Beth replied, "I shall keep them out
of mischief. Not one of them has had a bad mark this week."

Then Miss Clifford sent for Miss Smallwood, the mistress of the sixth.
"What do you make of Beth Caldwell?" she asked.

"I can't make anything of her," Miss Smallwood answered. "I think she
tries, but she does not seem able to keep up with the other girls at
all. She seldom knows a lesson or does a sum correctly. I sometimes
think she ought to be in the eighth. But then occasionally she shows a
knowledge far beyond her years; not a knowledge of school work, but of
books and life."

"How about her themes?"

"I don't know what to think of them; they are too good. But she
declares emphatically that she does them all out of her own head."

"What sort of temper has she?"

"Queer, like everything else about her. Not unamiable, you know, but
irritable at times, and she has days of deep depression, and moments
of extreme elation."

"Ah!" Miss Clifford ejaculated, and then reflected a little. "Well, be
patient with her," she said at last. "If she hasn't exceptional
ability of some kind, I am no judge of girls; but she is evidently
unaccustomed to school work, and is suffering from the routine and
restraint, after being allowed to run wild. She should have been sent
here years ago."

CHAPTER XXXI

From the foregoing it will be seen that Beth made her mark upon the
school from the day of her arrival in the way of getting herself
observed and talked about. She was set down as queer to begin with,
and when lessons began both girls and mistresses decided that she was
stupid; and queer she remained to the end in the estimation of those
who had no better word to express it, but with regard to her
stupidity there soon began to be differences of opinion.

At preparation one evening she talked instead of doing her work, and
gradually all the girls about her had stopped to listen.

"Gracious!" Beth exclaimed at last, "the bell will go directly, and
I've not done a sum. Show me how to work them, Rosa."

"Oh, bother!" Rosa rejoined. "Find out for yourself! My theme was
turned, and I've got to do it again."

"Look here," said Beth, "if you'll do my sums, I'll do your theme now,
and your thorough bass on Thursday."

"I wish to goodness you wouldn't talk, Beth!" Agnes Stewart exclaimed.
"We shall all get bad marks to-morrow."

"Then why do you listen?" Beth retorted.

"I can't help it," Agnes grumbled. "You fascinate m