baskets of chips," said her mother. "Make two marks on the corner
of your board," she continued, "and every time you speak put down
another, so that we can remember how many baskets of chips you have to
pick up."

Bella looked rather disconsolate at receiving this direction. She
knew, however, that she must obey. She was also well aware that she
would certainly have to pick up as many baskets of chips as should
be indicated by the line of chalk marks. She, therefore, resumed her
work, inwardly resolving that she would not speak another word. All
this time, Mary Bell went on with her drawing, without apparently
paying any attention to the conversation between Bella and her mother.

[Illustration: THE SCHOOL.]

Bella went on, too, herself after this, very attentively, making the
letters which had been assigned her for her lesson, and calling the
names of them as she made them, but not speaking any words.

At length Mary Erskine told the children that the half hour had
expired, and that they were at liberty. Bella jumped up and ran away
to play. Mary Bell wished to remain and finish her house. Mary Erskine
went to look at it. She compared it very attentively with the original
in the picture-book, and observed several places in which Mary Bell
had deviated from her pattern. She did not, however, point out any of
these faults to Mary Bell, but simply said that she had done her work
very well indeed. She had made a very pretty house. Mary Bell said
that it was not quite finished, and she wished to remain at her desk a
little longer to complete it. Mary Erskine gave her leave to do so.

Bella, who had gone away at first, dancing to the door, pleased to be
released from her confinement, came back to see Mary Bell's picture,
while her mother was examining it. She seemed very much pleased with
it indeed. Then she asked her mother to look at her letters upon the
board. Mary Erskine and Mary Bell both looked at them, one by one,
very attentively, and compared them with the letters which Mary Bell
had made for patterns, and also with specimens of the letters in the
books. Bella took great interest in looking for the letters in the
book, much pleased to find that she knew them wherever she saw them.
Her mother, too, learned _a_ and _b_ very effectually by
this examination of Bella's work. Mary Erskine selected the two best
letters which Bella had made, one of each kind, and rubbed out all the
rest with a cloth. She then put up t