"I want my mamma," sobbed the child.
"But you know you'll see her pretty soon," said Bessie. "We are only going to stay in school a little while, and then we'll go home and see our mammas."
"I'll never see my mamma again," said Belle; "never, never, till I'm dead myself; and I wish God would let me be dead now, only then papa would be all alone, and he says I am all his comfort. But, oh dear! mamma is never there for me to go home to."
At this, Bessie's tears also ran over; and as the other children, drawn by Belle's distress, gathered about them, she pointed to the black dress, and said with trembling lips, "Her mamma."
Then Maggie, forgetting to feel strange, went down on her knees beside Belle, and began to caress her; and Gracie, full of remorse for having called her "Sulky Sue," seized on one of her hands and began kissing it; while the others stood around in silent pity.
Their sympathy did Belle good. She did not mourn the less for her lost mother, but she did not now feel so lonesome and cast astray as she had done a moment since; and, lifting her face with a faint smile struggling through her tears, she held up her lips to Bessie for another kiss, saying, "I love you, you're good; they're all good."
As she spoke, the folding-doors at the end of the room were thrown open, and Miss Ashton appeared, and hurried towards them, rather dismayed at finding her young flock in trouble so soon. It was speedily explained; and Maggie and Bessie felt sure that they should love their new teacher, as they saw how gentle and tender she was with the motherless little one. She did not say much, for Mrs. Ashton was waiting to open school; but, after sending the others to their seats, she led Belle to her own chair, which stood before the table in the centre of the room, and lifted her upon her lap, laying her head upon her bosom, and passing her hand over the child's hair and face with a soothing touch which soon quieted her sobs, and made her feel that Miss Ashton was her friend and comforter as well as her teacher.
The opening of the folding-doors had given to view a second room, where were gathered ten larger girls, from fourteen to seventeen years old—very tall young ladies they seemed to Maggie and Bessie; and Mrs. Ashton, a grave, elderly lady, in a widow's dress, sat just within the doors, where she could be seen and heard from both rooms. She opened school with a short prayer, and then said a few words to all the children, large and small, telling them she hoped they would be obedient, happy, industrious, and kind to one another.
"Now I would like to hear the names of all these little girls," she said.
The answers came very well until it was Maggie's turn to give hers, but the poor child was in an agony of bashfulness, and could by no means speak. While Mrs. Ashton was talking, she had happened to look up, and caught a pair of mischievous, dancing black eyes fixed upon her from the other room. After that, she could not help glancing up at them every moment or two; and each time she did so her colour deepened and deepened and her head sank lower and lower; for the owner of the black eyes kept smiling and nodding, making odd faces, and shaking her finger, till Maggie did not know whether to laugh or cry; and by the time the question came to her, her small stock of courage and her voice were both gone.