but they only depressed her still more, and had no effect whatever on
Bessie.

"I think I hate intellectual people," muttered the Irish girl. She
jumped to her feet.

"I must do something to rouse her or I shall go mad. She is the nicest
of them all, much. I wish she would speak to me. Why should I break my
heart, and why should she simply go on devouring that stupid book? Here,
I know what I'll do. I'll just toss down one of the big volumes; it will
make a clatter and she will have to look up. Perhaps I'll let it drop
just the tiniest bit in the world on the corner of her toe; that will
finish her." Here Kitty laughed excitedly, pushed out her arm and
knocked over a huge volume which certainly fell a good deal more than a
tiny bit on poor Bessie's foot.

"Oh, Kitty, what have you done?" cried Bessie. "You have quite hurt me.
I wish you would not drop the books about."

"There, darling, I had to do it. Pray forgive me," said Kitty.

"You had to do it!" answered Bessie. "Do you mean that you did it on
purpose?"

"Why, then, yes, love--that's what I do mean exactly. I did it because
I wanted you to talk to me, and you _would_ think of nothing but that
book."

"It is such a chance," answered Bessie, "and I wanted to find out for
myself all about that wonderful magnetic iron ore. You know it never