way, for I told her that
Miss Chapman would want you to wear your hair differently. She told me
that she wanted you to follow all the rules of the school, whatever
they were; so I know she wishes you to wear your hair as Miss Chapman
requires the others to wear their hair. Now, let me braid it for you,
for it is growing near dinner-time."

But Maude threw herself down the bed, and began to cry.

"And now I must tell you about another rule," said Mrs. Boardman. "I
expect it will seem to you as if we had a great many rules here; but
you will soon get used to them, and then you will not find them
burdensome. It is against the rules to sit upon your bed during the
day-time. You see it will make the bed look untidy, and that is the
reason for this rule. Now, we will straighten the bed out nicely, and
then it will be quite tidy again."

Maude did not move.

"Oh, I must go home," she sobbed. "I can't stay here. It is a
perfectly dreadful place. I have to do everything I don't like to do
and I can't do the least little tiny thing that I like to do, and my
beautiful hair will look so ugly, and I just can't stand it."

Some of the other teachers might have reproved the little girl for her
fretful words, but kind-hearted Mrs. Boardman was too sorry for her.
She could imagine how hard it must seem to a child who had never been
under any control at all, to find herself obliged to obey rules,
whether she liked them or not. She leaned over and stroked the golden
hair.

"Now, dear, I know what a good little girl you are going to be when you
think about it. I was very proud of you this morning, and thought I
should like to have you for one of my special little friends very much.
You see I am not exactly one of the teachers, and so I can have a pet
when I want one. I know you don't like this rule, but then you are
going to obey it because it is right and it will please your mother to
know you are being a good girl. Something worse than having my hair
braided happened to me when I was about your age. Jump up and let me
braid your hair, and I will tell you about it. Come, dear. It is ever
so much easier to do things because one wants to, you know, than
because one is made to do them, and you will have to obey the rules
whether you want to or not; so if I were in your place I should prefer
to obey them of my own free will, because I wanted to do just what was
right, and please my mother. I don't think you could guess