on't stand up now." Jane pulled her sleeve.

But Clematis paid no attention. She kept her eyes on the piano, and
seemed to hear nothing else.

The song was of Spring; of birds, and brooks, and flowers. Clematis
listened to every word, and when it was finished she sat down with a
sigh.

After the singing, they had a class in reading.

Clematis stared at the words on the blackboard, but could not tell
any of them.

"Have you learned any of your letters?" asked Miss Rose.

"No'm," said Clematis.

The other children giggled, for Clematis was as large as Jane. Jane
was eight, and could read very well.

"Tomorrow you must go into the special class, and you must work
hard, and catch up as fast as you can."

"Yes'm."

Clematis was angry. She didn't like to be laughed at.

At recess, all the children ran out into the yard to play. It was a
large yard, with a high wooden fence around it.

Glad to be free, Jane ran off to find some chums, and left Clematis
to play by herself.

So Clematis wandered round by the fence till she came to a sunny
spot, near the big maple tree with the red buds.

Here she picked up a dead twig and sat down, turning over the dried
leaves with the twig, and throwing them in the air.

As she picked up the leaves, she saw some blades of grass beneath
them.

Then she picked up more leaves, and found many blades of grass
growing beneath their warm shelter.

Clematis got up and walked near the fence, where the leaves were
thicker. There she poked them away, and found longer blades of
grass, and new leaves, green and shiny.

"Oh," she said to herself, "I hope I can come out here every day."

Then she stopped. She pushed away some more leaves. She looked
around at the other children.

None of them were looking at her.

She stooped, and took something from under the pile of leaves.

Again she looked about, but nobody was paying attention to her. All
the children were playing games.

Then a sound made her look up. It was the bell. Recess was over, and
all the children were going in.

Clematis put her hand into her apron pocket quickly, and followed
the other children back to school.

"How has the new girl done today?" asked Mrs. Snow, just before they
sat down to dinner.

"She seems to feel more at home," replied Miss Rose. "She doesn't
know her letters yet. I guess she has grown up all by herself."

"That is too bad. I will give her a test this afternoon, about
three. If she w