see that we really vote them bad style,
perhaps they'll have the sense to drop it."

"All right. Put me down as your first member. What's the name of the
Society?"

"We might call it the 'Anti-Bounders'. It has a brisk, rolling sound
that's rather jolly."

"The A.B.S. for short," suggested Honor.

"And the rules?" asked Ruth.

"Those could be short and sweet--something on these lines:

"1. No member is to make an unnecessary or ostentatious display of
wealth or valuables.

"2. No member is to brag constantly of high connections or titled
friends.

"3. Members are to consider, not money, but culture, as the standard of
public estimation at St. Chad's; and to remember that the essence of
good breeding is simplicity.

"4. Any member transgressing any of these rules will be blackballed."

"Excellent!" said Ruth. "It puts what we mean in a nutshell. Now, we
must write that out, and try to get signatures. We might add a fifth
rule, about not doing sneaking tricks; it's decidedly necessary."

"And our motto could be _Noblesse oblige_," proposed Honor.

The "Anti-Bounders" met with favour among a large proportion of the
Chaddites, but with much derision from Flossie and her friends, who
lost no opportunity of ridiculing the league, nicknamed its members
"The Pharisees", and threw open scorn upon its rules. Nevertheless, in
spite of their opposition, the society was strong enough to work a
decided improvement, particularly among a certain section who were
ready to trim their sails according to the prevailing wind, and to
follow blindly the general consensus of public opinion. In future any
girl guilty of inordinate bragging was christened "Chanticler", and a
warning "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" would advise her of the fact without
further explanation.

"It's quite enough!" said Maisie. "We don't want to rub it in too hard,
but just to let them see that we notice. Jessie Gray is better already,
and although Flossie and Claudia make so much fun of us they're really
extremely nettled, because they thought themselves the absolute
perfection of good style, and it has been a great blow to them to
discover that three-quarters of the house consider them bad form."

It was a constant annoyance to Maisie, Lettice, and Pauline that
Flossie should occupy the fourth cubicle in No. 13 bedroom, and they
often wondered why Miss Maitland had placed so uncongenial a companion
in their midst--"especially when Adeline Vaughan is with the