of the struggle with herself. But there was an element of the heroic
in her character. She never did anything by halves; like the little
girl so often quoted, "when she was good, she was very, _very_, good."

Marion stood a moment looking at her. "And do you really mean," she
said at length, "that you are ready to give up the _role_ you were so
delighted with yesterday, and the satisfaction of queening it over your
companions if only for an hour?--that you are willing to make the
sacrifice to honor the Blessed Virgin?"

With some embarrassment, Abby admitted that this was her motive.

A sudden thought occurred to Marion. "Then, Abby, you shall!" said
she. "I'll arrange it; but don't say a word about it to any one. Let
the girls think you are to be Queen, if they please. Why, missy," she
went on, becoming enthusiastic, "it is really a clever idea for our
drama. We shall have a lovely May piece, after all."

Marion hastened away, intent upon working out the new plan which her
quick fancy had already sketched in outline. To be sure, she and Ellen
had devised a different one, and agreed that each should write certain
scenes. Ellen had taken the first opportunity that morning to whisper
that she had devoted to the drama all the previous evening and an hour
before breakfast. Marion, indeed, had done the same.

"But it will not make any difference. We can change the lines a
little," she said to herself, after reading the manuscript, which Ellen
passed to her at the hour of German study,--a time they were allowed to
take for this particular composition.