SCHOOL DAYS AT ST. MARY'S.

wrong, are accustomed to think their teachers may be
cheated with impunity, and there is no harm done;
and the being popular, which success in this mode of
action always makes a girl, is very gratifying. Per-
haps keeping the rule about always speaking French
was the most difficult duty to persevere in for both
Lydia and Emily. It did away with nearly all con-
versation at spare times, such as when in the bedrooms
or between the hours of study. Once a week, on
Mondays, English might be spoken during the walk,
but that was all, and Julia nearly exhausted her powers
of teasing in trying to make Lydia and Emily trans-
gress. Miss Wilmot's task was very difficult just now.
Mrs. Palmer was absent from the school-room more
than usual, on account of her son, and Julia, roused
by the two girls' opposition to her unsubdued will,
was doubly tiresome. It seemed strange to the
teachers that the sad trial of watching and care which
Mrs. Palmer was undergoing did not subdue her
pupils a little, but there was very little trace of inte-
rest in it more than the customary daily inquiries.
 The examinations began, and ordinary school work
was slightly disarranged in consequence. Difficult
questions brought temptations with them, and the dull
girls either copied the replies of the quick ones, or, in
despair, gave up trying. Lydia and Emily worked
steadily, but they were still rather under a cloud, and
the excitement the others showed was wanting in
them.
 It was the first Saturday afternoon in June, and the
schoolroom was a scene of business: books were scat-
tered on the tables in all directions; eyes and fingers
were employed with numerous maps; history, gram-
mar, all sorts of subjects prevailed. At a desk by the
window one girl was trying to finish a drawing she
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