DEAN'S 
 
 SlletratBli /artjiing fouh. 
 
 STRAIGHT LINES. 
 
 LONDON : DEAN & SON, 
 11, Ludgate Hill. 
 
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STRAIGHT LINES. 
 
 Miss Leslie informed her pupils that 
 she was about to form a class for the 
 
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 study of drawing. All who wished to 
 join it, were to hand in their names the 
 next day. 
 
 Among those who joined it, were Hattie 
 May and Agnes Leighton. Both ranked 
 high in their classes, and both shared the 
 good opinion of their teacher ; but Miss 
 Leshe, upon looking over the class, men- 
 tally divided them into two portions, of 
 which Hattie and Agnes were the type 
 scholars. 
 
 The class met in the school-room every 
 afternoon at four o'clock, after the other 
 pupils were dismissed. The girls thought 
 it very pleasant to be in the quiet room 
 with their teacher, on those bright sum- 
 mer afternoons. Through the open win- 
 dows the fragrance of flowers came softly 
 on the cool breezes, and now and then a 
 little bird twittered and caroled in the 
 great elm- tree before the door. Miss 
 Leslie gave every pupil four lead pencils 
 of different numbers, a small drawing- 
 book, a piece of India rubber, and a card 
 upon which was the first lesson. 
 
 What do you suppose the first lesson 
 
4 STRAIGHT LINES. 
 
 was ? It was simply how to draw straight 
 lines. 
 
 '' Is this all, Miss Leslie ?" said Hattie 
 May, in a disappointed tone. ** This is 
 easy, I'm sure." 
 
 *' Not so easy as you imagine, Hattie," 
 said Miss Leslie. *' It may take several 
 lessons for you to learn this. Do not draw 
 rashly, and be careful about using your 
 India rubber." 
 
 After giving each pupil a few simple 
 directions. Miss Leshe went to her desk 
 and began to write a letter. She was not 
 so much occupied, however, but that she 
 saw how her class was engaged. 
 
 Hattie May made several unsuccessful 
 attempts to imitate the line in the copy. 
 She erased them with the rubber, and 
 tried again. Somehow the same curve 
 would get into the line. Now it was to 
 the right, now to the left, but every time 
 a curve. It must be the pencil. 
 
 ** Miss Leslie," said Hattie, **may I 
 come to you ?" 
 
 ** Yes, Hattie. What is the matter ?" 
 
STRAIGHT LINES. 5 
 
 " I think my pencil is not sharp enough. 
 I cannot get these lines to look like yours.*' 
 
 *'The fault is not in the pencil, my 
 dear. Your hand is not steady enough. 
 Try again.*' 
 
 Hattie went back and tried again. 
 Just then a beautiful golden-winged 
 butterfly alighted on the window-sill. 
 
 '' Oh !" thought Hattie, " I want to 
 draw birds, and butterflies, and flowers, 
 and by and by, perhaps, make a portrait 
 
C STRAIGHT LINES, 
 
 of dear little baby Charlie, with all his 
 bright curls, lying upon each other hke 
 spots of sunshine. I wish Miss Leslie 
 would give us pretty things to draw, 
 instead of these tiresome lines and tri- 
 angles, which I suppose will be the order 
 of the day. Emma, how do you like it?" 
 she whispered to her neighbour on the 
 right. 
 
 '' I think those lines are horrid," said 
 Emma, pushing her book towards Hattie. 
 
 On the left of Hattie sat Agnes Leigh- 
 ton. She was busily working while 
 Hattie was looking out of the window. 
 She had made a number of attempts, and 
 at last a successful one. One, two, three 
 lines were as straight as the one upon the 
 card. Now she commenced making them 
 of different lengths, each one a httle 
 longer than the last. Hattie, looking over 
 her classmate's shoulder, could not restrain 
 an exclamation of surprise. 
 
 Miss Leslie came to e.xamine the per- 
 formance. 
 
 ** Very well done, Agnes !" said she. 
 *' You may advance a step to-morrow ; 
 
STRAIGHT LINES. 7 
 
 but Hattie must take the same card for 
 her next lesson.*' 
 
 '' Why, Miss Leslie," said Hattie, ** I 
 did not think drawing was like this. 
 Won't you give us something interesting 
 — a farm-house with a vine running up 
 against the windows, and chickens before 
 the door, or a mountain, or rocks, or ?" 
 
 *'Not so fast, Hattie," said Miss Leslie. 
 ** One step at a time. I might, it is true, 
 give you all these ; but though you might 
 make a rude imitation of them, it would 
 not be drawing. Fineness and rapidity 
 of touch, grace of outline and accuracy, 
 all come by practice. Be sure of every 
 inch of ground as you proceed. Dream- 
 ing is not drawing. You might look all 
 day at a pretty landscape ; but if you had 
 not first learned to make a straight line, 
 you would try in vain to draw it." 
 
 ** Straight lines are very important, are 
 they not. Miss Leslie?" said Agnes Leigh- 
 ton, looking up with a smile. 
 
 ** In more ways than one," said her 
 teacher. ** There is a straight line of 
 truth, another of perseverance, and ano- 
 
8 
 
 STRAIGHT LINES. 
 
 ther of kindness, in which young feet 
 must learn to walk ; and you know that 
 the Bible says, '' Straight is the way that 
 leadeth unto hfe/' so don't despise straight 
 hues, Hattie." 
 
 The drawing-class met every day that 
 spring. At the end of that time, Hattie 
 had drawn her favourite farm-house, with 
 the vine and lattice. But Agnes, who 
 worked steadily and spent no time in 
 dreaming,, had taken a httle view of the 
 schoolhouse, with the great elm-tree and 
 the hill side, and her drawing obtained the 
 prize. 
 
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