The Richest Heart

Chapter 2

A little frost crunched under Emiline's feet as she ran down the road. She shivered and buttoned her jacket a little bit higher. It was terribly cold. But soon, the sunshine would force the chilly air away. Ah, spring! It was the time of year when winter and summer fought the hardest. But Emiline knew that the golden sunshine would win the battle. She was so glad to see the snow melting away.

The schoolhouse sat in a pretty sort of field with big trees here and there and a thick forest surrounding it. It was a charming building, almost brand new, with a beautiful bell that had just started to ring. Emiline began to run again. Ahead of her, she could see the other children crowding into the building. She had made it just in time. With hurried footsteps, she raced to the door and squeezed in behind the last student.

"Good morning, children," the teacher greeted with a cheerful smile. "I hope you're all doing well."

"Good morning, Miss Weed," the children chimed.

Emiline sat down and gave the girl beside her a friendly nudge as she set her things in order. A pair of glittering hazel eyes glanced over at her.

"Emma," the girl whispered, "I've been reading the most tragic story! I just have to tell it to you!"

Emiline looked over at her friend with a bright smile. Susan always read the most exciting stories. Usually, she invited Emma to read them in her home's big library. But sometimes, the girls couldn't wait for that occasion.

Susan was the richest, prettiest girl in town. Everything about her, from the pins in her hair to her shiny black shoes, was lovely.

"Which story is it?" Emiline asked. The girls glanced around cautiously. They couldn't talk for long. Soon, the last students would sit down, and then the teacher would begin her lessons.

"Romeo and Juliet," Susan answered in breathless delight. "I'll tell you all about it during lunch! Won't that be fun?"

The teacher's chair made a loud noise as Miss Weed slid it across the board floor and sat down. Susan and Emiline snapped to attention.

"Alright, children," the teacher began, "we'll start with mathematics."

For a while, Emiline was very attentive to Miss Weed's lesson. She listened very carefully and worked out her mathematics in a tidy fashion on her slate. But as time drew on and on, her mind began to stray from her work. She looked at her friend again, studying the girl's dazzling clothes. Susan had come to school in a beautiful, lacy gown. And a warm shawl was fastened around her shoulders by a shimmering, jeweled pin.

Susan always looks so perfect, Emma thought wistfully. She glanced down at her own plaid skirt with a feeling of humiliation. It was so simple, so ugly. I wish my clothes weren't so...so... The word shabby seemed proper, but she stopped herself and shook the thought away. I shouldn't be like that, she reminded herself. After all, God has given me everything I need. Besides, I mustn't covet Susan's things.

Emiline resisted the temptation to take a second look at her friend's fancy clothes and began to count her blessings. She had a family who loved her, a safe home, and plenty of clothes and food. She never had to go hungry. And when it was cold outside, she always had a coat to keep her warm. She had no right to complain.

A loud squeaking noise from the front door broke the silence of the room. Soft beams of sunlight streamed in, and one shadow reached across the floor. It was the long shadow of a girl whose skirt blew elegantly in the breeze. From the look of that shadow, the loveliest of maidens might have been standing there. But the picture it painted of the latecomer wasn't true at all.