l be dreadfully priggish and
proper."

"Have you seen her?"

"Only for a moment. Ida Haslam pointed her out to me in the recreation
room. I thought she seemed rather prim. At any rate, she doesn't look
nearly as nice as Beatrice."

"She certainly couldn't be that."

"I wish she hadn't come, and I vote we don't make any fuss over her."

"I'm not going to, I assure you!"

"Well, I shan't either. She can take care of herself, and make friends
with anybody she likes. Only it's a horrible nuisance to be obliged to
have her in our room. Look here, Ella, suppose we----"

But here it suddenly dawned upon Patty that she was listening to what
was not intended for her ears, so she gave such a very wide-awake cough
that the speaker stopped, and after a suppressed giggle, apparently drew
aside the curtain of her cubicle, leaned out of bed, and continued her
remarks in a subdued whisper. It certainly was not particularly
encouraging for Patty to find she was so unwelcome in No. 7. It seemed
too bad that her room mates should be prejudiced against her before they
had really made her acquaintance. It was not her fault that she had been
put in the place of the companion they preferred, and it was unfair and
unkind to have a grudge against her on that account. She wondered if
Jean Bannerman would be accorded as cold a reception in No. 10. Jean, at
any rate, had seemed friendly, and their little walk round the
quadrangle had been so far the only bright spot since her arrival. She
had not much time, however, for further reflections; a loud bell in the
passage gave the signal for rising, and, afraid of being late, she got
up at once. Judging from the sounds in the other cubicles, Doris and
Ella appeared to have some difficulty in waking May, who was evidently a
heavy sleeper, and all three indulged in many yawns and groans before
they finally tore themselves out of bed, and hurried rapidly through
their toilets, chatting meanwhile about various affairs which were
quite unintelligible to anyone who had not yet learnt to take part in
the life at The Priory.

Patty was able to say good morning to Jean, and to sit next to her at
prayers, but they were obliged to separate in the refectory, and
breakfast was as silent a meal as supper of the night before. Lessons
began at nine o'clock, and Patty found herself escorted by Miss Rowe to
a small empty classroom, where she was to undergo an entrance
examination. All the other new girls, incl