Page:Daughters of Genius.djvu/258

 250 LAURA BRIDGMAN. Her principal moral fault was a capricious quickness of temper. Though usually tractable and obedient, she was liable to sudden, unreasonable anger, which would manifest itself in the usual ways of slamming the door and dashing out of the room. At the age of fifteen she took offence one day because her teacher told her to put her handkerchief into her desk. She had left it upon the desk, which was against a rule of the school-room. " Put your handkerchief in your desk," remarked the teacher in a quiet manner, supposing that she had for- gotten it. Laura showed displeasure in her countenance, hesitated a moment, and then placed the handkerchief in her lap, saying : " I prefer to put it in my lap." The teacher seeing that the child meant rebellion, said : " I told you to put it in the desk, and now I want you to do it." Laura sat still for about two minutes. She then lifted the lid very high, threw the handkerchief into the desk, and let the lid fall with a noise that startled all the school-room. " Are you angry ? " asked the teacher. This question had always calmed her before, but it did not on this occasion. " I am very cross," said she. The teacher replied, " I am very sorry, and I am very sorry you shut the desk so hard. I want you to open it again, and take your handkerchief and put it in gently." " I will take it out to wipe my eyes, and put it back," she replied. The teacher told her that she wished her first of all to put it into the desk gently. Laura lifted the lid, took out the handkerchief, let the lid slam as before, and then raised the handkerchief, as if to wipe her eyes.