Comfort looked at her as if she was going to cry.

“You’re real mean to tease her, so there!” said Matilda Stebbins, bravely, in the face of the big girl, who persisted nevertheless.

“Got that gold ring?” she asked again, with her teasing giggle, which the others echoed.

Comfort slowly raised her left arm.  She unfolded her little blue fist, and there on the third and fourth fingers of her hand shone the gold ring.

Then there was such an outcry that Miss Tabitha Hanks looked up from her copy, and kept her wary eyes fixed upon the group at the stove.

“My sakes alive, look at Comfort Pease with a gold ring on two fingers!” screamed the big girl.  And all the rest joined in.  The other scholars in the room came crowding up to the stove.  “Le’ss see it!” they demanded of Comfort.  They teased her to let them take it.  “Lemme take it for just a minute.  I’ll give it right back, honest,” they begged.  But Comfort was firm about that; she would not let that ring go from her own two fingers for one minute.

“Ain’t she stingy with her old ring?” said Sarah Allen to Rosy Stebbins.

“Maybe it ain’t real gold,” whispered Rosy; but Comfort heard her.

“’Tis, too,” said she, stoutly.

“It’s brass; I can tell by the color,” teased one of the big boys.  “’Fore I’d wear a brass ring if I was a girl!”

“It ain’t brass,” almost sobbed Comfort.

Miss Tabitha Hanks arose slowly and came over to the stove.  She came so silently and secretly that the scholars did not notice it, and they all jumped when she spoke.

“You may all take your seats,” said she, “if it is a little before nine.  You can study until school begins.  I can’t have so much noise and confusion.”

The scholars flocked discontentedly to their seats.

“It’s all the fault of your old brass ring,” whispered the big boy to Comfort, with a malicious grin, and she trembled.

“Your mother let you wear it, didn’t she?” whispered Matilda to Comfort, as the two took their seats on the bench.  But Comfort did not seem to hear her, and Miss Tabitha looked that way, and Matilda dared not whisper again.  Miss Tabitha, moreover, looked as though she had heard what she said, although that did not seem possible.

However, Miss Tabitha’s ears had a reputation among the scholars for almost as fabulous powers as her eyes.  Matilda Stebbins was quite sure that she heard, and Miss Tabitha’s after-course confirmed her opinion.

The reading-class was out on the floor fixing its toes on the line, and Miss Tabitha walked behind it straight to Comfort.

“Comfort Pease,” said she, “I don’t believe your mother ever sent you to school wearing a ring after that fashion.  You may take it off.”

Comfort took it off.  The eyes of the whole school watched her; even the reading-class looked over its shoulders.

“Now,” said Miss Tabitha, “put it in your pocket.”