the walls of the house and garden.

As regards the fifty-six British and American maidens who made up this
brisk little community we will leave some of them to speak for
themselves in the next chapter.

CHAPTER III

Hail, Columbia!

Irene, finding herself in her new form, looked round inquiringly. A few
of the girls with whom she had taken coffee were seated at desks in the
same room, but the rest of the faces were unfamiliar. Her teacher
entered her name on the register, and seemed to expect her to understand
the lesson which was in progress, but the subject was much in advance of
what she had hitherto learned at Miss Gordon's, and it was very
difficult for her to pick up the threads of it. She grew more and more
bewildered as the afternoon passed on, and though Miss Bickford gave her
several hints, and even stopped the class once to explain a point, Irene
felt that most of the instruction had been completely over her head. It
was with a sense of intense relief that she heard the closing bell ring,
and presently filed with the rest of the school into the dining-room for
tea. Her place at table was between two girls who utterly ignored her
presence, and did not address a single remark to her. Each talked
diligently to the neighbor on either side, but poor Irene seemed an
insulator in the electric current of conversation, and had perforce to
eat her meal in dead silence. She was walking away afterwards in a most
depressed condition of mind, when at the door some one touched her on
the arm.

"You're wanted in the senior recreation room," said a brisk voice.
"Rachel has convened a general meeting and told me to tell you. So hurry
up and don't keep folks waiting. We want to get off to tennis."

Marveling why her actions should hinder the tennis of the rest of the
community, Irene obeyed the message, and presented herself in the room
where she had been introduced on her arrival. It was now full of girls
of all ages, some sitting, some standing, and some squatting on the
floor. Rachel Moseley, the owner of the long dark pigtail, seemed in a
position of command, for she motioned Irene to a vacant chair, then
rapped on the table with a ruler to ensure silence. She had to tap not
once but several times, and finally called:

"When you've all done talking I'll begin." There was an instant hush at
that, and, though a few faint snickers were heard, most of the audience
composed itself decently to listen to the voice