“Very respectfully yours, John F. Howard.”
As she finished reading this letter Katherine looked
into the eyes of her teacher and smiled.
“Kathie, I can hardly believe it!” said
Miss Reynolds, in a voice choked with tears.
“‘The measure that ye mete shall be measured
to you again,’ you know,” softly returned
her companion, “and love begets love. You,
long since, threw the mantle of Love over your ‘brother,’
and Truth has uncovered and destroyed the error—in
other words, the greed—that seemed to rob
you of what was justly yours.”
“It makes me very humble,” faltered her
teacher. “I have tried to love because,
to be loyal to Truth, I must do nothing else.”
“Yes, and so Love has fulfilled the law; and,
as our text-book says, ‘Mercy cancels the debt
only when justice approves.’” [Footnote:
“Science and Health,” page 22]
“And Katharine”—and Miss Reynolds’
face glowed with happiness— “now
the way is opened for me to do what I had decided I
must do by the end of this year—’go
work in His vineyard.’ I did not clearly
see how I could do it, but I have tried to know that
’God is the source of all supply, and I left
it there.’”
The end of school days.
Time seemed to fly after Mrs. Minturn’s visit.
Winter melted into spring, spring budded and blossomed
into summer, and June, with its examinations, commencement
exercises and formalities, was once more close upon
the students at Hilton.
Mr. and Mrs. Minturn came on from New York to be present
at Katherine’s graduation, after which the family,
Jennie included, were going directly to their summer
home at Manchester.
Prof. Seabrook had again been fortunate enough
to secure the Hunt cottage for the season, for the
owners were going abroad for a year and were only
too glad to rent it to such desirable tenants.
Sadie was going with her guardian and his family to
Newport for the summer, but had promised Katherine
a fortnight’s visit during the latter half of
July.
The two girls had grown closer and closer to each
other, and they now found themselves very loath to
separate, to dismantle their pretty room and pack
their trunks, for their final flitting from Hilton,
their well-beloved alma mater. Their prospective
departure was also generally regretted by both teachers
and pupils, who were to remain, for each had won a
stronghold in all hearts.
There had been a great change in Sadie, but it had
only served to make her more attractive, and she had
kept her word to “do her best” work during
her last year, for she now stood second in her class,
and thus had won the respect of her principal as well
as of her teachers, while her happy temperament and
the almost prodigal expenditure of her ample income
to give pleasure to others had made her many firm
friends among the students.
