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"I never saw an eye so bright,
And yet so soft as hers;
It sometimes swam in liquid light,
And sometimes swam in tears;
It seemed a beauty set apart
For softness and for sighs."
—MRS. WELBY.
The school-room at Roselands was a very pleasant apartment; theceiling, it is true, was somewhat lower than in the more modern portionof the building, for the wing in which it was situated dated back tothe old-fashioned days prior to the Revolution, while the larger partof the mansion had not stood more than twenty or thirty years; but theeffect was relieved by windows reaching from floor to ceiling, andopening on a veranda which overlooked a lovely flower-garden, beyondwhich were fields and woods and hills. The view from the veranda wasvery beautiful, and the room itself looked most inviting, with its neatmatting, its windows draped with snow-white muslin, its comfortablechairs, and pretty rosewood desks.
Within this pleasant apartment sat Miss Day with her pupils, six innumber. She was giving a lesson to Enna, the youngest, the spoileddarling of the family, the pet and plaything of both father and mother.It was always a trying task to both teacher and scholar, for Enna wasvery wilful, and her teacher's patience by no means inexhaustible.
"There!" exclaimed Miss Day, shutting the book and giving it animpatient toss on to the desk; "go, for I might as well try to teachold Bruno. I presume he would learn about as fast."
And Enna walked away with a pout on her pretty face, muttering that shewould "tell mamma."
"Young ladies and gentlemen," said Miss Day, looking at her watch, "Ishall leave you to your studies for an hour; at the end of which time Ishall return to hear your recitations, when those who have attendedproperly to their duties will be permitted to ride out with me to visitthe fair."
"Oh! that will be jolly!" exclaimed Arthur, a bright-eyed,mischief-loving boy of ten.
"Hush!" said Miss Day sternly; "let me hear no more such exclamations;and remember that you will not go unless your lessons are thoroughlylearned. Louise and Lora," addressing two young girls of the respectiveages of twelve and fourteen, "that French exercise must be perfect, andyour English lessons as well. Elsie," to a little girl of eight,sitting alone at a desk near one of the windows, and bending over aslate with an appearance of great industry, "every figure of thatexample must be correct, your geography lesson recited perfectly, and apage in your copybook written without a blot."
"Yes, ma'am," said the child meekly, raising a pair of large soft eyesof the darkest hazel for an instant to her teacher's face, and thendropping them again upon her slate.
"And see that none of you leave the room until I return," continued thegoverness. "Walter, if you miss one word of that spelling, you willhave to stay at home and learn it over."
"Unless mamma interferes, as she will be pretty sure to do," mutteredArthur, as the door closed on Miss Day, and her retreating footstepswere heard passing down the hall.
For about ten minutes after her departure, all was quiet in theschool-room, each seemingly completely absorbed in study. But at theend o