smile, but her voice is not often heard. It is Miss Evans' Mary Garth,
or the prototype of Louisa Alcott's "Old Fashioned Girl." She is the
best scholar in school, and already has important plans in her mind for
the future.

Mr. Alcott would sometimes come in on a Wednesday afternoon, listen to
the declamations and afterwards give his young friends a conversation on
the faculties of the human mind. He was an agreeable speaker, and knew
how to hold the attention of his youthful audience. On one of these
occasions while he was discoursing on the higher mental faculties which
are not possessed by the lower animals, a small boy suddenly called out
from his corner, "Dogs have a conscience; I've seen it." The whole
school roared at this, and it nearly disconcerted Mr. Alcott; but he
quickly recovered himself, and explained that the apprehension of
punishment often supplies the place of a conscience in dogs, as well as
in boys and men; and a highly interesting discussion ensued on this
subject. Such a method of instruction was highly refreshing after the
dry routine in Latin and mathematics.

There was a yearly nutting excursion in October to Esterbrook farm where
there were tall chestnut trees, flying squirrels and plenty of wood for
a bonfire. May-day was usually celebrated at Conantum,--a pine-clad hill
on the south side of Fairhaven Bay, opposite the cliffs. As soon as
winter came committees were chosen to provide dancing or theatricals for
every Friday evening; but the climax of pleasure was a half-holiday for
a skating carnival on Walden Pond,--where Thoreau was sure to be
present, and also a Miss Caroline Moore, daughter of the deputy sheriff,
and afterwards widely known in Europe and America as the skatorial
queen.