CHAPTER XV.
BEGINNING SCHOOL.
The school-room was very cheerful and pleasant. There were windows onboth sides of the room, and all the space between the windows wascovered with blackboards or maps.
Ruby began to feel really happy when she sat down on a bench with thenew scholars, waiting to be examined by Miss Chapman and assigned to aclass. She loved study, and was always happy during school-hours, andgenerally very good, too, for she was too busy to get into mischief,and too anxious to have a good report to wilfully break any rules. "Iwonder if you are as far advanced as I am," whispered Maude, as she satdown beside Ruby.
It was on the tip of Ruby's tongue to tell her that she had been at thehead of her class for a long time at home, but she remembered in timeto check herself that it was not at all probable that whispering wasallowed here more than in any other school, and that she might break arule the very first thing if she should answer.
One by one Miss Chapman called the girls up to the desk where she sat,and questioned them about their studies and the books they had used,and Miss Ketchum, at her side, wrote down the answers in a little book.Then the girls were assigned a seat, and Miss Ketchum took their booksto them, and showed them what the lesson would be.
Ruby was very much pleased when she found that she was to be in theclass with girls who were, most of them, larger than herself, and asshe was not at all shy, she could answer all the questions Miss Chapmanasked her, very fluently, so that the teacher had a very good idea ofwhat the little girl really knew.
Some of the new scholars were so shy that they could scarcely answer,and Miss Chapman knew that it would take two or three days to find outhow far advanced they were.
Very much to Maude's surprise, she was put in a class below Ruby. Shewas not at all pleased with this, for it was a great mortification toher pride to find that the little country girl whom she had looked downupon was beyond her in her studies.
Maude had never attended school regularly, but had stayed at homewhenever she could beg consent from her mother, and very often she hadwon it by teasing when there was really no reason at all why she shouldnot have been at her desk. Even when she had attended school it hadnever occurred to her that it was for her own benefit that her teacherstried to have her learn her lessons. She had shirked them as much aspossible, and as no teacher has time to waste over a little girl whowill not study when there are so many willing to learn, she had managedto get along with very little study, and so, of course, had learned butlittle.
She was ashamed to see what small girls were in the class with her, andshe made up her mind that she would study so hard that she would soonbe promoted into the class in which Ruby had been put.
It took until recess time to arrange all the classes, and then the bellrang, and the scholars were free to go out upon the lawn for ahalf-hour. A basket of rosy-cheeked apples was passed about, and allthe children were very ready for one. Some day-scholars attended thisschool, and Ruby thought, rather wistfully, how nice it would be ifshe, too, were going home when school should be out.
Maude did not care about being with Ruby during recess time, for shewas afraid that Ruby would remember her speech early that morning, andremind her that she instead of Maude was the farthest advanced in herstudies. Ruby was becoming acquainted with some of her new classmates,and was finding this first morning of school life very pleasant.
The rest of the morning seemed longer than the first part had done, andRuby as well as most of the others were very glad when the noonintermission came. The day-scholars took out their lunch-baskets, andprepared to eat their lunches, and the bell rang for theboarding-scholars to go up to their rooms and get ready for dinner.
As each little girl reached the door, she stopped, turned around andmade a courtesy to Miss Chapman who was sitting opposite the door.Ruby watched the girls as they went out one by one. She was quite surethat she could never make a courtesy, and as each girl passed out, herturn to go came nearer and nearer.
What should she do? If her Aunt Emma had only been there, Ruby mighthave asked her to let her stay in the school-room, for she felt as ifshe would a great deal rather go without her dinner than try to make acourtesy when she did n't know how, with all those girls looking ather. What if she should tumble down in trying to make it? It seemedvery likely that she would, the very first time she had ever tried todo such a thing. The very thought of such an accident made Ruby's facegrow redder than ever. Only three more girls and then Miss Chapman'seyes would be fixed upon her, and it would be time for her to get upand go out. Now only two more girls, and then the last one had gone,and Ruby knew that she must go.
