.
Seasons of which I sing,
Are they not like, my king,
Thine own life's minist'ring
In all its stages?

First in the spring, I ween,
Were all thy powers foreseen--
Storms sowed renown.
Then came thy summer climb,
Then came thy golden-prime,
Then came thy harvest-time,
Bringing thy crown.

When Beth had read these lines, she doubled the half sheets on which
they were written, and put them in her pocket deliberately. She was
sitting on the acting-room floor at the moment, near the window.

"Now," she exclaimed, folding her delicate nervous hands on her lap,
and looking up at the strip of sky above her, "now I shall be
forgiven!"

It was dark at this time when the boys left school in the evening, and
Beth stood at the back-gate waiting to waylay Sammy. He came trotting
along by himself, and saw her as he approached, but did not attempt to
escape. On the contrary, he stopped, but he had nothing to say; the
relief of finding her friendly again was too great for words. Had she
looked out, she might have seen him any day since the event,
bright-eyed and rosy-cheeked as usual, prowling about, anxious to
obtain a reassuring smile from her on his way to and from school. It
was not likely that he would lose the credit of being Beth Caldwell's
sweetheart if he could help it, just because she beat him. Already he
had suffered somewhat in prestige because he had not been seen with
her so often lately; and he had been quite as miserable in his own
way, under the impression that she meant to cast him off, as she had
in hers.

"Come in, Sammy," she cried, catching hold of his hand. "Come in, I've
something to show you; but it's too cold to sit in the wood-house, and
we can't have a light there either. Come up by the pump to the
acting-room. I've fastened the door inside, and nobody can get in.
Come! I'll show you the way."

Sammy followed her obediently and in silence, although somewhat
suspiciously as usual; but she piloted him safely, and, once in the
acting-room, with the candle lighted, he owned that it was jolly.

"Sammy, I _have_ been sorry," Beth began. "I've been quite miserable
about--you know what. It was horrid of me."

"I told you scratch-cats were horrid," said Sammy solemnly.

"But I've done something to atone," Beth proceeded. "Something came to
me all about you. You sha