality of
precedence in the town.

And Dr. Harrison, raising slightly again his voice, which was a
melodious one, said,

"The ladies of Pattaquasset intend to honour with a blue ribband the
five elder boys who have spoken best; and with a favour of red ribband
the five little boys who have done the same on their part. Miss Essie
de Staff will do us the honour to bestow them.--Reuben Taylor, will you
come forward--here, if you please."

The 'favours' made a little stir among the group; and Reuben, who had
been too much absorbed in the examination for its own sake to think
much of the question of precedence, came forward at first with
hesitation--then steadily and firmly.

Miss Essie stepped a little forward to meet him, gave her basket to
Doctor Harrison, and taking a blue favour from it she smilingly
attached the same securely to the left breast of Reuben's coat.

"Don't leave your place," said the doctor to him in a low tone;--"I