never again--don't you fear, lassies. No lady,
indeed! We 'll see who's the lady!'

In vain Miss Kent tried to stop the angry torrent of words, but this
was the hour when the girls were allowed to talk freely. Mrs Macintyre
was not present, and all eyes in the room were fixed with admiration on
Hollyhock.

'First, we 'd like to know--just for a diversion--what _makes_ a lady,'
continued the obstreperous lass. ''Tisn't birth--my certie! no. It
must be a sort of civilisation. It must be, to my way of thinking, a
give and a take. It must belong to the sort of person who has the
courage of her race, and will even wipe the hair of a ghost when he
comes to you in his trouble. That's what _I_ call a lady. Others may
differ from me.'

'They do,' said Leucha. 'Liars are not ladies!'

'You 'd better not call _me_ that.'

'But I do. You never wiped the hair of a ghost.'

'Let's drop the subject,' said Hollyhock. 'My sisters and I, and Mrs
Constable, and my father, and my five cousins, the Precious Stones,
have views that differ from yours entirely. I know your sort of lady.
I have read of her in books, but I never came across her till I met
you, Leucha.'

'I 'd thank you to call me Lady Leucha.'

'I won't, then. You are only Leucha to me in this school. I have
described what I call a lady. She's bountiful to the poor, and
kindness sits in her bonnie eyes, and love shimmers round her lips, and
her heart--why, it's pure gold; and she's all-forgiving, and all for
making up. There 's never a quarrel that a real lady would nurse; but
mayhap there's a different sort in England. They walk what you might
call _mincingly_, and they drop their words slow, and there's no flash
in their eyes, and no courage in them, and no daring in them. No doubt
they are very respectable, and they are very proud of their family.
Then they make their little curtsy, when their education is quite
finished, to the Sovereign on the throne; and they go to many a party,
and they dress like all the other girls--no individuality anywhere.
That would not be thought right for such an English lady. She marries
when she can get a man to have her. Many a time he's as old as her
father; but that doesn't count with _her_, she being what she is,
looking out for _respectability_. Ah, well! I 'm all for the Scots
lady. I don't care for grand parties or grand dresses; but I want my
bit of adventure, and I'll have it, too. Good-bye, Leuchy. I