for us to begin to work.  Oh, how surprised Fani and I were when we found out what we were to do!  What kind of hard work do you guess it is?  No work at all!  You won’t believe it, but it is true.  We just sit all the morning in the school-room and study!  The teacher comes at nine o’clock and stays till one, and Fani and I are the only scholars!  Of course Fani is much cleverer than I am; but the teacher is very kind, and when I cannot do my lessons he only says:  “Come, be brave, and you’ll soon do as well as your brother!” I get along very well, and I am not so ashamed as I was when all the children in school were ahead of me.  It is one o’clock before we know it, and we are glad when school-time comes the next day.  After dinner we all go into the garden; and Mrs. Stanhope takes Fani with her, and he talks with her about his lessons and his ideas about all sorts of things; and it is easy to see that she likes him very much, better of course than she does me; you know how frank he is.  He tells her just how he feels and how glad he is to be here with her, and he thanks her over and over again for all her kindness, and he holds her hand tight; and, when he looks up at her so beaming with happiness, she strokes his hair, and seems more fond of him than I have ever seen her of any one except Nora.  But I can never do as Fani does; though I have just the same feelings, I cannot speak them out; and I’m afraid she does not think that I am so grateful, and I can quite understand that she cannot care as much for me as for Fani.  But Aunt Clarissa is very good to me, and, when we come in out of the garden, I go into a room with her and she teaches me to sew and to embroider as you do.  Tell Oscar that, even if I don’t succeed in finding people to form a society, I will at any rate work him a beautiful banner,—­Aunt Clarissa says that I may,—­so he must be sure to write me what he wants for a motto.  While I am working, Fani has a lesson in drawing; a teacher comes for two hours.  Mrs. Stanhope almost always sits with him during this lesson, for she is delighted that Fani learns so quickly, and draws such beautiful things already.

After that Fani and I go into the garden by ourselves and play about as much as we like.  We run into every corner of it, for all about are stone seats to rest on, and white marble statues, and the garden is large and beautiful and stretches way down to the river; and there stand the great lindens, and it is all the most splendid and beautiful place in the world.  Please tell Fred that I am looking all the time after beetles and such things, but I haven’t been able to catch any; he mustn’t be vexed with me, perhaps I shall succeed better by and by.

After supper Aunt Clarissa sits down at the piano, and we sing Nora’s favorite song and several others that she has taught me.  Generally Fani sits in the other room and draws by himself; but when he sings with us it sounds much better, and it’s only when he sings,