We come now to another expression (partly serious and partly bantering, for she seems to have uniformly respected her instructress) of her terrors of "examination."
"We are engaged, heart and hand, preparing for this: awful examination. O, how I dread it! But there is no retreat. I must stand firm to my post, or experience all the anger, vengeance, and punishments, which will, in case of delinquency or flight, be exercised with the most unforgiving acrimony. We are in such cases excommunicated, henceforth and forever, under the awful ban of holy Seminary; and the evil eye of false report is upon us. O mamma, I do, though, jesting apart, dread this examination; but nothing short of real and absolute sickness can excuse a scholar in the eyes of Mrs. Willard. Even that will not do it to the Trojan world around us; for if a young lady is ill at examination, they say, with a sneer, 'O, she is ill of an examination fever!' Thus you see, mamma, we have no mercy either from friends or foes. We must 'do or die.' Tell Morris he must write to me. Kiss dear, dear little Margaret for me, and don't let her forget poor sister Luly, and tell all who inquire for me that I am well, but in awful dread of a great examination."
The following extract is from a letter to her friends, who had written under the impression that all letters received by the young ladies were, of course, read by some one of the officers of the institution:—
"Lo! just as I was descending from the third story (for yon must know I hold my head high), your letter was put into my hands. Poorlittle wanderer! I really
