Before she could stoop to pick it up, one young lady of about fifteen or sixteen, who had been standing a little apart from the others, as though she had no recognised place among them, sprang forward and put it in her hand.
She was gliding timidly away again, when she was arrested by the governess.
'It was Miss Edwards who did that, I KNOW,' said Miss Monflathers predictively.

'Now I am sure that was Miss Edwards.' It was Miss Edwards, and everybody said it was Miss Edwards, and Miss Edwards herself admitted that it was.
'Is it not,' said Miss Monflathers, putting down her parasol to take a severer view of the offender, 'a most remarkable thing, Miss Edwards, that you have an attachment to the lower classes which always draws you to their sides; or, rather, is it not a most extraordinary thing that all I say and do will not wean you from propensities which your original station in life have unhappily rendered habitual to you, you extremely vulgar-minded girl ?' 'I really intended no harm, ma'am,' said a sweet voice.

'It was a momentary impulse, indeed.' 'An impulse!' repeated Miss Monflathers scornfully.

'I wonder that you presume to speak of impulses to me'-- both the teachers assented--'I am astonished'-- both the teachers were astonished--'I suppose it is an impulse which induces you to take the part of every grovelling and debased person that comes in your way'-- both the teachers supposed so too.
'But I would have you know, Miss Edwards,' resumed the governess in a tone of increased severity, 'that you cannot be permitted--if it be only for the sake of preserving a proper example and decorum in this establishment--that you cannot be permitted, and that you shall not be permitted, to fly in the face of your superiors in this exceedingly gross manner.

If you have no reason to feel a becoming pride before wax-work children, there are young ladies here who have, and you must either defer to those young ladies or leave the establishment, Miss Edwards.' This young lady, being motherless and poor, was apprenticed at the school--taught for nothing--teaching others what she learnt, for nothing--boarded for nothing--lodged for nothing--and set down and rated as something immeasurably less than nothing, by all the dwellers in the house.