On the fourth day Mrs. Stanhope came to table with us, and after
dinner she talked very kindly with us, and said that now it was
time for us to begin to work. Oh, how surprised Fani and I were
when we found out what we were to do! What kind of hard work do you
guess it is? No work at all! You won't believe it, but it is true.
We just sit all the morning in the school-room and study! The
teacher comes at nine o'clock and stays till one, and Fani and I
are the only scholars! Of course Fani is much cleverer than I am;
but the teacher is very kind, and when I cannot do my lessons he
only says: "Come, be brave, and you'll soon do as well as your
brother!" I get along very well, and I am not so ashamed as I was
when all the children in school were ahead of me. It is one o'clock
before we know it, and we are glad when school-time comes the next
day. After dinner we all go into the garden; and Mrs. Stanhope
takes Fani with her, and he talks with her about his lessons and
his ideas about all sorts of things; and it is easy to see that she
likes him very much, better of course than she does me; you know
how frank he is. He tells her just how he feels and how glad he is
to be here with her, and he thanks her over and over again for all
her kindness, and he holds her hand tight; and, when he looks up at
her so beaming with happiness, she strokes his hair, and seems more
fond of him than I have ever seen her of any one except Nora. But I
can never do as Fani does; though I have just the same feelings, I
cannot speak them out; and I'm afraid she does not think that I am
so grateful, and I can quite understand that she cannot care as
much for me as for Fani. But Aunt Clarissa is very good to me, and,
when we come in out of the garden, I go into a room with her and
she teaches me to sew and to embroider as you do. Tell Oscar that,
even if I don't succeed in finding people to form a society, I will
at any rate work him a beautiful banner,--Aunt Clarissa says that I