CHAPTER I.

CANDIDATES.

"ELSIE WINN, Mary Nicholls, and Jane Holmes—stand out here!"

The three girls named looked up from the lesson they were learning, at the teacher first, and then at each other. What could they have done that they should be called out of the class like this? They were friends, and, like all girl friends, sometimes found a good deal to talk about; but they had not been talking this morning. Indeed, they had been very earnestly engaged with their lesson, for they were anxious to do as well as possible just now. And so they were the more puzzled as they left their seats, and, with hands behind, ranged themselves in front of the class and facing the teacher.

"You three are to go and sit on the top row by yourselves; one at either end, and one in the middle."

The girls did not speak; but oh! What a change came over their faces, as they turned and walked past the end of the row of desks up to the top row. As they paused before passing on, one contrived to whisper,—

"I do believe we are chosen after all."

"Hush! Here's governess."

And up the other side stepped a brisk business-like lady with some papers in her hand, which she placed before the girls.

"Now, each of you answer those questions; but mind, you are not to speak to each other, or anyone else. Now see if you have all you want before I go. Those are last year's examination papers," she added.

The girls were delighted with their task; for if they could only succeed, and pass the examination, they would win honour for their school and for themselves; and better still, twenty pounds a year, to pay for their education at a higher class school.

The thought of this was in the mind of each as she carefully read over the questions, and the directions how they were to be answered. Not that this was the crucial examination: that would be conducted at another school later in the year. But they were anxious to compete for a scholarship, and so they were to have a preliminary trial, going over all the previous year's papers as a preliminary, that they themselves, as well as the teacher, might judge whether they were competent to make a decent show, even if they failed to win the coveted prize.

For an hour the pens scratched, and then the governess came in to see how much they had written.

"Yes, you may go on," she said encouragingly to all three.

And the girls bent over the desk with renewed zest and energy, and applied themselves to the task before them. By the time that the stipulated two hours, allowed in the proper examination, was up, they had done very fairly, and their governess was well satisfied.

"You shall take another subject this afternoon," she said, as she scanned their papers. "Come in good time, so that you may get the full two hours."

The girls were as pleased as their governess, and held their heads an inch or two higher as they went out of school with the rest. They did not loiter in the playground that day, for each was eager to tell the news at home. For this examination had been talked of among the girls in the upper classes for some weeks past, and no one knew until this morning who was destined to be allowed to try for a scholarship.

At each of their homes the news was received with satisfaction; but no one was more pleased than Mrs. Winn, to hear that her daughter had been chosen as one of the candidates; for she knew how anxious Elsie was to continue her education, and that this was the only chance she was likely to have of doing so. Elsie was the eldest of five, and without this help they could not send her to school much longer, for she was nearly thirteen, and if she failed to pass this examination, she would have to leave school altogether in a few months' time.

There was nothing talked of during dinner but the examination. Indeed, the girl was so eager and so anxious, that it almost took her appetite away. And before her mother could get her to finish what was put upon her plate, she had to remind her that if she did not eat her dinner, she would certainly have the headache, and fail through that.

But, eager as she was, she did not run off until she had helped her mother to clear the table, and had washed the little ones ready for school. Then, having done this, she put on her own things, and was back at the school gates by the time the bell had begun to ring.

"The three scholarship girls go in first, and take their places where they sat this morning," said the teacher, when she saw the three standing together in a group.

"Scholarship girls!" How proud they felt of the distinction thus bestowed upon them! They turned and hurried into school as though they trod upon air. And by the time the rest came in, they were comfortably seated in their places.

"Now mind, if you do go in for this examination, girls, that you are in time to take your seats and collect your wits before the papers are given out—just as you have done this afternoon," said their governess, as she handed them the printed questions they were to answer, and the paper upon which the answers were to be written.

Again they sat and pondered the questions over, but this afternoon they did not seem so clear—at least to one of the girls—as the morning paper had been; and the teacher at the other end of the room saw that Jane Holmes spent more time biting the end of her penholder than using it in the usual way. But she took no notice; and the others wrote on until the first hour was up, and then the governess came to see how much was done.

