The Boarding School (Paperback)

Excerpt: ...room, with Jemmy and Sandy, and the Storm, and Auld Robin Grey. Whatever you may think, it is a very great honour to be noticed by somebody that I could name." "I have not any thing to do with honour," cried Isabella, "and talking of things I don't know." "Hush don't speak Can't you see that I am busy. I wish I knew what 93 people do when they have great books to write. My thoughts jumble so together, I can't tell what to make of them; it is sad teasing work." "If Caroline was here, she could tell you what to write." "And do you think that I should ask a dunce? If I could but begin, I know I could go on." Here Miss Bruce considered a little. "I must think of my thoughts: no, I must write them down." "O, Miss Bruce, Miss Bruce " cried Isabella, eagerly, "do look through the window; there is a balloon flying, and a paper boy tied to it " "I wish you were flying too: don't you see that I want to write my fable. Let me see: Ass, 1; Farmer Killwell, 2; 94 somebody's papa, but not mine. Turkey, 3; Barn-fowls, 4; Little schoolgirl, 5. O, how shall I put all these words together to make any thing of them O, that I could but begin There it is " said Miss Bruce joyfully; and she wrote several words upon her slate. "Well, there is nothing like a good beginning I will finish to-night; so now let us go to the ladies," and Miss Bruce skipped out of the room, with her slate and Isabella. Back to contents 95 CHAPTER XII. With some surprise, Miss Damer, in looking over the themes, read the following fable: "One bleak, cold winter morning, an ass and her foals were loitering upon the edge of a wild common; not a tree was to be seen, and scarcely a bit of herbage for their breakfast to be found. 'This is a comfortless life ' said the ass; 'the winds are chilly, the snow will soon...