16 THE CINDERELLA FROCK.

some beautiful Circassian, and the man
bought her. Heigho!” Patrick Rogans, a
little ragged Irish boy, sat the whole morn-
ing gazing at her with a pleased, admiring
look that seemed to say, * Are you really a
human being, little girl, like the rest of us,
or some pretty scripture child such as we see
up in the churches?’’ ;

The little girl, on her part, who, it was af-
terwards told, had never been inside a school-
room until now, sat quiet at her desk, with
her mild blue eyes, observing every thing
with grave attention. The room was very
still at first, the children all sitting soberly in
their places, and the teacher looking down on
them from her little eminence, «< just like a
queen Victoria over a Parliament,’’ as Louise
used to say. She looked dreadfully ayia
up there, Alice thought too, and she trembled
when she met her eye, in spite of herself.