earer and brighter and plainer. Word-painting in the
simplest and cleverest touches, simplicity and yet vivid colouring. The
teacher had forgotten self, the nervousness had gone, and a quarter of
an hour passed rapidly by as Hazel, in her ambition to prove that the
children over whom she had worked so hard were not the dunces they had
seemed, explained her subject, making it geographical, historical, and
orthographical as well, till when at last, after an admirable finish,
she stood there flushed, her eyes brightened and turned to the inspector
as if to ask for further commands, Mr William Forth Burge "forgot
himself"--so Miss Lambent afterwards put it--for he burst out with a
hearty--

"Brayvo! brayvo! brayvo!" clapping his hands loudly; and this infected
George Canninge, who joined in the applause.

"A capital lesson," he said aloud; "a capital lesson, indeed."

Mr Lambent smiled, and bowed to Hazel, saying softly--

"Very good indeed."

"Ah--yes," said the inspector, rising; "I must say--a very good lesson.
Miss Thorne; and I hope by the time I come again I may find the girls
considerably advanced. At present--I will say no more. Good morning."

There was a polite procession formed, and the visitors slowly passed
through the door, the gentlemen seeing the ladies off first, but not
until little Miss Burge had trotted back to whisper to Hazel--

"You did it beautiful, my dear," and then hurried away.

Hazel hardly grasped her words, for George Canninge had turned to bow as
he went out, and the glance he then gave set her trembling as she stood
with one hand resting upon the desk; for it seemed to her that every one
must have seen that look, and she began to ask herself if she was mad to
let that man's presence fill her with thoughts that seemed to agitate
her strangely.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

A LESSON IN TEACHING.

After the plain manner in which the Reverend Henry Lambent had shown
himself disposed to take the part of the young schoolmistress against
his sisters, the attacks made by Rebecca and Beatrice were not so open;
but they found many little ways of displaying in a petty spirit that
they were by no means her friends.

Ladies by birth, it was hardly to be expected that they should stoop to
pettiness, but years of residence in a little country place with few
people of their own class for associates, and that mutual friction which
is an imperceptible popular educator in manners, had made them w