Florence caught her hand as she went by, and said, "I know the question is as good as decided, Susie, and I shall hail you as our Queen as gladly as any other of your friends."
Susie tried to thank her, but the words would not come; and instead of going into Miss Page's room, she took an opposite direction to a vacant one, used for certain meetings, and there she sat down, saying: "Only ten minutes left me."
"Yes," suggested Conscience, "ten minutes to decide you will show yourself unselfish, will make a fellow-creature very happy, and that you try to live up to the teachings of the Bible."
There were tears in Susie's eyes; in fact, one or two had rolled down her cheeks, when she slowly said, "I've decided," and on looking toward the door saw Sadie.
"You're the one I want," said Susie, trying to speak in her usual tones. "I was just going for you."
Sadie noticed her tear-streaked cheeks and effort to speak cheerfully, so hastened to say, comfortingly,
"Don't worry an instant; it's just as I said; every girl in the school will vote for you."
"That's just what they mustn't do," said Susie, earnestly. "Oh, Sadie! do promise you'll make me very happy by not voting for me."
"Not voting for you!" cried the astonished girl. "What do you mean?"
"Hush, Sadie! somebody will hear you. I mean this: that you must get all the votes you can for Florence. It will make me a thousand times happier than to be Queen myself; and just think of Florence! You said yourself she never looks happy, and now we'll all unite to make her so."