Y 243

Illustrations

Page

"SHE STARTED GUILTILY AT HER COUSIN'S ENTRANCE"
_Frontis._ 166

"EVERYBODY SEEMED TO BE FRIENDS AND TO BE OCCUPIED
WITH SOME GAME OR AMUSEMENT EXCEPT HERSELF" 56

"YOU'LL ALL THREE HAVE TO PROMISE NEVER TO LIGHT THE
GAS AGAIN AFTER MISS ROWE'S TURNED IT OUT" 122

"GIRLS," SHE CRIED, "SURELY YOU CAN'T SUSPECT ME OF
OWNING THAT WRETCHED 'CRIB'?" 173

"THEY WERE CUT OFF ON EVERY SIDE" 232

CHAPTER I

Packing

"Only one day more," cried Patty Hirst, surveying with deep interest the
large new box which stood by the side of the chest of drawers in her
bedroom; "just one day! How dreadfully quickly the time has come! I feel
quite queer when I think about it. I can scarcely believe that before
the end of the week both I and my luggage will be a whole hundred miles
away, and settled at Morton Priory. I do wonder how I shall like it?"

"Very much, I hope," replied her mother, pausing for a moment in her
task of packing the neat piles of linen and underclothing into as small
a compass as possible. "I'm sure it seems a delightful school, and you
are an extremely lucky girl to be going there."

"Yes," said Patty, with a rather doubtful tone in her voice, sitting
down on the edge of the bed, and beginning to turn over the pocket
handkerchiefs, the new blouses, the ties, hair ribbons, and other
articles which made up her schoolgirl outfit; "I suppose I am lucky.
Perhaps it may be nicer than I think. I wanted to go dreadfully when
Uncle Sidney first wrote about it, but somehow now that it's got almost
to starting off, do you know I feel as if I'd changed my mind, and I'm
not at all sure that I wouldn't rather stay at home. It seems too
horrible to have to go amongst so many new girls."

Mrs. Hirst laughed.

"Don't be a silly child," she said. "Of course you will feel strange
just at first, but you will soon get over your shyness. It will be quite
a fresh world for you, and a very interesting one. I expect to have the
most enthusiastic letters from you when you have been there for a few
weeks."

"It will be different from Miss Dawson's, at any rate," said Patty.

"I hope it will. Miss Dawson's is the best school we ha