Clematis Part 9

"She'll have a hard row to hoe round here, believe me," she said to herself.

Mrs. Snow frowned when Miss Rose told her.

"I am very sorry," she said. "She may work with Jane, then, in the dormitory. Jane is a good worker and can teach her."

Poor Clematis was rather frightened when she heard that she was to work in the dormitory. She was afraid a dormitory was some dark place like a prison. She did not know that the dormitory was the big room where she had slept.

Soon Clematis was back in the big room again. There she took the place of another little girl, who was making up the beds with Jane.

"Hurry up now," said Jane. "We have got to get these beds all made up before nine o'clock. School begins then."

She showed Clematis how to tuck the sheet in, down at the foot, and pull it up smooth at the head of the bed.

Clematis was looking out of the window, way over the river, to the sunny brown hill.

"There now. Why don't you look out?" said Jane. For Clematis had given such a pull that she pulled all the clothes out at the foot of the bed.

"I was looking out, so there," said Clematis.

"Yes, looking out of the window, that's all." Jane was vexed.

"Now hurry up and get them tucked in again."

But Clematis was very clumsy, and not very willing. She had never had to make beds before. She didn't see any need of it.

"Why can't you leave the blankets till you go to bed, and then just pull them up?" she said, pouting.

"Because you can't, that's why. And you'd better try, or you'll never get a chance to go to the country."

"What do you mean? Who goes to the country?"

Clematis came round the bed and took Jane by the arm.

"Why, most of the children who do well, or try hard to do well, go to the country for two weeks in the summer."

"To the country where the flowers grow, and where there is gra.s.s all around?"

"Sure, and where they give you milk and apple pie. Oh, apple pie even for breakfast, and doughnuts between meals. I had doughnuts every day."

"Crickety!" said Clematis.

"You'd better not let Miss Rose hear you say that, and you needn't worry. You won't go to any country, when you can't even make beds."

Clematis gave Jane a frightened look, and started to work the best she knew how.

But the best Clematis knew how was very poor work, and by the time the bell rang for school, one bed still had to be done.

"Let it alone," said Jane. "I can make it up faster myself."

Her hands and feet moved fast enough to surprise little Clematis, who followed her friend down to the school room, wondering how long it would take her to learn to make beds.

CHAPTER VII

WHAT CLEMATIS FOUND

School began with music, and Miss Rose went to the piano. The minute she began to play, Clematis stood up, and stared at her.

"Sit down. Don't stand up now." Jane pulled her sleeve.

But Clematis paid no attention. She kept her eyes on the piano, and seemed to hear nothing else.

The song was of Spring; of birds, and brooks, and flowers. Clematis listened to every word, and when it was finished she sat down with a sigh.

After the singing, they had a cla.s.s in reading.

Clematis stared at the words on the blackboard, but could not tell any of them.

"Have you learned any of your letters?" asked Miss Rose.

"No'm," said Clematis.

The other children giggled, for Clematis was as large as Jane. Jane was eight, and could read very well.

"Tomorrow you must go into the special cla.s.s, and you must work hard, and catch up as fast as you can."

"Yes'm."

Clematis was angry. She didn't like to be laughed at.

At recess, all the children ran out into the yard to play. It was a large yard, with a high wooden fence around it.

Glad to be free, Jane ran off to find some chums, and left Clematis to play by herself.

So Clematis wandered round by the fence till she came to a sunny spot, near the big maple tree with the red buds.

Here she picked up a dead twig and sat down, turning over the dried leaves with the twig, and throwing them in the air.

As she picked up the leaves, she saw some blades of gra.s.s beneath them.

Then she picked up more leaves, and found many blades of gra.s.s growing beneath their warm shelter.

Clematis got up and walked near the fence, where the leaves were thicker. There she poked them away, and found longer blades of gra.s.s, and new leaves, green and shiny.

"Oh," she said to herself, "I hope I can come out here every day."