ease, speed, and
dexterity that elicited the wonder and admiration of all present, the
minister, good man, included. Upon Barney, however, who understood
perfectly what had happened, the incident left a decidedly unpleasant
impression. Indeed, the superficiality of the mathematical exercises
as a whole awakened within him a feeling of pain which he could not
explain.

When the reading classes were under review the school passed from
the atmosphere of the superficial to that of the real. Never had such
reading been heard in that or in any other common school. The familiar
sing-song monotony of the reading lesson was gone and in its place a
real and vivid picturing of the scenes described or enacted. It was all
simple, natural, and effective.

The exercises attained an easy climax with the recitations and singing
which closed the day. Here the artistic gifts of the teacher had full
scope. There was an absence of all nervous dread in the performers. By
some marvellous power she caught hold and absorbed their attention so
that for her chiefly, if not entirely, they recited or sang. In the
singing, which terminated the proceedings, the triumph of the day
was complete. A single hymn, two or three kindergarten action songs,
hitherto unheard in that community, a rollicking negro chorus; and, at
the last, "for the children and the mothers," the teacher said, one soft
lullaby in which for the first time the teacher's voice was heard, the
low, vibrant tones filling the room with music such as in all their
lives they had never listened to. It was a fine sense of artistic values
that cut out the speeches and dismissed the school in the ordinary way.
The full tide of their enthusiasm broke upon her as minister, trustees,
parents, and all crowded about her, offering congratulations. Her air
of shy grace with just a touch of nonchalant reserve served in no small
degree to heighten the whole effect of the day.

The mill people walked home with the minister and Margaret.

"Isn't she a wonder?" cried Dick. "What has she done to those little
blocks? Why, they don't seem the same children!"

"Yes, yes," replied the minister, "it is quite surprising, indeed."

"In their mathematics, though, there was some thin skating there for a
while," continued Dick.

"Yes, yes, the little lassie became confused. But she recovered herself
cleverly."

"Yes, indeed," said Dick, with a slight laugh. "That was a clever bit of
work on the part of the