My School Day. 65

storm had left unbattered. I had taken out of the
drawer, when Nance’s back was turned, a bit of
dingy white paper, on which I wrote in my best
hand, “Good-bye, my dear lady.” I tried to find
the word good-bye in my Bible, that I might be
sure to spell it rightly, but could not. [ forget how
I wrote it at last, but I remember I had a good cry
over the sentence when it was written, it looked so
pathetic. This piece of paper I wrapped round my
poor wild-flower nosegay, and went out with it to
mect her. It was all I had to offer my lady by way
of a parting gift, and I went and stood with it at
the bottom of a hill where I knew they must stop
for a moment to take off the drag. The wind
buffeted me and whipped my face with my damp
hair, but I did not care so long as it left my cyes
free to look for the carriage. At last it came over
the brow of the hill, and on the box I saw Mr.
Prickard. JI was not prepared for this, and my
heart gave a jump, for I had by no means lost my
unreasonable dread of him. Not even he, however,
could frighten me away to-day; and as the carriage
stopped I came forward, thrust my flowers in at the
window without a word, and stooped to pick up
the drag. Then, with just time for a smile, and
“Oh, thank you, Reuben! Good-bye, my boy,”
from my lady, she was gone, and I flung myself

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