e was pleased would hardly
express her satisfaction. Uncle George sent her a paintbox--not the
ordinary children's kind which she had always had before, but one with
china pans of good colours and proper sable brushes that had the most
delicate points and would go neatly into corners that her old
camel-hair ones would have certainly smudged. Her mother gave her a
beautiful new Bible, bound in dark-purple morocco, with many
illustrations of Eastern scenes, and maps and a concordance at the
end.

"You must read a little piece every day, darling, as you do at home,
though I shall not be there to explain it to you. Miss Holt has made
you this pretty marker to keep your place, and I have put a sprig of
lavender at our favourite chapter."

Father had bought her a Prayer Book and hymnbook in a case to take
to church on Sundays, and added a tiny purse in which to keep her
collection money. Cousin Cuthbert sent a cedarwood pencil box
containing a blue-handled penknife, several new lead pencils, an
indiarubber, and an ink eraser; the cook made her a box of toffee, and
the housemaid crocheted a toilet tidy to hang on her dressing table. A
large new trunk had arrived, and stood in the spare bedroom all ready
to be packed, and so many parcels were being delivered from various
shops that it was quite an excitement to carry each fresh one upstairs
to the schoolroom and open it.

"I hope Miss Kaye will find you as well on as other girls of your
age," said Miss Holt anxiously, as she sorted out a few lesson books
and some pieces of music for Sylvia to take with her. "Do remember
that _aller_ is an irregular verb! I should be so ashamed if you began
'_j'alle_, _tu alles_, _il alle_,' as you did last week! I wish you
would look up the dates of the kings and queens of England before you
go, and your weights and measures. I'm afraid you are not very certain
of some of them, especially square and cubic. I think you are pretty
good at spelling, but I'm sure they will consider you write badly for
nearly eleven years old; you don't hold your pen properly, and you
make so many blots. I hope they won't ask you for the geography of
Europe, for you've only learnt England and physical outlines; and when
you play Clementi's second sonatina, don't forget that you always
count the time wrong in the fourth bar. I have told you about it so
often."

"All right, Miss Holt!" replied Sylvia, "I'll do my best, but I wish
we could lose old Clementi; I do