She walked on by her mother's side, leaving her two friends to continue their talk by themselves.
"I am sorry for poor Jane," said Elsie; "her mother seems so disagreeable because she has failed—how sharp she spoke! I wonder whether she really does think governess did not treat us all alike. But there, Jane will tell her she had to give up before her paper was half finished, and so it will be all right, I daresay. But I'm sorry she has had to give up, for it would have been nice if we could have got three scholarships for our school. Governess would have been so pleased."
"But should you think there would be enough for each of us to get one? See what a lot of money it would cost," said Elsie.
"Well, as there will be only two of us now, they will perhaps be able to let us both have one, if we do very well; and governess said our morning papers were very good indeed."
"Oh yes! They will be able to spare two, I daresay, if they could not spare three; and so perhaps it is just as well poor Jane has dropped out now. It is better than having all the trouble of going through the examination, and then to fail because there were not scholarships enough for all."
The girls parted, and each went home to tell the news that Jane had been obliged to give up all hope of being a scholarship girl.
"Elsie dear, don't talk so loudly; your father is lying down with a bad headache."
"Father at home!" exclaimed Elsie. "He has come early."
"Yes, he did not feel very well this morning, and was obliged to give up at dinner time; and so he came home and went to bed."
Elsie talked more quietly after this, until she got out her school book to learn a lesson and write out an exercise.