The holidays had come and gone. Not a
room in the large building but bore evidence of its wealth in
Christmas gifts.

New books covered many of the girls' tables, new pictures hung on
their walls; chairs, old and faded, blossomed into new life with their
head-rests, their pretty pillows and elaborate scarfs; ribbons of all
colors decked lounges, tables, curtains; pen-wipers, lay gracefully
by the side of elegant ink-stands, perfume bottles stood on
_etageres_, while the numbers of hand-painted toilet articles,
articles to be used in spreads, bric-a-brac of all kinds and
descriptions, it would have been hard to number.

Pretty, tasteful surroundings are as much a part of a girl's true
education as the severer curriculum that is offered to her in her
studies, and Miss Ashton gave the influences of these Christmas gifts
their full value when she weighed the harder work for the teachers
which the vacation always brought.

To be sure, there came a time at the beginning of the term when the
unwise parents were responsible for much bad work. Those of their
children who had come back with boxes filled with Christmas
luxuries--candies, pies, cakes, boxes of preserved fruits, nuts,
raisins, and whatever would tempt them to eat out of time and
place--had little chance to do well in the recitation-room until these
were disposed of.

In truth, even more difficult, more of a hindrance in her school
discipline, Miss Ashton often found the parents than their children.

She was sometimes obliged to say, "I could have done something with
that girl if her mother had let her alone." One fact had established
itself in her experience, that almost every girl committed to her care
had, in the home estimation of her character, traits which demanded in
their treatment different discipline from that given to any of the
others.

She could have employed a secretary with profit, simply to answer
letters relating to these prodigies, and nine out of ten proved to be
only girls of the most common stamp, both for intellect and
character.

Marion had spent her vacation time in a profitable manner. As
mathematics was her most difficult study, so she had given her
attention almost entirely to it; and even Miss Palmer, who was never
good-natured when a pupil was advanced into one of her classes, and by
so doing made her extra work, was obliged to confess she was now among
her best scholars.

Thus encouraged, Marion received an impetus in all her