She walked over to the door, feeling as shy as Ruthy had ever felt, andstood there a moment. How could she ever try to courtesy with allthose girls looking at her?
She hesitated so long that all the girls looked up to see why she didnot go out.
Ruby stood in the door one moment longer, and then she turned and randown the passage-way as fast as she could go, feeling as if now shemust surely go home, for she had disgraced herself forever.
She had come out of the room without courtesying, or even sayinggood-morning as all the other girls had done, and then her running awayhad of course made all the girls laugh at her.
What would Miss Chapman do to her? Would she give her bad marks, orput her at the foot of her class, or keep her in after school?Anything would be bad enough, but the worst of all to proud little Rubywas the thought that she had failed in doing something which all theother scholars seemed to have done so easily.
She sobbed aloud as she ran down the passage-way with her hands claspedtightly over her face, and as she turned the corner to go into thehouse, she ran straight into somebody's arms.
She uncovered her face and looked up as a familiar voice said, "Why,Ruby, where are you going so fast? I was just coming to look for you.But are you crying? Why, what is the matter?"
But Ruby was crying so hard that Aunt Emma could not understand whatshe said. She could only make out that it was something aboutcourtesying, so she led Ruby up to her room, and quieted her down alittle, and would not let her talk about her trouble until her hair wasbrushed and her face washed.
"I might have taught you how to courtesy before school-time thismorning if I had only thought of it in time," Aunt Emma said. "But nowyou must n't cry about it any more, Ruby. Of course it would have beenbetter if you had tried to do as the other girls did, but now all youcan do is to tell Miss Chapman that you are sorry and that you will notdo so any more, and you must not fret any more about it. I will showyou now, and then you will courtesy as nicely as any one else, beforeyou have to do it again."
"But, Aunt Emma, what made the girls do it?" asked Ruby. "If the firstgirl had not done it none of the others would have had to, would they?And I don't think it is one bit nice, and I don't see what they want todo it for. And oh, Aunt Emma, you ought to have seen how beautifullyMaude courtesied. She did it the very best of all the girls, and Idon't see how she knew about it, for I am sure she never did it before."
"I will tell you why the girls do it," Aunt Emma answered. "It is oneof the rules of the school that when a scholar goes out of a room wherethere is a teacher, she must courtesy to the teacher as she leaves theroom. That is intended as a mark of respect. Yesterday school had notbegun, and so no attention was paid to it, but to-day everything isgoing on as usual as nearly as possible. It happened to be one of theold scholars who went out of the room first to-day, and so she knewabout it. If it had been a new scholar Miss Chapman would have spokento her about it. But remember, Ruby, even in the afternoon, if you arein the sitting-room with a teacher, to courtesy when you leave theroom. It will not be at all hard after I show you how, and I would notlike you to forget it."
"Oh, dear," groaned Ruby. "I never heard of anything so funny. Must Igo and courtesy to you every time I go out of this room, Aunt Emma?Why, it will take all my time courtesying."
Aunt Emm
a laughed.
"Well, I think you may be excused from that when we are alone in theroom together," she answered. "If I am in charge of the girlsdownstairs or in the school-room, then you must of course do just asyou would if any other teacher was there, but up here I will excuseyou, as I suppose it would seem like a good deal to you to remember acourtesy every time you went in or out of the room. Now I will showyou. Look here;" and Aunt Emma courtesied.
Ruby was very much pleased to find that it was very easy to draw onefoot behind the other and make a courtesy, and she was quite proud ofher new accomplishment when she had practised it a few times.
"And now, Ruby dear," said Aunt Emma, looking at her watch, "there isjust time before dinner for you to go and tell Miss Chapman you aresorry that you left the school-room in that way. She will not scoldyou, I am sure, so you need not be afraid to go and speak to her. Sheis in her own room at the end of the hall, and you had better go atonce so as to have time before the bell rings."
