Page:A New England Tale.djvu/93

82 A floor was laid over the tops of the pews, which was covered by a carpet lent by the kind Mr. Lloyd. A chair, a present from Queen Anne to the first missionary to the Housatonick Indians, and which, like some other royal gifts, had cost more than it came to, in its journey from the coast to the mountainous interior, furnished a very respectable throne, less mutable than some that have been filled by real kings, for it remained in fixture in the middle of the stage, while kings were deposed and kingdoms overthrown. Curtains, of divers colours and figures, were drawn in a cunningly devised manner, from one end of the church to the other.

The day of examination came, and our deserving young heroine was crowned with honours, which she merited so well, and bore so meekly, that she had the sympathy of the whole school—except that (for the truth must be told,) of her envious cousins. When the prizes for arithmetic, grammar, geography, history, and philosophy, were one after another, in obedience to the award of the examiners, delivered to Jane, by her gratified master, Martina Wilson burst into tears of spite and mortification, and Elvira whispered to the young lady next her, "She may have her triumph now, but I will have one worth a hundred prizes to-morrow, for, I am sure that my composition will be preferred to hers."

To add the zest of curiosity and surprise to the exhibition, it had been determined that the writer of the successful piece should not be known till the