sk was a positive pleasure; to glance at her own neat and trim
figure was more or less of a delight. Hers were the whitest hands in the
school, and hers the most perfectly kept and glossy hair. As the
preparation hour drew to a close, she replaced her exercises and books in
exquisite order in her school desk and shut down the lid.

Hester's eyes followed her as she walked out of the school-room, for the
head class never had supper with the younger girls. Hester wondered if
she would glance in her direction; but Miss Russell had gratified a very
passing whim when she condescended to notice and praise Hester, and she
had already almost forgotten her existence.

At bed-time that night Susan Drummond's behavior was at the least
extraordinary. In the first place, instead of being almost overpoweringly
friendly with Hester, she scarcely noticed her; in the next place, she
made some very peculiar preparations.

"What _are_ you doing on the floor, Susan?" inquired Hetty in an innocent
tone.

"That's nothing to you," replied Miss Drummond, turning a dusky red, and
looking annoyed at being discovered. "I do wish," she added, "that you
would go round to your side of the room and leave me alone; I sha'n't
have done what I want to do before Danesbury comes in to put out the
candle."

Hester was not going to put herself out with any of Susan Drummond's
vagaries; she looked upon sleepy Susan as a girl quite beneath her
notice, but even she could not help observing her, when she saw her sit
up in bed a quarter of an hour after the candles had been put out, and in
the flickering firelight which shone conveniently bright for her purpose,
fasten a piece of string first round one of her toes, and then to the end
of the bed-post.

"What _are_ you doing?" said Hester again, half laughing.

"Oh, what a spy you are!" said Susan. "I want to wake, that's all; and
whenever I turn in bed, that string will tug at my toe, and, of course,
I'll rouse up. If you were more good-natured, I'd give the other end of
the string to you; but, of course, that plan would never answer."

"No, indeed," replied Hester; "I am not going to trouble myself to wake
you. You must trust to your sponge of cold water in the morning, unless
your own admirable device succeeds."

"I'm going to sleep now, at any rate," answered Susan; "I'm on my back,
and I'm beginning to snore; good night."

Once or twice during the night Hester heard groans from the
self-sacrifici