was
very much mortified to think that she had been in school all the
morning without knowing that she had not finished dressing. She
understood Ruby's behavior then.

Going back to the school-room she sat down at her desk and called Ruby
to her.

"Ruby, dear, you did not intend to be disorderly this morning in class,
did you?" she asked.

Ruby burst into tears, and hid her face. In a moment Miss Ketchum's
arm was about her, and she was crying on her teacher's shoulder.

"Indeed I did n't," she answered, between her sobs. "I never thought
of such a thing. I was just going to tell you what an adverb was, and
when I looked up I saw--I saw--"

"That my hair was not arranged properly?" asked Miss Ketchum.

"Yes'm," said Ruby, "and then before I knew what I was going to do I
had laughed. I am so sorry, and oh, I wish I could go home. I never
was bad in school before, and I did not mean to be this time. Indeed I
am so sorry I laughed, Miss Ketchum. I could n't help it and I did n't
know I was going to, truly I did n't."

"Ruby, dear, I feel as if it was more my fault than yours," said Miss
Ketchum, gently wiping away the little girl's tears. "Now you may go
out to play and I will hear your lesson some time after school, when
you feel like coming up to my room to say it, and you shall have your
good mark, if you know it, just as if you had recited it in class. I
shall not consider that you have done anything wrong this morning, for
I can understand that you would not have laughed if you had had time to
think about it for a moment. But you will try after this always to be
quiet, will you not?"

"Yes 'm," answered Ruby, earnestly, and returning Miss Ketchum's kiss,
she wiped her eyes and ran out to play, happier than she had had any
idea that she could ever be again.

She thought to herself that she would never smile again in school, even
if such a thing should happen as that Miss Ketchum should leave both of
her curls off at once. When she went out to play she found that the
girls were disposed to make much of her for her trouble of the
morning.

"It was too bad for anything, Ruby Harper, that you had to get into
trouble all on account of Miss Ketchum's curl," said one of the girls.
"I don't wonder you laughed. If you had seen it before you might have
been able to help it, but to look up and see her hair looking that way
was enough to make any one laugh, whether they meant to or not.

"Miss Ket