e
without being asked, jumped up and began to read a book before the
others had finished, pretended not to hear when she was requested to
ring the bell, and had to be told twice that it was nine o'clock
before she would go upstairs to the schoolroom.

"It's certainly high time we sent her away," thought Mr. Lindsay. "I'm
afraid, with the best of intentions, we've completely spoilt her.
Louisa's right. She needs to be among other girls, to have her corners
rubbed off. At school there's no allowance made for fads and fancies,
and she would be obliged to fall in with the general rules. It will do
her good to be of a little less importance than she is at home.
Strange that I never noticed all this before!"

When Aunt Louisa arrived, therefore, in the evening, prepared to
encounter a great many objections to her suggestion, she was surprised
to find that her brother agreed with her so easily, and, after
listening to her detailed accounts of Miss Kaye's excellent
arrangements, consented quite readily that Sylvia should be sent there
as soon as the necessary preliminaries had been settled and her
clothing should be considered in due order.

"A week will be ample time for that," said Aunt Louisa. "Miss Saunders
will soon run her up a school frock, and you could send anything else
she requires afterwards, Blanche. It would be a pity for her to lose
more of the term than we can help. She won't like to find herself
behind-hand in the classes, and now you have made up your minds it
will be better not to let her have too long to think it over."

"I don't know what Sylvia will say!" sighed Mrs. Lindsay, who half
repented of parting with her darling. "I'm afraid she will never
forgive us."

"I shouldn't ask her," replied Aunt Louisa firmly. "She will like it
very much when once she gets there, and the improvement which it will
make in her is well worth a few tears at the start. I beg, Blanche,
that you will not be foolish now, and stand in the way of the child's
real good."

"I'll try not," said poor Mrs. Lindsay, wiping her eyes; "but when
you've only the one, and she's never been away from you before, it
seems so hard to let her go."

"Oh, you'll get over that! I felt just the same when Cuthbert first
went to school, and I'm quite accustomed to it now. We can't expect to
keep our children always tied to our apron strings."

"I suppose not, but boys are different from girls, and Sylvia has been
such a pet. If she's not hap