A Pair of Schoolgirls: A Story of School Days

makes

own position. To a girl of her proud temperament the news had indeed come as a great humiliation. Instead of bringing a copy of her pedigree to convince Agnes Lowe that she was one of the Sherbournes of Devonshire, she

ctly what she called me-a charity child! I wonder how she heard the story? But it really does not matter who told her; the secret has leaked out some

strange and most unexpected issues. The train had reached Latchworth, where a number of passengers were waiting on the platform. The door of Dorothy's compartment was flung open, and a girl of about her own age entered, wearing the well-known Avondale ribbon and badge on her straw ha

ad! Then Alison will have somebody to travel with. Will you be good-n

best," murmu

NEW

schoolfellows. Birdie, you must be sure to come back with this girl, then I shall feel quite hap

n, then she came and sat down in the seat next to Dorothy. She had a plump, rosy, smili

frame of mind, but she felt b

h, aren't you?" she began,

Dorothy Greenfield, who was put u

I'll ever canvass again, whatever office is vacant. The thin

though I'm calle

ive at La

at Lin

tice it from the train. Then you must have

h ago. We used to

ou like t

by this train, because it's much jollier to have somebody to travel backwards and forwards wi

at her in rather a pitying manner. The bare idea put her on the defensive. Her pride could not endure pity, even for losing the Wardenship, so she kept aloof and spoke to nobody. It was easy enough to do this, since Hope Lawson was the heroine of the hour, and the girls,

d?" asked Ruth Harmon. "She's so gru

ssed the election, I su

e flares up and gets into ta

y bear a grudge about thi

she isn't really Miss Sherbourne's niece at all; she was adopted w

e can't h

thy! She's as proud as Lucifer, and Agn

we wants

rothy to overhear her. Sh

t's the reason she's looking so glu

She's up in t

ne fet

ickly as a hedgehog to-day, and will probably snap my head off, but I don't mind. S

what Agnes Lowe says is really true. I v

refers to it w

try to get her made sec

e! I'll propo

kly upstairs t

e meeting of the 'Dramatic', you know. The oth

ithout me," growled Dorothy,

ch a goose. I tell you

e Gray, who, as monitress, was performi

h a thing? I don't care in th

them see you're not sulking, at any rate," whispe

rather have preferred her own society that day, she did not

ollow," she replied abrup

prick. She had quite forgotten Alison, who, as a new girl, must be feeling decidedly out of things at the College. She certainly might have employed the eleven-o'clock interval much

y breezy occupation to stand readi

ose rosy face looked a trifle forlorn. "I don't

o the gym.; we're going to

rightene

asked, as she stepped briskly

ts one or two every term. They're nothing grand-not like the swell things they have at the College Dram

" declared Alis

done

nce, and 'Miss Matty' in Scenes from Cranford, and 'The March Hare' in Alice in Won

her pro

are Miss Matty's mittens and

ing we can. Where are they having the meeting, I wonder?

arrivals. They made room for Dorothy and Alison, and as Annie Gray followed in a moment or two, the meeting began almost imme

e Russell, putting in her word before anyone els

e proposal," said Ruth,

imously. Very much surprised, but extremely pleased, she accepted the

we can't do better than take one of these Scenes from Thackera

e Miss P

ought to have curls, and a cap

them up fro

adding aloud: "This new girl, Alison Clarke, has the complete costume at ho

st part to a new girl,

part; it's nothin

the second b

nage it, you can put in somebody else instead. Give her a c

inkerton for you," mu

on. Let me take Miss Swartz, or one

nounce anything and everything for her benefit. She never did things by halves, and, considering that she had made

siness is to choose Becky. Oh, bother! There's the dinner bell! It always rings at the wrong minu

er was over, spent the remaining time before school in showing h

absolutely at sea

o you. It's such a comfort to have someb

r own classroom, and just as the girls were filing in at the door, Dorothy made the horrible discovery that in place of her

sped. "How could I have b

mebody?" suggested Alison,

. She's fearfully down on us if we forget any

shan't be asked to read. We'll chance it, anyhow," said Ali

called out: "What are you two girls waiting for? Move on at once!" and

of the lesson, twice asked Dorothy to read passages, and completel

er, as she returned the book when the class was over. "I

y I felt a little nervous when Miss Tempest looked in my direction. I thoug

ch a duffer again,

told me what I might do, and what I mustn't. We went to the Dramatic meeting-at least, it wasn't the real College Dramatic, but one in our own Form-and I got chosen for Miss Pinkerton. Dorothy's going to be Miss Swartz, I expect. We've

, and she answered so readily and pleasantly when I spoke to her. I'm glad to hear she took yo

tempestuous, and Miss Pitman's only tolerable, but the