even weeping that they are the
enemies of the cross of Christ.'"

"Oh," cried Marjorie, drawing an astonished long breath, "what a
difference it does make."

"Now I know, it's punctuation you're talking about," exclaimed Linnet.
"Marjorie told me all about the people in the stage-coach. O, Miss
Prudence, I don't love to study; I want to go away to school, of course,
but I can't see the _use_ of so many studies. Marjorie _loves_ to study
and I don't; perhaps I would if I could see some use beside 'being like
other people.' Being like other people doesn't seem to me to be a _real_
enough reason."

Linnet had forgotten her clover leaf, she was looking at Miss Prudence
with eyes as grave and earnest as Marjorie's ever were. She did not love
to study and it was one of the wrong doings that she had confessed in her
prayers many a time.

"Well, don't you see the reason now for studying punctuation?"

"Yes, I do," she answered heartily. "But we don't like dates, either of
us."

"Did you ever hear about Pompeii, the city buried long ago underground?"

Linnet thought that had nothing to do with her question.

"Oh, yes," said Marjorie, "we have read about it. 'The Last Days of
Pompeii' is in the school library. I read it, but Linnet didn't care for
it."

"Do you know _when_ it was buried?"

"No," said Linnet, brightening.

"Have you any idea?"

"A thousand years ago?" guessed Marjorie.

"Then you do not know how long after the Crucifixion?"

"No," they replied together.

"You know when the Crucifixion was, of course?"

"Why--yes," admitted Linnet, hesitatingly.

"Christ was thirty-three years old," said Marjorie, "so it must have been
in the year 33, or the beginning of 34."

"Of course I know _Anno Domini_," said Linnet; "but I don't always know
what happened before and after."

"Suppose we were walking in one of the excavated streets of Pompeii and I
should say, 'O, girls! Look at that wall!' and you should see a rude
cross carved on it, what would you think?"

"I should think they knew about Christ," answered Linnet.

The clover leaf tatting had fallen into her lap and the shuttle was on
the grass.

"Yes, and is that all?"

"Why, yes," she acknowledged.

"Pompeii wasn't so far, so very far from Jerusalem and--they could hear,"
said Marjorie.

"And you two would pass on to a grand house with a wonderful mosaic floor
and think no more about the cross."

"I suppose we would," said Linnet "Wouldn