when she
heard her name called out in a musical roar from far up the street
behind her. She had not been in Algonquin twenty-four hours, but she
knew that voice. She was just a bit scandalised as she turned to see a
man waving his cane, as he hurried to overtake her. But she had not
yet learned that no one minded being hailed half-a-mile away by Lawyer
Ed.

He was accompanied by a lady, a tall woman of such ample proportions,
that she had some ado to keep up with Lawyer Ed's brisk step. She wore
a broad old-fashioned hat tied under her round chin, and a gay flowered
muslin dress that floated about her with an easy swaying motion. She
wore, too, a pair of soft low-heeled slippers, that gave forth a
soothing accompaniment to the rhythm of her movements. She was
surrounded by a perfect bodyguard of children. They danced behind her
and ahead of her, they clung to her hands and peeped from the flowing
muslin draperies, while she moved among them, serene and smiling like a
great flower surrounded by a cloud of buzzing little bees.

"Good morning, good morning!" shouted the chairman of the school board.
"Abroad bright and early and ready for work! Well, well, well," he
added admiringly, as he shook her hands violently, "if the Algonquin
air hasn't commenced to do its work already! Now, my dear, brace up
and don't be frightened. It is my duty as chairman of the school board
to introduce you to your stern principal. Miss Murray, I have the
honour of presenting you to Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby, known in private
life as Mrs. Adam; but if you are as nice as you look, you may one day
be admitted to the inner circle of her friends, and then you will be
allowed to call her Madame."

As the lady took her hand and turned upon her a smile in proportion to
her size, Helen suddenly realised why she had seemed so familiar even
at the first glance. She was exactly like the wonderful fairy who
cared for the water-babies at the bottom of the sea. And the
resemblance was further heightened by the presence of the babies
themselves who came swarming about to settle all over her, and when
shoved out of the way, only came swarming back.

"Bless me, what a mistake!" she cried. "It's you that's the Principal
and I'm the assistant. I'm so thankful you're young, my dear. I can't
stand old folks, and middle-aged people are my abhorrence. I told
Edward Brians that if he put me down there all alone with a middle-aged
woman,--a young