other," said Mrs. Driscoll, handing the latest arrival to
the little girl. Alma smiled gratefully at her teacher as she opened the
envelope and took out a dove in full flight, carrying a leaf in its beak.
On the leaf was printed in gold letters the word _Love_.

"I was caught in the act, Alma," laughed Miss Joslyn, "but I guess I am too
old and slow to be running about at night with valentines."

"I like it the best of all," replied the little girl. "It was bought for
me," she added in her own thought, and she was right. Twenty minutes ago
the white dove had been reposing at a stationer's, with every prospect of
remaining there until another Valentine's Day came around.

"Please sit down, Miss Joslyn," said Mrs. Driscoll.

"Well, just for a minute," replied the young lady, taking the offered
chair, "but I wish you would finish your supper."

"We had, really," replied Mrs. Driscoll, smiling, "or I shouldn't have been
playing such a game by the door. You haven't been the giver of all these
valentines, I suppose?"

"Oh, no, indeed. Those are from some of the school children, no doubt. I've
been trying to find an evening to come here for some time, but my work
isn't done when school is out."

"I'm sure it isn't," replied Mrs. Driscoll, while Alma sat with her dove in
her hands, watching the bright face that looked happy and at home in these
unusual surroundings. It seemed so very strange to be close to Miss Joslyn,
like this, where the teacher had no bell to touch and no directions to
give.

She looked at Alma and spoke: "The public school is a little hard for new
scholars at first," she said, "where they enter in the middle of a term.
You are going to like it better after a while, Alma."

"I think she will, too," put in Mrs. Driscoll. "My hours are long at the
factory and I have liked to think of Alma as safe in school. Does she do
pretty well in her studies, Miss Joslyn?"

"Yes, I have no fault to find." The visitor smiled at Alma. "You haven't
become much acquainted yet," went on Miss Joslyn. "I have noticed that you
eat your lunch alone. So do I. Supposing you and I have it together for a
while until you are more at home with the other scholars. I have another
chair in my corner, and we'll have a cosy time."

Alma's heart beat fast. She had never heard that an invitation from royalty
is equivalent to a command, but instantly all possibility of staying at
home from school disappeared. The picture rose before h