it ought to be great."

Every year in the month of March the pupils at the Villa Camellia
celebrated a carnival of their own. It coincided with a local festival
at Fossato, on which occasion the inhabitants were wont to make merry,
dressing themselves in fantastic costumes, parading the streets, and
letting off fireworks. Originally the girls had been taken to see the
gay doings, but the town was often so rough that Miss Rodgers had
decided it was an unsuitable entertainment for young ladies, and, to
prevent disappointment, made the happy suggestion that they should keep
the festival in their own grounds. So each spring the three divisions of
the school vied with one another in producing some fresh surprise, and
had a very interesting and amusing afternoon in the garden or gymnasium,
and were too busily occupied to feel any regret at being deprived of the
sight of what was going on in Fossato.

Canon and Mrs. Clark and a few of Miss Rodgers' and Miss Morley's
friends, who lived in the neighborhood, were generally invited to swell
the audience of teachers. The juniors were given a little assistance by
their form mistresses, but the seniors and the Transition managed their
own affairs. Now it was a most unfortunate circumstance that at present
the two sororities in the Transition were in direct opposition. Each
was, of course, aware of the other's existence, but each society kept
its own secrets. The Camellia Buds did not even know the name of their
rival, though they could guess at its list of members. Peachy, recovered
from her cold, came downstairs bubbling over with plans for a due
celebration of the festival. She submitted them gleefully to the
assembled girls, after French class. Much to her surprise about half of
the form demurred.

"We're going to do something of our own," announced Bertha airily. "We
don't want your stunt."

"Of our own? What d'you mean?" asked Peachy, her gray eyes snapping.

"I mean what I say. Some of us have arranged a little private
performance--we're going to keep it to ourselves."

"And leave out the rest of us?"

"You can have one of your own."

"Well, I like that!" flamed Peachy. "You're dividing the form into two
stunts. We've never done that before. Besides, who sent up a message
asking me to think of something fresh and original? I certainly
understood it was from _all_ of you."

Peachy, in huge indignation, glared into several conscious and guilty
faces, while her allies