Elsie Winn and Mary Nicholls had made very fair progress, she saw; but poor Jane was trembling with excitement, and had not written half a dozen lines.

"My dear, you must give it up," said her governess, kindly, "I was afraid whether you would be able to manage it."

"But—I—I—" and then the poor girl burst into tears.

And her governess took her hand and led her from the room, amid the dead silence of the rest, who wondered what could have happened to this scholarship girl.

The governess did not speak for a minute or two, but let the tears have their way, and then she said, "Come, come, Jane, no harm has been done. I was half afraid that you would not be able to go through an examination like this, and so I thought it would be best to try you first. Does your head ache?"

The girl shook her head. "I don't know how I feel," she whispered.

"But you did not clearly understand the questions on the paper, I suppose, as you had written so little."

"I can't tell how it was, for we had done some of that in class only yesterday; and yet I felt so stupid I could not remember a word about it."

"Never mind, my dear. No harm has been done; this is only a little trial beforehand, and is sufficient to shew that you are not strong enough to go through an examination. For, as you saw, this subject is not strange to you, and yet you have failed to grasp the meaning of the questions set before you, and which I feel sure at another time you would not find so difficult."

So Jane spent the rest of the afternoon in doing little services for her governess by way of consolation for her disappointment; for now there would be only two scholarship girls instead of three. Her friends, Elsie and Mary, were very sorry, and did what they could to console her, but it was not easy to do this, for they had been working and studying for some months with this in view, and now to fail so completely—as Jane knew she had done—was a very bitter disappointment to her, and would be to her mother also, she felt sure.

She was an only child, and her mother was a widow, and, of course, anxious that her daughter should distinguish herself.

"She will be vexed that I am such a dolt," said Jane bitterly.

"Now, Jane, I think you ought to be fair, even to yourself, and it is not fair to call yourself names that you don't deserve."

"What is that you are talking about?" suddenly asked a voice behind them; and turning, the girls saw Mrs. Holmes.

"I was speaking about Jane having to give up the examination," said Elsie. "I heard governess say, that it was not because Jane was not as clever as either of us, but because she was not so strong; and because she had sat closely at the work in the morning, she could not grasp the subject in the afternoon—not because she did not know as much about it as we did, but because she was not strong enough to bear the second strain in one day."

"Then why should she set you the second task on the same day?" said the widow, who was evidently inclined to think her daughter had been unfairly treated, if she had failed in this preliminary examination.

"You see, we should have to work all day in the real examination," interposed Mary, "and so governess wanted us to try how we could do the same work at school."

"Ah! I see. And so you have failed, Jane! Well, I am very sorry," said her mother.

And the tone in which she spoke brought the tears to Jane's eyes again; for only she knew how her mother had counted upon her being able to try for this scholarship, and being able to win it too.

She walked on by her mother's side, leaving her two friends to continue their talk by themselves.

"I am sorry for poor Jane," said Elsie; "her mother seems so disagreeable because she has failed—how sharp she spoke! I wonder whether she really does think governess did not treat us all alike. But there, Jane will tell her she had to give up before her paper was half finished, and so it will be all right, I daresay. But I'm sorry she has had to give up, for it would have been nice if we could have got three scholarships for our school. Governess would have been so pleased."

"But should you think there would be enough for each of us to get one? See what a lot of money it would cost," said Elsie.

"Well, as there will be only two of us now, they will perhaps be able to let us both have one, if we do very well; and governess said our morning papers were very good indeed."

"Oh yes! They will be able to spare two, I daresay, if they could not spare three; and so perhaps it is just as well poor Jane has dropped out now. It is better than having all the trouble of going through the examination, and then to fail because there were not scholarships enough for all."

The girls parted, and each went home to tell the news that Jane had been obliged to give up all hope of being a scholarship girl.

"Elsie dear, don't talk so loudly; your father is lying down with a bad headache."

"Father at home!" exclaimed Elsie. "He has come early."

"Yes, he did not feel very well this morning, and was obliged to give up at dinner time; and so he came home and went to bed."

Elsie talked more quietly after this, until she got out her school book to learn a lesson and write out an exercise.

