It would have been bad enough to go to her seat, and see the pitying faces of her friends, or the satisfied ones of her few enemies, but to face the whole school, with that shame fresh upon her, seemed impossible, and for a second she felt as if she could only drop down where she stood, and break her heart with crying. During the fifteen minutes that followed, the proud and sensitive little girl suffered a shame and pain which she never forgot. To others it might seem a ludicrous or trivial affair, but to her it was a hard experience, for during the twelve years of her life she had been governed by love alone, and a blow of that sort had never touched her before. Davis, looking, as he felt, uncomfortable. She was in a sad state when she got home, and when the older girls arrived, some time later, an indignation meeting was held at once. March did not say much but looked disturbed, and comforted her afflicted little daughter in her tenderest manner. Davis was quite benignant in the afternoon, also unusually nervous. I wish all the girls would leave, and spoil his old school. You are getting to be rather conceited, my dear, and it is quite time you set about correcting it. You have a good many little gifts and virtues, but there is no need of parading them, for conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long, even if it is, the consciousness of possessing and using it well should satisfy one, and the great charm of all power is modesty. That is why he is so charming and we all like him so much. Amy bridled up at this insult, and determined to find out the secret, if she teased for an hour. Now do be still, and stop bothering. For now and then she forgot her grownup ways and acted like a spoiled child. Her anger never lasted long, and having humbly confessed her fault, she sincerely repented and tried to do better. She assumed an injured air as they came in, never lifted her eyes from her book, or asked a single question. Amy poked the fire and said nothing. Jo saw her color rise and was down upon her in a minute.