168 THE LISTENER. 
THE LISTENER. 
STORY OF HELEN CONWAY. 
Once, in my character of listener, I found 
myself in a large boarding school. Around me 
were gathered more than a hundred young girls, 
many of them of my own age, for I had been 
placed there for other purposes than listening ; the 
happy creatures were therefore my companions 
some of them dear friends, whom I love to this 
day, though many years have elapsed since I part- 
ed from them, and some of the best and dearest 
of them are separated from me by pathless seas. 
I was very young when placed in their midst, and , 
was hundreds of miles from the home of my 
childhood ; it was not strange, then, that I was 
lonely and sick hearted, for tasks were set me 
which frightened and discouraged me. I thought 
that in all that assembly no " kindly-beaming 
eye " fell on the little stranger, to cheer her and in- 
spire her with a hope of happiness in the future. 
All around me were busily intent on arrangements 
for themselves for the opening term, or greetings 
were being exchanged between old scholars, sepa- 
rated during the long vacations, and merry voices 
gave utterance to merry hearts ; the very teachers 
seemed to speak to others more winningly than 
to me. ^ 
At length my tasks were apportioned me, and I 
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