ly gone downstairs. Ruby laid the box on the bureau, and ran
away as the bell rang to call the scholars together, feeling quite
delighted at the thought of Miss Ketchum's happiness when she should
find so large an addition to her "menagerie," as the girls called it.
She thought she would not tell Miss Ketchum about it, but let her have
the pleasure of a surprise when she should go up to her room. Of all
the little girls, no one studied more diligently than Ruby that
afternoon, for she wanted to make up for the morning in every way that
she could; and the thought of the caterpillars walking about in their
prison, all ready to make Miss Ketchum happy when she should find them,
made Ruby very glad; so she felt like singing a little song as she
studied her grammar, and looked out the map questions in her geography.

The day which had begun so disastrously was going to have a very
pleasant ending after all, and Ruby no longer felt as if she must go
home. When the girls had come into the school-room after recess Miss
Ketchum had said what Ruby had not in the least expected her to say,
that she had found out why Ruby laughed, and if she had known sooner
she would not have sent her out of the class for it, as she felt as if
it was her own fault instead of Ruby's, and that therefore, she should
give Ruby perfect marks for deportment, since she had not intended to
make any disorder during school-time. Ruby was so grateful to Miss
Ketchum for thus clearing her before the school that she made up her
mind that she would never, never give her teacher the least bit of
trouble, but would always be good, and learn her lessons perfectly, so
that she should never have any occasion to reprove her.

CHAPTER XIX.

SURPRISES.

When Ruby went to bed that night her last thought was of the
caterpillars and of the pleasure they would give her teacher, and she
was impatient for the morning to come that she might have Miss Ketchum
tell her how much she had enjoyed them.

Miss Ketchum did not go up to her room after study hour, but after
supper she went up for something, intending to return to the
sitting-room at once, as she had charge of the girls that evening. It
was almost dark in her room, but she did not stop to light the lamp, as
she knew where to get her work-basket in the dark. In passing the
bureau she put out her hand and knocked something off, but stooping
down on the floor and picking it up again, she concluded that it