Fanny sat in the empty classroom with a book. Maria and Julia were out riding, and Aunt Norris was at the parsonage. She heard some footsteps.
"Fanny, are you here alone?" her cousin Edmund asked.
"Yes, it's quiet here, I don't mind," she said.
"What are you reading?"
Fanny showed him the book.
"The story of the phoenix," he said, scanning the page.
"Oh," Fanny said nervously.
"What is the matter, Fanny?" Edmund asked.
"I had no idea that was how it was pronounced," she said.
"Well, now you know, and Maria and Julia will never know otherwise," he replied.