er a moment of painful embarrassment, "mother cannot
spare both of us conveniently, and so we are going to take turns. I'm
going to school one day, and sister the next, and to-night I'm to
teach Nellie all I have learned to-day, and to-morrow night she will
teach me all that she learns while here. It's the only way we can
think of getting along, and we want to study very much, so as to
sometime keep school ourselves, and take care of mother, because she
has to work very hard to take care of us."

With genuine delicacy Miss M---- forbore to question the child
further, but sat down beside her, and in a moment explained the rule
over which she was puzzling her young brain, so that the hard example
was easily finished.

"You had better go out and take the air a few moments, you have
studied very hard to-day," said the teacher, as the little girl put
aside the slate.

"I had rather not--I might tear my dress--I will stand by the window
and watch the rest."

There was such a peculiar tone in the voice of her pupil as she said,
"I might tear my dress," that the teacher was led instinctively to
notice it. It was nothing but a nine-penny print of a deep hue, but it
was neatly made and had never been washed. And while looking at it,
she remembered that during the whole previous fortnight Mary Gray had
attended school regularly, she had never seen her wear but that one
dress. "She is a thoughtful little girl," said she to herself, "and
does not want to make her mother any trouble. I wish I had more such
scholars."

The next morning Mary was absent, but her sister occupied her seat.
There was something so interesting in the two little sisters, the one
eleven, and the other eighteen months younger, agreeing to attend
school by turns, that Miss M---- could not forbear observing them
very closely. They were pretty faced children, of delicate forms, the
elder with dark eyes and chestnut curls, the other with orbs like the
sky of June, her white neck veiled by a wealth of golden ringlets. She
observed in both, the same close attention to their studies, and as
Mary tarried within during the play time, so did Nellie; and upon
speaking to her as she had to her sister, she received the same
answer, "I might tear my dress."

The reply caused Miss M---- to notice the garb of her sister. She
saw at once that it was of the same piece as Mary's, and upon
scrutinizing it very closely, she became certain that it was the same
dress. It did