ife in a large school, among so many
companions of various dispositions, was a totally different affair from
what it had been in her quiet home at Kirkstone. Though Miss Lincoln did
her uttermost to uphold an extremely high standard of conduct among the
girls, Patty found there were many who were capable of little
meannesses, slight lapses from the strictly straight path, and acts
which were not at all in accordance with her ideals of honour. It
sometimes needed a good deal of moral courage to keep to what she knew
was right. It was not pleasant to be laughed at and called
"straitlaced", because she would not evade rules or join in certain
doubtful undertakings. No one liked fun more than Patty, when it was
open and above-board, but she could not bear to be mixed up in anything
which seemed sly or underhand. In her bedroom particularly she found
cause of trouble. Her three companions, Ella Johnson, May Firth, and
Doris Kennedy would get up after Miss Rowe had made her evening rounds,
relight the gas, and read storybooks in bed, a proceeding which was, of
course, absolutely forbidden. They were quite angry with Patty when she
ventured to remonstrate.

"We're not going to have you interfering with us, Patty Hirst. If we
like to light the gas again we shall do so," said May.

"But if Miss Rowe catches you, you'll get into the most terrible
scrape," said Patty.

"She won't catch us; we're too careful. I can put the gas out in a
second if anyone's coming."

"You might find you had put it out a second too late, and what would you
do then?"

"It will be quite time enough to decide when it happens," said Doris.
"Don't bother! You can go to sleep yourself, if you want to, but we
three mean to enjoy ourselves."

Patty, however, found it impossible to go to sleep. She lay awake,
listening anxiously, afraid of hearing Miss Rowe's step in the passage,
and wondering what the consequences would be if it were discovered that
the occupants of No. 7 were astir after 9.30 p.m.

"Somebody might be walking through the garden and see a light in the
window," she suggested to the others. "Suppose it were Miss Lincoln
herself! How dreadfully angry she'd be!"

"Miss Lincoln's always safely in her study at this time," said May. "No
one's in the least likely to interrupt us, or to know anything about it,
unless you're mean enough to tell."

"You know quite well I'm no tell-tale," said Patty, indignantly. "You've
nothing to fear from me