"The cases are not at all parallel," Ruth said, flushing deeply. "I consider myself on quite an equal footing with the President's wife or any other lady." Whereupon Marion laughed with more _abandon_ than before. "Now, Ruth Erskine," she said, "don't be a goose. Do use your common sense; you have some, I am sure. Wherein are these people whom you went to see on a lower footing than yourself? Granting that they have less money than you do, or even, perhaps, less than I have, are you ready to admit that money is the question that settles positions in society?" [Illustration] [Illustration] CHAPTER XV. MARION'S PLAN. "MISS WILBUR! Miss Wilbur! can't we go in Miss Lily's class to-day, our teacher isn't here?" "Miss Wilbur, they are crowding us off the seat; there isn't room for no more in this class." "Miss Wilbur, sister Nellie can't come to-day; she has the toothache. Can I go in Kitty's class?" Every one of these little voices spoke at once; two of the owners thereof twitched at her dress, and another of them nudged her elbow. In the midst of this little babel of confusion the door opened softly, and Dr. Dennis came in. Marion turned toward him and laughed--a perplexed laugh that might mean something besides amusement. "What is it?" he asked, answering the look instead of the laugh. "It is everything," she said, quickly. "You mustn't stay a minute, Dr. Dennis; we are not in company trim to-day at all. Unless you will do the work, we can't have you." "I came to hear, not to work," he said, smiling, and at the same time looking troubled. "You will hear very little that will interest you for the next ten minutes at least; though I don't know but you would better stay; it would be a good introduction to the talk that I want to have with you early in the week. I am coming to-morrow after school, if I may." Dr. Dennis gave the assent promptly, named the hour that he would be at leisure, and went away wondering what they were accomplishing in the primary class. This was the introduction to Marion's talk in the study with Dr. Dennis. She wasted no time in preliminaries, but had hardly seated herself before the subject on her mind was brought forward. "It is all about that class, Dr. Dennis. I am going to prove a failure." "Don't," he said, smiling at her words, but looking his disturbance; "we have had failures enough in that class to shipwreck it; it is quite time we had a change for the better. What is the trouble?"