re so shy that they could scarcely answer,
and Miss Chapman knew that it would take two or three days to find out
how far advanced they were.

Very much to Maude's surprise, she was put in a class below Ruby. She
was not at all pleased with this, for it was a great mortification to
her pride to find that the little country girl whom she had looked down
upon was beyond her in her studies.

Maude had never attended school regularly, but had stayed at home
whenever she could beg consent from her mother, and very often she had
won it by teasing when there was really no reason at all why she should
not have been at her desk. Even when she had attended school it had
never occurred to her that it was for her own benefit that her teachers
tried to have her learn her lessons. She had shirked them as much as
possible, and as no teacher has time to waste over a little girl who
will not study when there are so many willing to learn, she had managed
to get along with very little study, and so, of course, had learned but
little.

She was ashamed to see what small girls were in the class with her, and
she made up her mind that she would study so hard that she would soon
be promoted into the class in which Ruby had been put.

It took until recess time to arrange all the classes, and then the bell
rang, and the scholars were free to go out upon the lawn for a
half-hour. A basket of rosy-cheeked apples was passed about, and all
the children were very ready for one. Some day-scholars attended this
school, and Ruby thought, rather wistfully, how nice it would be if
she, too, were going home when school should be out.

Maude did not care about being with Ruby during recess time, for she
was afraid that Ruby would remember her speech early that morning, and
remind her that she instead of Maude was the farthest advanced in her
studies. Ruby was becoming acquainted with some of her new classmates,
and was finding this first morning of school life very pleasant.

The rest of the morning seemed longer than the first part had done, and
Ruby as well as most of the others were very glad when the noon
intermission came. The day-scholars took out their lunch-baskets, and
prepared to eat their lunches, and the bell rang for the
boarding-scholars to go up to their rooms and get ready for dinner.

As each little girl reached the door, she stopped, turned around and
made a courtesy to Miss Chapman who was sitting opposite the door.
Ruby wa