“I can’t do it,” she said, looking Miss Spicer full in the face.  “It means such drudgery, and I don’t believe I’d play a bit better if I did.”

“That is certainly not the case, Kathleen,” said Miss Spicer.  “Knowledge must be of assistance.  You have great talent; if you add to that real musical knowledge you can do almost anything.”

“But I don’t think I much care to.  I can play on the piano to imitate any birds that ever sung at home, and father loves that.  I can play all the dead-marches to make mother cry, and I can play—­oh, such dance music for Aunt Katie O’Flynn!  It doesn’t matter that I should know more, does it?”

“I can’t agree with you.  It would be a very great pleasure to me if I saw you presented with a musical scholarship.”

“Would it?” said Kathleen, glancing at the thin and careworn face of the music teacher.

“You don’t know what it would mean to me,” answered Miss Spicer.  “It is seldom that one has the pleasure of teaching real talent, and I can’t say how refreshing it is to me to hear you play as you do.  But I want you to improve; I want you to be a credit to me.”

“I’d like to please you, of course,” said Kathleen.  She spoke gently, and then she added:  “But there is only one piano at the Tennants’, and that is in the drawing-room, and Alice or the boys or Mrs. Tennant are always there.  I have not many opportunities to practice.”

“I live in the same terrace,” said Miss Spicer eagerly, “and my piano is hardly ever used.  If you only would come and make use of it.  There is a fire in my sitting-room, and you could come at any hour whenever you have a fancy.  Will you?  It would be a great pleasure to me.”

“You are very kind.  Yes, I will come.”

Kathleen bent towards the music mistress and, somewhat to that lady’s astonishment, printed a kiss on her forehead.  The kiss went right down into Miss Spicer’s somewhat frozen heart.

Immediately after school that day Cassandra held out her hand to Ruth.  Ruth went up to her gravely.

“Well, Ruth,” she said, “have you decided?  I hope you have.  You told me you would let me know to-day.”

“I have, Cassandra,” said Ruth.

Kathleen, who was standing not far away, suddenly darted forward and stood within a foot of the two girls.

“Have you really decided, Ruth?” she said.  Her tone was imperious.  Ruth felt her gentle heart beat high.  She turned and looked with dignity first at Kathleen and then at Cassandra.

“I will join you, Cassandra,” she said.—­“Kathleen, I told you this morning what my decision was.”

“And I hate you!” said Kathleen.  She tossed her head and walked away.

Cassandra waited until she was out of hearing.

“You look very pale, dear Ruth,” she said.  “Come home with me, won’t you?”

Ruth did not speak.  Cassandra laid her hand on her arm.

“Why, you are trembling,” she said.  “What has that horrid girl done to you?”