t for worlds would she now humble herself to
confess--not for worlds would she let the school know of her cowardice
and shame. No, if there was no other means of clearing Annie except
through her confession, she must remain with the shadow of this sin over
her to her dying day.

Hester, however, was now really unhappy, and also truly sorry for poor
Annie. Could she have got off without disgrace or punishment, she would
have been truly glad to see Annie exonerated. She was quite certain that
Susan Drummond was at the bottom of all the mischief which had been done
lately at Lavender House. She could not make out how stupid Susan was
clever enough to caricature and to imitate peoples' hands. Still she was
convinced that she was the guilty person, and she wondered and wondered
if she could induce Susan to come forward and confess the truth, and so
save Annie without bringing her, Hester, into any trouble.

She resolved to speak to Susan, and without confessing that she had been
in the school-room on the night the essay was changed, to let her know
plainly that she suspected her.

She became much calmer when she determined to carry out this resolve, and
toward morning she fell asleep.

She was awakened at a very early hour by little Nan clambering over the
side of her crib, and cuddling down cozily in a way she loved by Hester's
side.

"Me so 'nug, 'nug," said little Nan. "Oh, Hetty, Hetty, there's a wy on
the teiling!"

Hester had then to rouse herself, and enter into an animated conversation
on the subject of flies generally, and in especial she had to talk of
that particular fly which would perambulate on the ceiling over Nan's
head.

"Me like wies," said Nan, "and me like 'oo, Hetty, and me love--me love
Annie."

Hester kissed her little sister passionately; but this last observation,
accompanied by the expression of almost angelic devotion which filled
little Nan's brown eyes, as she repeated that she liked flies and Hetty,
but that she loved Annie, had the effect of again hardening her heart.

Hester's hour of trial, however, was at hand, and before that day was
over she was to experience that awful emptiness and desolation which
those know whom God is punishing.

Lessons went on as usual at Lavender House that morning, and, to the
surprise of several, Annie was seen in her old place in class. She worked
with a steadiness quite new to her; no longer interlarding her hours of
study with those indescribable