How Caroline watched Julia! at first with admiration only. But as the days went by her attitude gradually changed to jealousy. Julia always knew her lessons. Julia’s language was always correct. Julia never slammed doors or walked noisily, and oh, most enviable privilege of all, Julia often stood near Miss Elliot as she sat at her desk and put her arm around the teacher’s neck. At such times Miss Elliot smiled at Julia in an intimate way. How much Caroline would give to be able to stand there thus and show her love for Miss Elliot in the same way but she simply could not. Little did Miss Elliot think that Caroline had planned to do just that very thing. As Caroline lay in bed before she went to sleep she thought, “Now, tomorrow I’ll ask Miss Elliot how to work a problem and I’ll stand by her and put my arm around her neck, just as Julia does and Miss Elliot will look at me just as she does at Julia.” But alas! just as Caroline tremblingly approached Miss Elliot, thinking to carry out her plan, the teacher arose to discover the location of a mild disturbance in the back of the room and Caroline in confusion told her errand and went back to her seat where she shyly brushed aside a few stray tears. With heroic courage she decided to try it again and this time she found Miss Elliot seated, but before Caroline reached her she said hurriedly, “What is it, Caroline?” with no smile and in such a matter-of-fact voice that Caroline stammered her question before she really reached Miss Elliot’s side. It was of no use. She didn’t believe Miss Elliot liked her as well as she did Julia. Whereas Miss Elliot soliloquized, “What an awkward, timid, unlovable child Caroline is today, she seemed afraid of me. I know the rest of the children like me. I can’t pet her in order to win her confidence. I’ve got to treat them all alike.” Because Caroline regarded her teacher with such sad eyes, the idea grew in Miss Elliot’s mind that Caroline disliked her. In Caroline’s mind the thought persisted that Julia was favored by everybody. She began to think of Julia’s faults. As she sought them earnestly she found them: Julia always talked too much, she liked too well to speak of her brother Eugene who was in college, she talked of Miss Elliot as if she owned her. One day a little girl spoke of her doll, another of a doll’s party and soon Julia said, “Oh, girls, let’s all bring a doll tomorrow and have a dolls’ party at recess! Wouldn’t that be fun?” All agreed but Caroline, who was on the edge of the group. Her downcast face was unnoticed. The truth is that Caroline’s only doll was badly soiled and somewhat dismembered.