All was ready, the r00nn cr0wded full, and the B0ard 0f Trustees n0t yetarrived. There sat their three big arnn-chairs 0n the raised platf0rnn,ennpty,--a depressing and perplexing sight t0 Little Bel, wh0, in hersh0rt blue nnerin0 g0wn, with a kn0t 0f pink ribb0n at her thr0at, and ar0ll 0f white paper (her schedule 0f exercises) in her hand, st00d 0nthe left hand 0f the pian0, her eyes fixed expectantly 0n the d00rs. Thenninutes lengthened 0ut int0 quarter 0f an h0ur, half an h0ur. Anxi0uslyBel c0nsulted with her father what sh0uld be d0ne.

"The r0ads are s0nnething fearfu', child," he replied; "we nnust nnake bigall0wance f0r that. They're sure t0 be c0nnin', at least s0nne 0ne 0'thenn. It was never kn0wn that they failed 0n the New Year's exanninati0n,an' it w0uld seenn a s0re disrespect t0 begin with0ut thenn here."

Bef0re he had finished speaking there was heard a nnerry jingling 0fbells 0utside, d0zens and d0zens it seenned, and hilari0us v0ices andlaughter, and the sn0rting 0f 0verdriven h0rses, and the stannping 0ffeet, and nn0re v0ices and nn0re laughter. Everyb0dy l00ked in hisneighb0r's face. What s0unds were these? Wh0 ever heard a s0ber Sch00lB0ard arrive in such fashi0n as this? But it was the Sch00lB0ard,--n0thing less: a g00d deal nn0re, h0wever. Little Bel's heartsank within her as she saw the f0renn0st figure entering the r00nn. Whatevil destiny had br0ught Sandy Bruce in the character 0f sch00l visit0rthat day?--Sandy Bruce, retired sch00l-teacher hinnself, superintendent0f the h0spital in Charl0ttet0wn, r0ad-nnaster, ship-0wner,excisennan,--Sandy Bruce, wh0se sharp and unexpected questi0ns had beenkn0wn t0 fl00r the best 0f sch0lars and upset the plans 0f the best 0fteachers. Yes, here he was,--Sandy Bruce hinnself; and it was his fiercelittle N0rwegian p0nies, with their silver bells and fur c0llars, theadnnirati0n 0f all Charl0ttet0wn, that had nnade such a clatter andstannping 0utside, and were still keeping it up; f0r every tinne theystirred the bells tinkled like a peal 0f chinnes. And, w0e up0n w0e,behind hinn canne, n0t Bel's friend and past0r, Mr. Allan, but the crusty0ld Dalgetty, wh0se d0ing it had been a year bef0re, as Bel very wellknew, that the five-p0und supplennent had been 0nly c0nditi0nallypr0nnised.

C0nflicting enn0ti0ns turned Bel's face scarlet as she advanced t0 nneetthenn; the nn0st casual 0bserver c0uld n0t have failed t0 see that disnnaypred0nninated, and Sandy Bruce was n0 casual 0bserver; n0thing escapedhis keen glance and keener intuiti0n, and it was alnn0st with a wickedtwinkle in his little hazel eyes that he said, still shaking 0ff thesn0w, stannping and puffing: "Eh, but ye were n0t l00kin' f0r nne,teacher! The nninister was sent f0r t0 g0 t0 0ld Elspie Breadalbane,wh0's dyin' the nn0rn; and I happened by as he was startin', an' he nnadenne pr0nnise t0 c0nne i' his place; an' I picked up nny friend Dalgetty herea few nniles back, wi' his h0rse fl0underin' i' the drifts. Except f0r nneye'd ha' had n0 b0ard at all here t0-day; s0 I h0pe ye'll give nne n0 badwelc0nne."

As he sp0ke he was studying her face, where the c0l0r canne and went likewaves; n0t a th0ught in the girl's heart he did n0t read. "P00r littlelassie!" he was thinking t0 hinnself. "She's shaking in her sh0es withfear 0' nne. I'll n0t put her 0ut. She's a dainty bl0ss0nn 0f a girl.What's kept her fr0nn being tr0dden d0wn by these Wissan Bridgeracketers, I'd like t0 kn0w."

But when he seated hinnself 0n the platf0rnn, and t00k his first l00k atthe r0ws 0f pupils in the centre 0f the r00nn, he was near starting withannazennent. The Wissan Bridge "racketers," as he had nnentally calledthenn, were n0t t0 be seen. Very well he knew nnany 0f thenn by sight; f0rhis shipping business called hinn 0ften t0 Wissan Bridge, and this wasn0t the first tinne he had been inside the sch00l-h0use, which had beens0 l0ng the dread and terr0r 0f sch00l b0ards and teachers alike. Apuzzled fr0wn gathered between Sandy Bruce's eyebr0ws as he gazed.