She was almost too excited to sleep that night, for if she only succeeded in winning this scholarship, she would be able to go to the girls' grammar school, and then—and then—she did not quite know what she wished for next; for her whole horizon had been bounded by the hope of going to the grammar school, until her mother told her one day that it would be useless for her to look forward to this, for she would not be able to afford the expense, there being so many brothers and sisters to be considered.

Elsie had cried a little to herself that day; but the very next her governess had said, that she thought of letting some of the elder girls try for a scholarship. And ever since that day, she had secretly hoped that she might be one of those who were chosen. And now her hopes had been realised, and she might be able to go to the grammar school after all.

Her father came down to breakfast next morning, looking very pale and ill; but he smiled at Elsie's eagerness, as she told him that she was trying to do the scholarship papers, and hoped to be allowed to compete at the next examination, which took place in about a fortnight's time.

"All right, Elsie. Do the best you can, my girl, and leave the rest to God," he said.

"You haven't eaten much breakfast, father," said Elsie, as he rose from his seat and pushed his plate back.

"I'm not very hungry this morning," he said; and then he kissed her and the boys before he went away.

He was a clerk in London, and had to catch his train; and there was no time to say more about the scholarship or the breakfast. And Mrs. Winn did not notice that her husband had eaten so little, until she heard the door close, and knew he was gone; for she had been called away from the table.

"Has father gone?" she said, looking at the almost untasted egg.

"Yes; I told him he ought to eat his breakfast. Naughty boy!" she said to the baby, whom her mother had brought down in her arms.

But baby was not old enough to understand the scolding tone, and crowed at Elsie; and then she took him from her mother's arms, that she might cut some more bread and butter.

Baby did not mind being nursed by Elsie, but he would not let the younger sister, Alice, touch him; and so Elsie had to nurse him until the others were ready for school. Then she put him in her mother's arms, and ran off as fast as she could, in case the scholarship girls should be wanted to go into school first again.

She and Mary were in good time, and were sent to the top row of desks to resume their work on the scholarship papers. And before they went home that day, they had the satisfaction of hearing that they had done this preliminary work so well, that their governess had decided that Elsie and Mary Nicholls should each try for one of the much coveted scholarships. And they were to take home the necessary forms for their parents to fill up that evening, for they must be sent in, with their names, the next day.

Never was a girl more happy, or more important, than Elsie, when she went home with the long official-looking envelope containing the papers for her father to sign; and when he came in and saw it, he said the sight of it had done him so much good, that he thought he could eat some toast for tea, although he had not had much appetite all day.

"Let me make it," said Elsie, handing over the papers to her father's care. "I know just how father likes it done, mother," she added; and so Mrs. Winn cut a slice of bread, and Elsie toasted it very carefully, so that it should be delicately browned without getting burned.

Then she took the baby and amused him until it was time for him to be undressed; then she gave him up to her mother, and took the little ones upstairs and put them to bed.

"I don't know what I should do without Elsie," remarked her mother, when she was left alone with her husband.

"No, she is a useful little body about the house, as well as with the little ones, though she is so fond of her books. Ah, well! If I can get a bit stronger, so as to be able to do a bit of extra work at night, you must have a girl to help you, when Elsie gets this scholarship she has set her heart upon."

"Do you think she will get it?" asked his wife.

"I don't see why she shouldn't. She is a clever little maid," said her father, in a tone of satisfaction.

"Yes, and a loving obedient girl; and that is better still," said her mother. "But it won't do for you to attempt extra work, James, until you can get rid of this cold. You have had it more than a week now, and if it is not better in a day or two, you must go and see a doctor."

To her surprise, he said, "Yes, I will, if I don't get well soon." And Mrs. Winn resolved to make him keep his promise.

For the rest of that evening, father, mother, and Elsie sat and talked of what they would do and how they would manage if Elsie won the scholarship, and thus obtained the means of going to the girls' grammar school, little dreaming how different that future would be from what they planned it. Man proposes, God disposes, and cares for all His children as He guides them through life, with a love and wisdom so much greater than their own.