New Ulm weekly review., 1886-12-08
clasping one another and answered

briefly
At last he pushed back his chair a
little and gave me my paper, folded.
'sYou will have to read verv steadily,
Miss Crystal"
Eyes" Isaid, in a small voice.. :.
I. For some months
| eyes" | said again.
''TEe rest of the class are far ahead
OF YOU
"Yes-yes-I know" I said.
He seemed to have nothing more
wholesomely humiliating to say to
me, and I understood that the inter-
view might end, and rose to 20. He
rose, too, Immediately. Most of our
lecturers nodded at as and sat still.
Mr.. Tudor conceded something to my
girlhood. He stood when | stood,
and remained standing as he continu-
ed to speak to me. He threw out a
crumb OF praise.
"Your style is clea1," he said.
"When you deal with subjects within
your grasp-when you do not get out
of your depth-your style is clear de-
cidedly Not an altogether historical
style, but lucid.'
felt that, on the whole, his blame
had been lees humlliating than this
his praise. He held open the door
for me and shook hands gravely with
a quiet smile.
"Good afternoon" he said.
sGood afternoon" I replied, and
| fed.
The girls had invaded my study and
were lazily stretched on my bed and
window-seat and rug waiting for me.
.:Well?" they said.
sat down beside Claudia on the
hearthrug and tore my corrected pa
per into small atoms and burnt them.
81 hate him. said, poking the fire
vigorously and pushing the shoulder
ing paper into the fames-"I hate
him! He thinks me conceited! He
thinks me horrid! He tries to be sa-
tlrical because he thinks me puffed up.
He laughs at mel saw it in his eyes
more than once-always-
| time looked at him. said he blush
ed said he thought of me as girl
said he blushed because I spoke to
him. And he despises me! And he
will never, never forget"
And there / forgot that belonged
to family OF boys where no one ever
Wept, and burst into sudden tears;
and Claudia, Nell and Lottie fell to
comforting me.
II.
AS the weeks went on grew more
and more convinced that hated and
always should hate Mr.. Tudor-that
he thought mey ignorant, stupid,
t1ippant, spoilt and conceited; that he
desplsed my intellect, remembered my
foolish speeches, and always would
remember them. His eyes had way
OF twinkling when helooked at me and
looked away again; all the perplexing
questions seemed to fall to me, and
his lips twitched when spoke of CAV
elkind as custom duty, and found
Wolsey guilty under the Statute OF
Purveyance. He seemed to enjoy my
blunders; the worst mistakes of Clau-
dia, Nell and Lottie never provoked
in him even a temptation to smile.
But the bad half-hour in my week
was on Saturday afternoons when I
went alone to him, and sat by his side
whilst he spread out that weeks his
tory paper of mine before him and
commented on it's faults and required
an explanation OF it's antiquities, and
waited patiently with most courteous
attention for my answers. Now and
then, glancing up at him quickly, |
caught gleam of laughter deep down
in his eyes. Yet when he spoke his
voice was slow andgrave and weighty.
1t was Saturday afternoon in the
middle of the term. I sat beside him
at the table, listening meekly to his
criticisms.
"You miss the point here, Miss Chrys-
tai"
Eyes, Mr.. Tudor"
"And here you speak of impeach-
ment as though it was procedure by
BILL"
eyes, Mr.. Tudor"
''That is somewhat grave mis-
take"
[ could not acquiesce again. And
the monosyllibic Eyes" was the only
form OF answer that came to me.
ed to discuss the constitutional i'm
portance OF these events?"
eyes, Mr.. Tudor
"You have not done so, Miss Chrys-
tall"
"No-I am afraid am afraid not"
"You mistook the question, pos
sibly?"
He was looking gravely at me, wait
ing. My spoken answer like my writ
ten answer, was not very much to the
point. spoke desperately.
"What is the good of it all?'' said.
"What does it matter about the Judi
cial system, and who has the control
OF taxation? What does it matter
| about the Parliament, and the courts,
and all the dull old laws? One can't
really care for the Constitution.
had time while he sat surveying
me to feel ashamed of my babyish,
passionate speech.
what made you think OF devoting
yourself to the study OF constitution
al hlstory?' he said, with gentle sur
prise. His gentleness seemed like sat
ire. My eyes, in spite OF myself, filled
with tears. Suddenly he looked away
from me. He asked me no more ques.