of the place, were not willing to
admit them too quickly into favor. They talked them over in private.

"Audrey Redfern seems a decent enough little soul," said Estelle
Harrison. "There's really nothing offensive about her, to my mind.
Garnet Emerson I rather like. I fancy she could be jolly. I'm going to
speak to her in a day or two, but not too soon."

"What do you think of Winona Woodward?" queried Bessie Kirk.

"Much too big an opinion of herself. Began bragging about her
scholarship first thing. She needs sitting upon, to my mind."

"She's pretty!"

"Yes, and she knows it, too!"

"Well, she can't help knowing it. I call her most striking looking. Her
eyes are lovely, though I never can make out whether they're dark gray
or hazel under those long lashes. Her hair's just the color of bronze,
and such a lot of it! It beats Joyce Newton's hollow; besides, Joyce has
absolutely white eyelashes."

"Like a pig's!" laughed Hilda Langley. "I agree with you that Winona's
pretty, but I don't think she'll ever be a chum of mine, all the same."

The result of the stand-off attitude on the part of the rest of the form
was the cementing of a close friendship between Winona and Garnet. It
seemed natural for the holders of the two County Scholarships to become
chums, also they found each other's society congenial. It marked a new
epoch for Winona. She had had few friends of her own age. She had been
the eldest pupil at Miss Harmon's small school, and her sisters were so
much younger than herself that their interests were on a different plane
to her own. Garnet, with her merry brown eyes, eager and enthusiastic
nature, and amusing tongue, seemed a revelation.

The two girls spent every available moment together, and soon waxed
confidential on the subject of their home affairs.

"We're all named after precious stones," said Garnet. "Pearl, my eldest
sister, is classics mistress at a school; Jacinthe is studying for a
health visitor, Ruby is at a Horticultural College, and Beryl is
secretary at a Settlement. Aren't there a lot of us? All girls too, and
not a single brother. I'm the baby of the family! I'd like to go to
Holloway, if I can get a scholarship, but that remains to be seen.
Meanwhile two years at the High's not so bad, is it? I expect I'm going
to enjoy it. Aren't you?"

"Yes--perhaps. If the rest of the form were nicer, I might."

"Oh, they'll come round! We can't expect them to take us to their bosoms
straigh