Part 21 (1/2)
”What a creature you are!” she said, at last. ”I declare, it is funny that people can live in the world and know so little about their fellow-mortals as you and Flossy do. She knows no more about them than a kitten does, and you know no more than the moon. You sail right above all their feelings and ideas. It served you right, I declare. What earthly right had you to go sailing down on people in that majestic fas.h.i.+on, and asking questions as if they were Roman Catholics and you were the priest?”
”I don't see what in the world you mean!” Ruth said, feeling exceedingly annoyed.
”Well, my dear young woman, you ought to see; you can't expect to get through the Christian world even without having a due regard for common sense. Just suppose the President's wife should come sweeping into your parlor, asking you if you went to church, and if you would have a tract.
I am afraid you would be tempted to tell her it was none of her business.”
”The cases are not at all parallel,” Ruth said, flus.h.i.+ng deeply. ”I consider myself on quite an equal footing with the President's wife or any other lady.”
Whereupon Marion laughed with more _abandon_ than before.
”Now, Ruth Erskine,” she said, ”don't be a goose. Do use your common sense; you have some, I am sure. Wherein are these people whom you went to see on a lower footing than yourself? Granting that they have less money than you do, or even, perhaps, less than I have, are you ready to admit that money is the question that settles positions in society?”
[Ill.u.s.tration]
[Ill.u.s.tration]
CHAPTER XV.
MARION'S PLAN.
”MISS WILBUR! Miss Wilbur! can't we go in Miss Lily's cla.s.s to-day, our teacher isn't here?”
”Miss Wilbur, they are crowding us off the seat; there isn't room for no more in this cla.s.s.”
”Miss Wilbur, sister Nellie can't come to-day; she has the toothache.
Can I go in Kitty's cla.s.s?”
Every one of these little voices spoke at once; two of the owners thereof twitched at her dress, and another of them nudged her elbow. In the midst of this little babel of confusion the door opened softly, and Dr. Dennis came in. Marion turned toward him and laughed--a perplexed laugh that might mean something besides amus.e.m.e.nt.
”What is it?” he asked, answering the look instead of the laugh.
”It is everything,” she said, quickly. ”You mustn't stay a minute, Dr.
Dennis; we are not in company trim to-day at all. Unless you will do the work, we can't have you.”
”I came to hear, not to work,” he said, smiling, and at the same time looking troubled.
”You will hear very little that will interest you for the next ten minutes at least; though I don't know but you would better stay; it would be a good introduction to the talk that I want to have with you early in the week. I am coming to-morrow after school, if I may.”
Dr. Dennis gave the a.s.sent promptly, named the hour that he would be at leisure, and went away wondering what they were accomplis.h.i.+ng in the primary cla.s.s.
This was the introduction to Marion's talk in the study with Dr. Dennis.
She wasted no time in preliminaries, but had hardly seated herself before the subject on her mind was brought forward.
”It is all about that cla.s.s, Dr. Dennis. I am going to prove a failure.”
”Don't,” he said, smiling at her words, but looking his disturbance; ”we have had failures enough in that cla.s.s to s.h.i.+pwreck it; it is quite time we had a change for the better. What is the trouble?”
”The trouble is, we do nothing. Two-thirds of our time is occupied in getting ready to do; and even then we can't half accomplish it. Then we don't stay ready, and have to begin the work all over again. Yesterday, for instance, there were three absences among the teachers; that means confusion, for each of those teachers have seven children who are thus thrown loose on the world. Think how much time we must consume in getting them seated somewhere, and under some one's care; and then imagine, if you can, the amount of time that they consume in saying, 'Our teacher doesn't do so, she does _so_.'”