But Miss Oliver was not such a teacher. She had a strong sense of beauty in all things; she had a correct and highly cultivated taste, and she gave her pupils the benefit thereof; she wished to make them readers as well as students. She gave them subjects for composition which involved study and consultation of books, and the school library books showed more signs of wear under her administration than they had ever done before. In short, Miss Oliver tried in every way to create and encourage a love of knowledge and literature for their own sake, and she succeeded. Under her management the Crocker school had become as good and useful as any institution in the whole State, and its scholarships began to be eagerly looked after.
On the Thursday evening before the missionary meeting, as Marion was walking slowly homeward, she was joined by Lizzy Gates. Lizzy had been one of Miss Oliver's early trials. Under the rule of old Miss Parsons, who was a kind of Queen Log, Lizzy had been allowed to do according to her own pleasure; and as she had little or no training at home, that pleasure was not of a very good kind. She was both violent tempered and deceitful—two qualities more commonly united than many people suppose. But Lizzy was gifted with strong natural sense. She began with more or less open rebellion, but she soon found she had met her match in Miss Oliver. She was first conquered, then she began to admire and at last ended by loving her conqueror with all her heart. Not only had she turned out a capital scholar, but she had become heart and soul a Christian; and barring some hastiness of speech, she walked very consistently.
"I am going up to your house, Marion," said Lizzy; "mother wants Miss Barbara's recipe for short-bread and some turkey eggs, so I told her I would walk up with you and get them."
"Can't you stay to tea?" asked Marion. "Do, and then you will see Aunt Christian and Uncle Duncan."
"Well, mother said she had no doubt I would if any one asked me, and perhaps I had better not disappoint her," answered Lizzy, laughing. "Here is Therese coming; let's wait for her."
"I wonder if she is going home? I should hardly think Mrs. Tremaine would allow it, now that her father is supposed to be about," said Marion.
"I don't believe Therese has heard the story, and probably Mrs. Tremaine doesn't wish that she should. Well, Therese where are you bound?"
"Home," answered Therese.
"You won't have much time."
"No, and I don't mean to stay a minute. Mrs. Tremaine told me to come back as soon as I could, because she wanted me. I left my French Testament at home, and I am going after it."