oon. Patty wondered how anybody could be
in danger of forgetting such an important date, and from counting the
days had come to counting the hours and even the minutes up to that
particular moment when she must set out on her travels. To her great
delight, her father and mother had decided to take a little holiday and
escort her safely to school. They were anxious to see The Priory for
themselves, and to make the acquaintance of Miss Lincoln, the
headmistress, with whom they had already held some correspondence; and
they both felt they would be much better satisfied if they could picture
Patty in her new surroundings, and leave her looking tolerably cheerful
and happy there. After a terrible parting from the children, Patty tore
herself away at last from their hugs and kisses, and sat blinking back
tears until the cab reached the station, in spite of Dr. Hirst's efforts
to distract her attention. She brightened up, however, in the train. It
seemed so important to be sitting there with a new brown leather bag in
the rack over her head, and a new box in the luggage van, both marked
with her own initials, and to feel she was bound for such a particularly
interesting destination. It was a rather tedious cross-country journey.
After they had changed twice, and found themselves on the main line at a
busy junction, the long corridor carriage was suddenly filled up with so
many girls of various ages, that Patty began to think she must be face
to face with some of her school-fellows, who no doubt were arriving by
the same train as herself. Two mistresses, who were waiting on the
platform, marshalled the excited, chattering young people to their
places, and saw to the safe bestowal of their luggage--evidently no
light task, for there were many outcries after bags and parcels of wraps
and umbrellas, forgotten in the bustle of changing, and porters were
sent hurrying hither and thither to recover the lost property. Everybody
was at length on board the train, including three girls who made a great
sensation at the last moment by racing down the platform to get
chocolates from the automatic machine, and were nearly left behind, to
the equal indignation of the guard and the two teachers. The Hirsts'
compartment was crammed as tightly as it could be: five girls managed to
screw themselves into the space of four, and one, who could find no seat
at all, sat in turns on the others' knees. Two amongst them at once
attracted Patty's notice. O