Place was soon found for the two sisters, and they were seated together, with Lily on Maggie's other side, and Gracie by Bessie. Next came the Ransoms. All these six were well acquainted and were glad to meet; but the three on the other side of the room were strangers to them and to one another, and looked shy and uncomfortable; and Bessie, as she talked with her young friends, felt sorry for them, and thought she would speak to them, if she only knew their names and what to say.
Presently Miss Ashton, who had left the room, came back with another child, and this one made the number of the class ten. The last comer was a pale, sad-eyed little girl, dressed in deep mourning; and she, too, was a stranger to all the others.
"Now," said Miss Ashton, "I shall leave you for ten minutes to become acquainted. Then my mother will come, and we will open school."
"But, Miss Ashton," said Bessie, as the lady turned to go.
"Well, dear?"
Bessie hesitated for a moment, for she thought perhaps Miss Ashton would think she was taking a liberty; but when she saw with what a kind smile she looked at her, she made up her mind to speak. She did so, not boldly, but with an outspoken, yet modest little way, that was all her own.
"You see we don't know each other's names," she said; "and I thought if you was to in-tro-duce us, maybe we could be acquainted sooner."
"To be sure," said Miss Ashton, smiling. "Thank you for reminding me, Bessie. I did not think the first lesson taught here this morning would be one of politeness, to be learned by myself."
"O Miss Ashton," said Bessie, "I would not be so saucy as to say you were not polite! I only thought perhaps you forgot."
"And so I did, dear; but true politeness should teach us to remember all those little things which may make others comfortable, or put them at their ease; and I am afraid we grown people often forget that children need such attentions as well as those who are older."