The Forrest City times., 1891-06-05
A CRITICAL MAID.

The lecture was just over. We four girls, the lectured, were standing, notebook in hand. in a little group in the corridor, talking in subdued tones consulting one another on knotty point in the history of Grand Jury The lecturer came out of the lecture room and passed on. He bowed grave ly as he passed, and went hastily down the stairs, his college cap in his hand his long gown falling Imply about his tall thin figure. We were silent until he was out of sight, then our tongues were loosed, and we no longer spoke in subdued tones.
 Poor young man." said Lottie, feel ingly.
 He is as grave as judge" said Nell.
 That, " said Claudia weightily, ''is nervousness. He is nervous, girls nervous of us.
 But it was I who had most to say I leant against the balusters, with my face toward the open door of the lec- ture-room, and gave the girls the bene- fit of all my observations
 Yes he is nervous. I said. Poor young man. he is shyl When I asked him if the grand jury still existed. he blushed. girls-oh, he is copper-col- ored to start with, I know. but he blushed through the copper color---"
 "For your ignorance, perhaps" sug- gested Claudia.
 He is very shy, said l He is not used, l expect. to teaching girls. He cannot forget that we are girls. He waited, did you notice? until we had left the room; the other lecturers stalk out before us l think he wanted to open the door for us and to bow us out. Oh, poor young man, he is shy shy and young -"
 The girls were frowning at me, Claudia was touching my elbow, with mysterious meaning. on one side. Nell pulling my sleeve imperatively on the other. Lottie formed her lips into a silent hush. V
 Shy and young young,- WHdl IS lut lHdlleFE | aSkeQ.
 Nobody answered me. No answer, indeed. was needed. At that moment our lecturer passed us again and went back into the lecture-room. He had come up the stairs behind me-ho must have heard me. He seemed to glance my way as he passed. There seemed to be a twinkle in his gray blue eyes. The girls moved slowly away. but l turned precipitately and fled. Past the lecture-room door. along the corridor, up stairs I fled to my own little room. l stood before my glass and changed my dress for dinner and grew rosy red as the re- membrance of my words came back. I had said that he had blushed because l spoke to him-I had said that he was shy-I had implied that he was shy of me because l was a girl l should never dare speak to him or look at him again. had called him cop- per-colored-a least. I might have spared him that reproach. 1 looked in the glass at my own little face; it was brown as berry-brown by na- ture in the first place and made more brown by the summer sun and the breeze from the sea at home His eyes were blue and his hair was fair. was altogether brown--hair. eyes. skin. all brown alike. And 1 had called him copper-colored'-I had called him young what else had 1 called him? l brushed back my brown hair tightly and severely, tied my soft silk sash with d jerk, and ran down to dinner with rush, hoping to escape from my thoughts again. Perhaps, after all. I thought trying to comfort myself he had not heard me.
 Our lecturer had stated that on Sat urday afternoon he would be pleased to go through our papers with us to discuss points of interest, explain difficulties, and remove possible mis- conception, We were to go to him singly.
 Saturday came. The girls were cheerful. Go first. Cis." " they said 'go first and get it over"
 Miss Chrystal9' he said.
 Fl eS, l said, meekly.
 He touched chair that stood be- side his at the table and l sat down with q feeling of obedience. His face was grave. his manner severe; won dered how l could have thought him nervous; He looked as though he had never blushed he seemed cutie unaffected by the consciousness that his pupil was a girl He seated himself beside me and drew cor rected exercise toward him.
 This, think, is your paper, Miss Chrystal."
 Yes" said. in small voice-'I think so, MT. Tudor"
 He was turning the pages slowly and gravely. sat looking down at my hands folded meekly on the table and did not see his face.
 Your answer isis inadequate"
 The first part of Stubbs is---is very difficult" I said. venturing to look up
 There was q strange, quick little twinkle for a moment in his eyes as he glanced at me; but his lips did not smile.
 ''In the next question, he said slowly, you confuse. or seem to con- fuse, two things, the constitutions and the Assize of Clarendon-a slip. per haps?"
 He was looking steadily and calmly at me, waiting. For tho first time in my life l felt small and young and meek forgot that 1 was l9 md no longer school girl. I was over whelmed with sense of my own ig-