rs, after being relieved of their
flannel outer garment, were placed, and then stood upon the corner of
the desk, while from time to time that morning Feelier's eyes twinkled
as she glanced at the post of honour occupied by her present, and then
gazed triumphantly round at her fellow-pupils, whispering every now and
then--

"I gave teacher them flowers."

Mr Samuel Chute also saw those flowers through the opening between two
shutters, and he noted how from time to time Hazel went to her desk and
smelt the roses. This fired him with the idea that he must make Hazel
the offer of another bouquet himself, and he concluded that, by the way
in which those flowers were received, he might tell how his love affairs
were likely to prosper.

For they did not seem to progress so well as he could wish. Time back
he had determined that the last person in the world for him to marry
would be a schoolmistress. His idea was to "marry money," as he termed
it, a notion highly applauded by Mrs Chute, who gave it as her opinion
that her son was a match for any lady in the land. But when the new
mistress rose upon the horizon of his view he altered his mind, and
concluded not only that he would marry a schoolmistress, but that _the_
schoolmistress he would marry was Hazel Thorne.

"You do as you like, Samuel, of course," said Mrs Chute; "but to my
mind she's not good enough for you. But you do as you like."

Mr Chute made up his mind that he would do as he liked, and among the
things he determined to do as he liked about was the giving of a
bouquet, only he did not know how to compass it; for flowers of a
superior kind were not plentiful at Plumton All Saints, and the only way
to obtain anything at all chaste was to apply to Mr Canninge's
gardeners at Ardley, or to Mr William Forth Burge's, or the rectory.

This was awkward but unavoidable, and, besides, he said to himself.
Hazel Thorne would never know whence they came.

So Mr Chute made a mental note _re_ flowers, and then went on with his
lesson-giving, while Feelier Potts, who was wonderfully quiet and
well-behaved, went on dilating about her present and rejoicing in the
grand position of donor of flowers to the manager of the school.

How quickly passing are our greatest joys. Just as Feelier was
confiding to a girl in the second class, now seated back to back, that
she gave teacher them flowers, there was a loud dab at the panel of the
door, and directly after a rattling