of eyes which sparkled with the brightest and honestest good-humour, except indeed when they filled with tears, and that was a great deal too often; for the silly thing would cry over a dead canary-bird; or over a mouse that 5 the cat haply had seized upon; or over the end of a novel, were it ever so stupid; and as for saying an unkind word to her, were any persons hard-hearted enough to do sowhy, so much the worse for them. Even Miss Pinkerton, that austere and godlike woman, ceased scolding her after 10 the first time, and though she no more comprehended sensibility than she did Algebra, gave all masters and teachers particular orders to treat Miss Sedley with the utmost gentleness, as harsh treatment was injurious to her.

So that when the day of departure came, between her two 15 customs of laughing and crying, Miss Sedley was greatly puzzled how to act. She was glad to go home, and yet most wofully sad at leaving school. For three days before, little Laura Martin, the orphan, followed her about, like a little dog. She had to make and receive at least fourteen 20 presents to make fourteen solemn promises of writing every week: "Send my letters under cover to my grandpapa, the Earl of Dexter," said Miss Saltire (who, by the way, was rather shabby); "Never mind the postage, but write every day, you dear darling," said the impetuous and 25 woolly-headed, but generous and affectionate, Miss Swartz; and the orphan, little Laura Martin (who was just in roundhand), took her friend's hand and said, looking up in her face wistfully, "Amelia, when I write to you I shall call you Mamma."

The flowers, and the presents, and the trunks, and bonnetboxes of Miss Sedley having been arranged by Mr. Sambo in the carriage, together with a very small and weatherbeaten old cow's-skin trunk with Miss Sharp's card neatly nailed upon it, which was delivered by Sambo with a grin, 5 and packed by the coachman with a corresponding sneer the hour for parting came; and the grief of that moment was considerably lessened by the admirable discourse which Miss Pinkerton addressed to her pupil. Not that the parting speech caused Amelia to philosophise, or that it 10 armed her in any way with a calmness, the result of argument; but having the fear of her schoolmistress greatly before her eyes, Miss Sedley did not venture, in her presence, to give way to any ebullitions of private grief. A seed-cake and a bottle of wine were produced in the drawing-room, 15 as on the solemn occasions of the visits of parents, and these refreshments being partaken of, Miss Sedley was at liberty to depart.

"You'll go in and say good-bye to Miss Pinkerton, Becky!" said Miss Jemima to a young lady of whom no- 20 body took any notice, and who was coming downstairs with her own bandbox.

"I suppose I must," said Miss Sharp calmly, and much to the wonder of Miss Jemima; and the latter having knocked at the door, and receiving permission to come in, Miss 25 Sharp advanced in a very unconcerned manner, and said in French, and with a perfect accent, "Mademoiselle, je viens vous faire mes adieux."

Miss Pinkerton did not understand French; she only

directed those who did; but biting her lips and throwing up her venerable and Roman-nosed head (on the top of which figured a large and solemn turban), she said, "Miss Sharp, I wish you a good-morning." As the Hammersmith 5 Semiramis spoke she waved one hand, both by way of adieu, and to give Miss Sharp an opportunity of shaking one of the fingers of the hand which was left out for that purpose.

Miss Sharp only folded her own hands with a very frigid 10 smile and bow, and quite declined to accept the proffered honour; on which Semiramis tossed up her turban more indignantly than ever. In fact, it was a little battle between the young lady and the old one, and the latter was worsted. "Heaven bless you, my child," said she, em15 bracing Amelia, and scowling the while over the girl's shoulder at Miss Sharp. "Come away, Becky," said Miss Jemima, pulling the young woman away in great alarm, and the drawing-room door closed upon them for ever.

Then came the struggle and parting below. Words re20 fuse to tell it. All the servants were there in the hall — all the dear friends all the young ladies - the dancingmaster who had just arrived; and there was such a scuffling, and hugging, and kissing, and crying, with the hysterical yoops of Miss Swartz, the parlour-boarder, from her 25 room, as no pen can depict, and as the tender heart would fain pass over. The embracing was over; they partedthat is, Miss Sedley parted from her friends. Miss Sharp had demurely entered the carriage some minutes before. Nobody cried for leaving her.

Sambo of the bandy-legs slammed the carriage-door on his young weeping mistress. He sprang up behind the carriage. "Stop!" cried Miss Jemima, rushing to the gate with a parcel.

"It's some sandwiches, my dear," said she to Amelia. 5 "You may be hungry, you know; and Becky, Becky Sharp, here's a book for you that my sister—that is, I-Johnson's Dixonary, you know; you mustn't leave us without that. Good-bye. Drive on, coachman. God bless you!"

And the kind creature retreated into the garden, overcome with emotion.

But lo! and just as the coach drove off, Miss Sharp put her pale face out of the window and actually flung the book back into the garden.

10

15

This almost caused Jemima to faint with terror. "Well, I never, I❞— said she "what an audacious"- Emotion I" prevented her from completing either sentence. The carriage rolled away; the great gates were closed; the bell rang for the dancing lesson. The world is before the two 20 young ladies; and so, farewell to Chiswick Mall.

WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY: Vanity Fair.

HELPS TO STUDY

Hammer

1. What do you learn about the school in the first paragraph? 2. Semiramis was queen of Assyria and builder of Babylon. smith is a suburb of London. Explain "Semiramis of Hammersmith." 3. Who was Doctor Johnson? Mrs. Chapone was a literary lady

whose chief work was Letters on the Improvement of the Mind. She

died in 1801. 4. Can you see any humor in Thackeray's arrangement, Semiramis, Dr. Johnson, Mrs. Chapone? 5. What do you learn in the first few paragraphs of Miss Jemima's character? of Miss Barbara's? 6. How does Miss Jemima pronounce bouquet? 7. What opinion do you form of Amelia from Miss Pinkerton's letter? 8. What do you learn of the subjects taught at Chiswick Mall? 9. What difference of opinion is shown by the two sisters over a dictionary for Becky Sharp? 10. How did the ladies pronounce "dictionary"? 11. How is Amelia's character described? 12. Of what other pupils in the school do we hear? 13. Describe the parting of Amelia from Miss Pinkerton; that of Becky. 14. How did Miss Jemima show her kindness of heart toward Becky? 15. How did Becky repay this kindness?

Notes: bow-pot, an old word for bouquet; gillyflower (jil'i-flou-er); billet, letter; orthography, writing; backboard, a strip of wood used to support the back and give erectness to the figure; lexicographer, maker of a dictionary; articled, bound to work for her board and tuition; Minerva, goddess of wisdom; ebullitions, outbursts. Mademoiselle, je viens vous faire mes adieux, Mademoiselle, I am come to say good-by.

WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY

Thackeray was born in 1811 at Calcutta, India, where his father died five years later. The boy was sent home to England on a ship which touched at St. Helena, where he saw Napoleon, who was reported to be eating three sheep 5 a day and all the little children he could catch. For a time he went to a school at Chiswick, which must have been near that of the Misses Pinkerton; then he was sent to the Charterhouse, where Coleridge and Charles Lamb had been pupils before him. At Cambridge University he was a