e shall all lose order marks."

CHAPTER V

The Arithmetic Examination

Patty's first letter home was, after all, a far more genuinely cheerful
one than she had expected. She thought it better not to say anything
about Muriel's behaviour, knowing it would greatly distress her father
and mother, so only mentioned that she had made friends with her
fellow-travellers in the train, and how much she liked them. To be
included in such a pleasant set certainly made all the difference
between happiness and unhappiness at The Priory. Enid seemed determined
to make up to Patty for the neglect she had experienced at first, and
took great pains not only to show her the ways of the school, but to see
that she took her due part in the tennis sets and other games. Miss
Lincoln had arranged the afternoon exercise as systematically as the
morning lessons, with the object of obtaining as much variety as
possible. Twice weekly the girls played hockey under the direction of
Miss Latimer, the gymnastic mistress; twice also they were taken for
walks in the neighbourhood; and on the remaining Wednesday and Saturday
afternoons, which were regarded as half-holidays, they were allowed to
amuse themselves as they liked, though they were required to be
out-of-doors if the weather permitted. The judicious combination of work
and play made the daily round both pleasant and healthy. The girls had
enough lessons to keep them occupied, yet their brains were not
over-taxed, and the hours spent in the open air ensured rosy cheeks and
good appetites. When once she had settled down in her fresh
surroundings, and the longing for home had become less keen, Patty found
life at The Priory very congenial--whether in class, where Miss Harper
made every subject so interesting; in the refectory, where she now sat
in great content between Enid and Avis; or in the playing fields, where
she was beginning to understand the mysteries of hockey, and to grow
quite clever at putting, which was a favourite substitute for golf. She
enjoyed the atmosphere of a large school, the little excitements, and
the hundred-and-one topics of conversation which seemed continually to
be discussed by those around her. After having been the eldest at home,
and the head pupil at Miss Dawson's, with so much to overlook and to
arrange for others, it was quite a relief to find herself among the
younger ones, and she would listen with enthusiasm to the speeches of
the prefects in the