a whole school?" Marty inquired in surprise. "It
must take a lot of money."

"What we do is to pay the teacher's salary, and that's only about twenty
or twenty-five dollars a year," Edith replied. "You see it's this kind
of a school: the missionary ladies rent a little room for a school and
hire a native teacher, somebody perhaps who attends one of the mission
churches."

"But how can any one afford to teach for so little money?"

"Oh, that's a good deal for them, for the natives of those countries can
live on very little, Miss Agnes says. So the missionaries sometimes have
a good many of these schools in different parts of the city, and they
visit each one every two or three days to see how the children are
getting on and to give them religious instruction. Miss Agnes says in
that way the missionaries can do something for a great many children,
and the more money we bands send to pay teachers the more of these
little schools there may be."

Marty could hardly wait for Saturday to come. She asked her mother to
select a verse for her to say at the meeting.

"For Edith says they all repeat verses when their names are called."

Her mother chose this one for her: "The silver is mine, and the gold is
mine, saith the Lord of hosts."

CHAPTER IV.

WHOLES INSTEAD OF TENTHS.

When Marty came home from the meeting the next Saturday evening, and
entered the sitting-room in her usual whirlwind style, she found her
father there having a romp with Freddie.

"Why, here is little sister! Well, missy, where have you been?" he
asked.

"Why, papa!" exclaimed Marty reproachfully. "To the mission meeting, of
course. I told you this morning I was going."

"So you did; and you have told me every morning this week that this was
the important day. I don't know how I came to forget it. Well, how did
you like the meeting?"

"Oh, ever so much! I heard a great many sad things."

"That's a new reason for liking a thing," said her father.

"I mean," replied Marty, "I liked it because it was so nice and
interesting, but I did hear some sad things. Don't you think it's sad to
hear of a little school in one of those big, bad Chinese cities, where
the children were beginning to learn about Jesus, being broken up
because the folks in this country don't send money enough to pay a
teacher? And it would only take a little money, too."

"That is certainly very sad."

"Yes; and Miss Agnes told us of other schools that have to sen