With the pleasure of the plantation visit in store Sylvia for the moment
forgot all about her dread of facing the girls at school. Miss Patten
detained her at the door of the schoolroom with a warmer greeting than
usual, but said: "My dear, I want to talk with you at recess;" but her
smile was so friendly and her words so kind that Sylvia was not
troubled. As she passed Elinor's seat she did not look up, but the
whisper, "Yankee," made her flush, and brought back all her dislike of
the tall, handsome Elinor.

At recess, after the other girls had left the schoolroom, Miss Patten
came to Sylvia's desk and sat down beside her.

"Sylvia, dear," she said gently, "I want you to tell me why you started
off alone yesterday. Had anything happened here at school to make you so
unhappy that you did not want to stay?"

Sylvia looked up in surprise. Why, Miss Patten seemed to know all about
it, she thought. How easy it would be to tell her the whole story. But
suddenly she resolved that no matter what Miss Patten knew, she, Sylvia,
must not break her word. So she looked down at her desk, and made no
reply.

"I am sure none of the other pupils would mean to hurt your feelings,
Sylvia. But if any of them have carelessly said something that sounded
unkind, I know they will apologize," continued the friendly voice; and
again Sylvia looked up. If she told what Elinor and May had said she was
now sure that Miss Rosalie would make them both say they were sorry; and
Sylvia remembered that she had declared to them that they should do
exactly that.