The weather had become beautifully soft and balmy for the middle of April, and the girls were able to sit out of doors, and do many of the things they had not hoped to do till May should burgeon and bloom.
A few days after the frolic Toinette was sitting in one of the pretty little summer-houses, of which there were several dotted about the grounds, when Miss Howard came in and took her seat beside her.
“You have been playing at hide-and-seek with me without knowing it,” she said, “for I have been searching for you everywhere, and only discovered you here by the glint of the sunshine upon your hair.”
“Did you want me, Miss Howard? I’m sorry you had to hunt for me,” answered Toinette. “What can I do for you?”
“Give me some wise advice,” said Miss Howard, smiling.
“I give you advice!” exclaimed Toinette.
“Yes; don’t you think you can?”
“I shall have to know what it is about before I dare say yes or no, Miss Howard.”
“You know that I am going to leave you in a few weeks, dear, and I want my leave-taking to be closely identified with my girls, whom I have learned to love so dearly, and whom, I think, love me as well as I love them. I have spent many happy years in this school, first as pupil and then as teacher, and it has been a very dear home to me. Now I am going away from it forever, and though the future looks very enticing, and I have every reason to believe that it will be happy, still I cannot help feeling sad at the thought of leaving the old life behind. These are serious confidences for me to burden you with, Toinette, but you have crept into a very warm corner of my heart since you became a pupil here, and I know that there is a wise little head upon these shoulders,” said Miss Howard, as she placed her hand on Toinette’s shoulder.
The girl reached up, and drawing the hand close to her cheek held it there, but did not speak.