The Bracelets

or, Amiability and Industry Rewarded. (1850).

In a beautiful and retired part of England lived Mrs. Villars, a
lady whose accurate understanding, benevolent heart, and steady
temper, peculiarly fitted her for the most difficult, as well as most
important of all occupations--the education of youth. This task she had
undertaken; and twenty young persons were put under her care, with the
perfect confidence of their parents. No young people could be happier;
they were good and gay, emulous, but not envious of each other; for Mrs.
Villars was impartially just. Her praise they felt to be the reward of
merit, and her blame they knew to be the necessary consequence of ill
conduct; to the one, therefore, they patiently submitted, and in the
other consciously rejoiced. They rose with fresh cheerfulness in the
morning, eager to pursue their various occupations; they returned in the
evening with renewed ardour to their amusements, and retired to rest
satisfied with themselves and pleased with each other.

Nothing so much contributed to preserve a spirit of emulation in this
little society as a small honorary distinction given annually, as the
prize of successful application. The prize this year was peculiarly dear
to each individual, as it was the picture of a friend whom they all
dearly loved--it was the picture of Mrs. Villars in a small bracelet.
It wanted neither gold, pearls, nor precious stones, to give it value.

The two foremost candidates for the prize were Cecilia and Leonora.
Cecilia was the most intimate friend of Leonora, but Leonora was only
the favourite companion of Cecilia.

Cecilia was of an active, ambitious, enterprising disposition; more
eager in the pursuit than happy in the enjoyment of her wishes. Leonora
was of a contented, unaspiring, temperate character, not easily roused
to action, but indefatigable when once excited. Leonora was proud,
Cecilia was vain. Her vanity made her more dependent upon the
approbation of others, and therefore more anxious to please, than
Leonora; but that very vanity made her, at the same time, more apt to
offend. In short, Leonora was the most anxious to avoid what was wrong,
Cecilia the most ambitious to do what was right. Few of their companions
loved, but many were led by Cecilia, for she was often successful; many
loved Leonora, but none were ever governed by her, for she was too
indolent to govern.

On the first day of May, about six o'clock in the evening, a great bell
rang, to summon this little society into a hall, where the prize was to
be decided. A number of small tables were placed in a circle in the
middle of the hall; seats for the young competitors were raised one
above another, in a semicircle, some yards distant from the table;