"And then I will make a beautiful courtesy when I come out of her room,shall I?" asked Ruby, quite ready to go, since she would have a chanceto show how nicely she could courtesy now.
Aunt Emma smiled.
"Yes," she answered.
Tap, tap, tap, went Ruby at Miss Chapman's door, and when she heard theteacher call, "Come in," she opened the door and walked in quitebravely.
Miss Chapman was sitting in her large chair by the window looking oversome books.
She held out her hand to Ruby.
"Well, my dear," she said kindly.
"Please ma'am, I came to tell you that I am very sorry I ran out ofschool without courtesying," said Ruby, rather shyly, looking at thebeautiful white hair while she was speaking, and wondering if when sheherself grew to be an old lady she would ever have such beautifulfluffy hair, and if she should wear a little white cap.
"Why did you do so, Ruby?" asked Miss Chapman.
Ruby hung her head.
"I did not know how to courtesy," she answered presently. "And I wasafraid I should fall down if I tried, it looked so hard, and I wasafraid the girls would laugh at me if I tried and tumbled over; and itwas so dreadful to have them all looking at me, and then know that Icould n't do it, that I just could n't help running. But I know hownow. Aunt Emma taught me, and I won't ever forget it now. Pleaseexcuse me for this morning."
"Yes," Miss Chapman answered. "I can quite understand how it happenedthis morning, and I am glad you will never do so again. I hope you aregoing to be a good little girl, Ruby, and progress nicely in yourstudies. You have had a good teacher and have been well taught, andknow how to apply yourself, so I shall hope that you will stand well inyour classes."
Ruby hardly knew what to say, so she blushed with pleasure, and did notanswer.
"Now you can go," said Miss Chapman, and so Ruby walked over to thedoor, opened it, and turned around and stood exactly in the middle ofthe doorway. Then drawing back her foot, she made a very careful anddeep courtesy, and gravely closed the door after her and ran back toAunt Emma.
"Aunt Emma, there is something I have been thinking about," she saidafter she had told her aunt how kindly Miss Chapman had spoken to her."This morning I almost got real mad at Maude, for she asked me in sucha superior sort of way if I sposed we should be in the same class. 'Doyou spose you are as far advanced as I am, Ruby?' she said, just as ifshe thought I was ever so much behind her. I was going to tell her Iguessed I was just as smart as she was, but then I remembered it wasschool and I did n't, for I knew I must n't talk, but you would 'tbelieve with what little girls she is. I am way ahead of her. Well, Idid think I would just remind her of what she said, but I guess maybe Ihad n't better; for she certainly could courtesy when I didn't know thefirst thing about it, and so that sort of makes us even. She did n'tsee me run away, but then if she heard some one else say somethingabout it, she would know, and I should n't feel very nice if she shouldtell me that anyway she knew something that I could n't do withoutbeing showed how. Don't you think I had n't better say anything aboutbeing ahead of her?"
"I am sure you had better not," said Aunt Emma, promptly; "but it isnot because of the courtesying, Ruby, it is because it is not a kindthing to boast, or to remind any one else of their failings. You knowyou would not like it yourself, and that ought to be reason enough foryour never doing it to any one else. What is the Golden Rule?"
"Do unto others as you would they should do unto you," repeated Ruby,promptly.
"Yes; and that means that you should never, never do to any one elseanything that you would not like to have done to yourself," Aunt Emmasaid.
Just then the dinner-bell rang.
"I know what I will do," exclaimed Ruby, cheerfully. "I will go toMaude's room and go down to dinner with her, for I just spect she feelssort of lonesome. I saw her once at recess, and she was all byherself, and had n't any one to play with. I will stay with her tillshe gets a little more acquainted, and that will be paying attention tothe Golden Rule; for if I was all by myself here, and had n't got you,Aunt Emma, I am sure I would be glad if Maude would stay with me;" andRuby ran off to find her little friend, feeling as happy as if she hadnot had such a burst of tears but half an hour ago.
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