f her
brother,

"Have you come to take us home?"

"No, mad-cap," was the laughing reply, "we are but too glad to be free
for one Christmas from your wild pranks. Sidney is spending the
Christmas holydays with me, and as the day was fine we thought we
would visit you. When we reached the village we learned that several
of the young ladies of the school were at the church, and called,
thinking that you might be of the number."

Turning to Sidney, Fan said, playfully,

"Follow me, and I will introduce you to Ella's favorite, Clara Adams."

Before Clara had time to recover from her confusion caused by their
entrance Fan had led Philip Sidney to her, and introduced him as the
friend of whom little Ella had told her so much. The eloquent blushes
in Clara's face revealed in part the dreams that had been excited in
her breast, while Philip, with self-possessed gallantry, begged leave
to assist her in her task, and uttered some commonplace expressions,
till Clara was sufficiently composed to take her part in conversation.
The teacher who accompanied us, alarmed at his attention, placed
herself near them, but his manner was so respectful that she could
find no excuse to interrupt their conversation. Philip Sidney was
eminently handsome, and as his dark eye rested admiringly upon her,
who will wonder that Clara became more than usually animated! nor is
it strange that the low, musical tones of his voice, breathing
thoughts of poetry with the earnestness of love, should awaken a new
train of thought in the simple school-girl. She answered in few words,
but the drooping of her fringed lids and the bright color in her cheek
replied more eloquently than words. The moments flew swiftly, the
garlands were placed, and the teacher who had watched them with an
anxious eye, announced that it was time to return to the seminary.
Philip knew too well the strictness of boarding-school rules to hope
for a longer interview, yet even for the sake of looking longer on her
graceful figure, and perchance stealing another glance from her bright
eyes, he insisted upon seeing little Ella. Charles Selby objected, as
it was growing late, and he had an engagement for the evening in the
city. Reluctantly Philip bade Clara farewell, and from the door of the
church watched her receding figure until she disappeared around the
turn of the road. From that moment Clara was invested by her
schoolmates with all the dignity of a heroine of romance, and half th