“Eleanora, I began in the wrong way. I meant, that I have a request to make which will greatly aid me, if you will grant it.”
There was just a bit of a suspicious expression in the eyes that were lifted inquiringly.
“Why, Mrs. Martin, how could I aid you?” the younger woman asked.
“In this way.” The principal’s mind was now fully made up. “Miss Rose, my girl teacher, has asked for a leave of absence, and I would like your Eleanor to assist me in her place if you are willing.”
Again there were tears in the listener’s eyes and she held the hand of her long-ago teacher and friend in a closer clasp. “Mrs. Martin,” she said, “I understand. You are offering my dear little girl an opportunity to receive an education where her mother spent many happy hours, and that free of tuition, but——”
“Don’t say ‘but’ Eleanora. Don’t you see that your daughter would be earning her tuition if she spent a few hours each day with the primary girls?”
The younger woman could not trust herself to speak, but her eyes were lifted gratefully. In her heart there was a sob. “Oh, how lonely she would be in Boston’s tenement district without her girl’s bright face awaiting her after each long hard day spent helping the miserable and the poor.”
“But it’s my Eleanor’s chance,” another thought reminded her. “I had mine, and I will not deprive her.”
A tap upon the door interrupted. Then a merry voice called through a crack: “Have you two finished telling your secrets? The big house is so damp and cold, we’re most frozen.”
Mrs. Martin looked inquiringly at the younger woman, who had not voiced her decision. “Yes, come in, darling, and get warm by the fire. I have some wonderful news for you.”