did. If one did not understand at once, that was the end of the matter,

but then his expositions were remarkably clear, and his manner of speaking fixed the attention, even in spite of one's self.

"I will take Delia's exercise to her, if you please," said Emily, as the class was dismissed.

Mr. Hugo looked first surprised, and then doubtful. "Did she tell you to ask for it?" said he, holding it in his hand, as though undecided what to do.

"Certainly, sir!" replied Emily, wondering at the question.

Mr. Hugo finally handed it to her, with an injunction not to lose it, and to give it to no one but Delia herself. Two or three of the girls were standing round the hall stove, discussing some point in the lesson, apparently relating to Annette's exercise.

"I am sure Annette is right," said Janet Graves; "I remember talking over that very thing with Mademoiselle last year. It is too bad, to charge the poor child with more mistakes than she makes. I will look back at some of my old books, and see what can find about it."

"Look at Delia's exercise, Emily, and see if he has corrected it there," said Annette. "Delia and myself are writing in the same place."

Unthinkingly Emily opened the carefully folded paper, and cast her eyes over it, but a single glance showed her that it was not an exercise at all, and she hastily refolded it, and turned away, saying that she must go and see how Delia was.

"Only just look at that one thing, Emily," persisted Annette; "because I really want to know whether it is right or not."

But Emily was already out of hearing.

"How queerly she acted!" said Almira Crosby. "What possible harm could it do Delia to have her exercise looked at?"

"I don't believe that was it," said Annette. "She was in a hurry, that was all. You are always imagining things, Almira."

"I keep my eyes and ears open," said Almira, significantly; "and that is more than some folks do. There are not many things going on in this house, that I do not see into."

"Especially when they are none of your business," said Belle. "We all know what a benevolent interest you take in other people's concerns, Almira. It is rather a pity you should not devote a little of your spare time to your own affairs, and so save yourself from disgrace now and then. I don't believe there has been one Friday since school commenced, that you have not been deficient in something."

"That is none of your business, any way," retorted Almira. "But as to Delia Mason, she is very close with her affairs. She thinks she can turn every one round her finger, as she does Emily, but she may find herself mistaken some day. You must allow that it was very curious in Emily to make such a fuss about showing a French exercise."

"What a great quantity of bricks you are making, without any straw at all," said Belle, impatiently. "What was it, after all? Annette asked to look at Delia's exercise, and Emily said she was in a hurry, and must go and see to Delia herself. You all know that Delia is sick, and what was more natural than that Emily should want to get back to her?"

"Dear me, what did I say? You need not be so angry, Belle. I am sure I have no ill-will against Emily, but I do think it was odd that she should not want to show that exercise!"

Emily, meanwhile, had escaped to her room. Delia was now sleeping heavily, her head-aches usually going off in this way, so she sat down by the darkened window in silence, and began to consider what she ought to do.

The hasty glance she had taken at the paper, showed her that it was certainly not a French exercise—not Delia's hand writing at all. It was clearly a letter. Emily now saw through several things which had puzzled her very much of late. Delia's great industry in writing her French exercise, which she always copied carefully, and about which she would accept no assistance, though she had always heretofore, been glad to avail herself of Emily's help in her French lessons—her punctuality at recitations, being always in the school-room several minutes before any one else. All these matters now become plain as daylight.

Instead of abandoning her schemes, Delia was prosecuting them with vigor, and holding a close correspondence with her lover in the very face of her schoolmates and teachers. Emily could not but wonder at her boldness.

Then the thought occurred to her, that after all she might be entirely mistaken in the character of the document. It was probably some private paper of Mr. Hugo's, which he had given her by mistake. This seemed such a likely supposition, that she accepted it at once, and was ready to laugh at herself for her fears, but then the Professor's peculiar manner, recurred to her memory, and she was again in doubt. Finally, she wished to take another look and satisfy herself. She opened the paper and glanced at it. There was no mistake! It was clearly a letter, addressed to his beloved Delia, and signed with the Christian name of Mr. Hugo.

She was just folding it again, when the sound of her own name startled her, and looking round, she beheld Delia setting up in bed, and gazing at her with pale cheeks and lips, and eyes that flashed fire.

"How dare you look at my papers?" was the question uttered in a voice of such concentrated anger, that she could hardly believe it to be Delia's.

"What harm is there in looking at your French exercise?" returned Emily, with a presence of mind which surprised herself. "There is nothing private in that, is there?"

Delia recovered herself with a visible effort and said more calmly, "There is no use in our trying to deceive each other, Emily. You have seen now, if you did not know before, that that paper is not an exercise."

"I have," replied Emily, "much to my regret. I hoped you had given up the whole thing."

"Did I not tell you that I would never give it up?" asked Delia. "I should be very foolish to do so now, when I have the game in my own hands."

"You must not expect me to help you about it," said Emily firmly. "I will have nothing more to do with it."

"What is the matter now?" asked Delia coolly. "Another fit of conscience, I suppose. They don't last long, that is one comfort."

"You will find it will last this time, however," said Emily with spirit. "I am determined not to have that on my conscience at any rate, and so I tell you frankly, that you need not ask me to help you in any way or shape. I love you, Delia, and I won't have any thing to do with your ruining yourself, as I am sure you will."

"Thank you," said Delia composedly, "perhaps your affection for me may lead you to betray me to Mrs. Pomeroy."

"I do not think I shall do that, though I will not promise. I think if you persist, it will be my duty to do so."

"I hope your duty will lead you to confess your sins at the same time," said Delia, betraying no signs of perturbation, but rising from her bed and beginning to arrange her hair and dress as she spoke.

"About the debts do you mean. That is all settled, and the bills are paid, so there is no more to be said about it."

"Unless Mrs. Pomeroy should happen to ask you where you get your money to pay them. I think you would find that rather an embarrassing question."

"Mrs. Pomeroy knows that Cousin David sent me some money, and I borrowed some of you. It is against rules to borrow I know, but,—"

"But you know," said Delia, interrupting her; "that your cousin only sent you ten dollars; and I lent you five, while the bills amounted to almost twice that amount. Where did the rest of the money come from, and how did it happen that you did not have it on Wednesday evening, and did have it on Thursday morning? Isn't it, then, rather a curious coincidence between that fact and the circumstance that a ten dollar bill was unaccountably lost about that very time? And wont Mrs. Pomeroy be very apt to put these circumstances together, even if no body does it for her? Kitty, poor child, need not have been so very grateful for her shawl, if she had known whose money paid for it."

Emily did not answer, and Delia turning round to observe the effect of her words, discovered that her room-mate had fainted away.