ss, was trying to bribe her to forget
the sovereigns of England.

"And I am quite sure I know them perfectly. That is, if she doesn't fuss
me too much when she asks the question," Tess said to Ruth, with whom
she discussed the point. "I won't take her the apples, I guess, until
after I have recited the sovereigns."

Despite the declaration that she had learned perfectly the rhyme Mrs.
Eland had written out for her, Tess Kenway went into school that first
day of the term feeling very sober indeed. Many of the girls in her
class looked sober, too. Pupils who had graduated from Miss Pepperill's
class had reported the red-haired lady as being "awfully strict."

Indeed, before the scholars were quite settled at their desks, they had
a proof of Miss Pepperill's discipline. Some of the boys in Tess' class
had reputations to maintain (or thought they had) for "not bein' scart
of teacher." Sammy Pinkney often boasted to wondering and wide-eyed
little girls that "no old teacher could make him a fraid cat."

"What's your name--you with the black hair and warts on your hands?"
demanded the new teacher, sharply and suddenly.

She pointed directly at the grinning and inattentive Sammy. There was no
mistaking Miss Pepperill's meaning and some of the other boys giggled,
for Sammy did have warts on his grimy little paws.

"What's your name?" repeated the teacher, with rising inflection.

"Sam--Sam Pinkney," replied Sammy, just a little startled, but trying to
appear brave.

"Stand up when you reply to a question!" snapped Miss Pepperill.

Sammy stumbled to his feet.

"Now! What is your name? Again."

"Sam Pinkney."

"Sam-u-e-l?"

"Well--that's 'Sam,' ain't it?" drawled the boy, gaining courage.

But he never spoke so again when Miss Pepperill addressed him. That
woman strode down the aisle to Sammy's seat, seized the cringing boy by
the lobe of his right ear, and marched him up to her desk. There she
sat him down "in the seat of penitence" beside her own chair, saying:

"I'll attend to your case later, young man. Evidently the long vacation
has done you no good. You have forgotten how to speak to your teacher."

The girls were much disturbed by this manifestation of the new teacher's
sternness. Sadie Goronofsky whispered to Tess:

"Oh! don't she get excited easy?"

The whites of Alfredia Blossom's eyes were fairly enlarged by her
surprise and terror at this proceeding on the new teacher's part. After
that, Alfredia