176 THE COUSINS.

The next day Mrs. Butler called upon Mary’s
class for their compositions, as she desired to
leave them a day or two in the hands of those who
were to decide on their merits. When Mary was
summoned, she went up to Mrs. Butler, and
trembling with eagerness, and with her heart throb-
bing quick and hard, said, timidly, ‘I wrote a
composition, ma’am, but Cousin Lucy has written
one a great deal better than mine, and—and—if
you please, I would rather give you Cousin Lucy’s
than mine.”

“T do not understand you,” Mrs. Butler re-
plied; “do you wish to give what your cousia
has written as yours ?”

“Oh, no, ma’am!’? and the colour glowed in
Mary’s cheek at the thought of being suspected of
such a thing; “but I know Cousin Lucy’s com-
position is the best, and I should not like to get
the prize only because she could not show it, and
so I thought, ma’am, if you would be so kind as
let me, I would rather keep mine, and let Cousin
Lucy have my chance.”

“That was a very generous thought, and I
should be pleased to gratify you; but there is