sat
absorbed in a seemingly vain attempt to make herself mistress of an
example in long division.

Her face and neck crimsoned at the remark of her teacher, but looking
up, she seemed somewhat reassured by the kind glance that met her, and
answered:--

"No, ma'am, I was not, but sister Nelly was."

"I remember there was a little girl who called herself Nelly Gray, who
came in yesterday, but I did not know she was your sister. But why did
you not come? You seem to love to study very much."

"It was not because I didn't want to," was the earnest answer, and then
she paused and the deep flush again tinged her fair brow; "but," she
continued after a moment of painful embarrassment, "mother can not
spare both of us conveniently, and so we are going to take turns. I'm
going to school one day, and sister the next, and to-night I'm to teach
Nelly all I have learned to-day, and to-morrow night she will teach me
all that she learns while here. It's the only way we can think of
getting along, and we want to study very much, so that sometime we will
be able to teach school ourselves, and take care of mother, because she
has to work very hard to take care of us."

"The teacher asked no more questions, but sat down beside her, and in a
moment explained the rule over which she was puzzling her young brain,
so that the hard example was easily finished.

"You would better go out and take the air a few moments; you have
studied very hard to-day," said the teacher, as the little girl put
aside the slate.

[Illustration: _"The teacher sat down beside her and explained the
rule."_]

"I would rather not,--I might tear my dress,--I will stand by the window
and watch the rest." The dress was nothing but a cheap calico, but it
was neatly made and had never been washed. While looking at it, she
remembered that during the whole previous fortnight, she had never seen
her wear but that one dress. "She is a thoughtful little girl," said she
to herself, "and does not want to made her mother any trouble. I wish I
had more such scholars."

The next morning Mary was absent, but her sister occupied her seat,
There was something so interesting in the two little sisters, the one
eleven, and the other eighteen months younger, agreeing to attend school
by turns, that the teacher noticed them very closely.

They were pretty faced children, of delicate forms, the elder with dark
eyes and chestnut curls, the other with eyes like the sky of June, he