ndy ways." She did not smile, however, when,
on coming suddenly in front of the mirror, she caught a full-length
reflection of herself, for her brother's presence had unconsciously
altered her point of view, so that she saw herself no longer from the
standpoint of Hurst Manor, but that of Erley Chase. Yes, Harold was
right! It was not only the pigtail; there was an indefinable difference
in her whole appearance. The clothes were the same, the girl was the
same, but there was no longer the immaculate neatness, the dainty care,
the well-groomed look which had once characterised her. In her usual
impetuous fashion, she had rushed from one extreme to the other; in
discarding vanity, had run perilously near neglect.

"I look a nasty, horrid, hidjus fright!" she cried aloud, staring in
disgust at the unwelcome vision. "I couldn't have believed it--really I
couldn't! It's the fault of those horrid little cubicles with the glass
stuck in the darkest corner. Harold was right. Mother would have been
shocked."

She slipped off coat and hat, and with the aid of the well-stocked
dressing-bag went through such a process of dusting, brushing, and
combing-out as she had not known for weeks past. Finally the old Rhoda
seemed to smile upon her in response, in her own eyes at least, but when
Erley Chase was reached some hours later Mrs Chester was far from
satisfied with her darling's appearance. Her anxious eyes took in at a
glance every change in the beloved features, and nothing could shake her
conviction that the child had been starved and overworked. An elaborate
system of coddling was inaugurated, to which Rhoda submitted with
wonderful meekness.

Oh, the delight at being home again, of being loved and fussed over, and
indulged in one's pet little weaknesses! How beautiful everything
looked; the richly-furnished rooms, the hall with its Turkey carpet and
pictured walls; the dinner table with its glittering glass and silver!
How luxurious to awake in her own pretty room, to hear the fire
crackling in the grate, and to sit up in bed to drink the early cup of
tea!

"I never realised before how nice home was!" sighed Rhoda to herself,
and for four whole days she succeeded in forgetting all about school,
and in abandoning herself to the enjoyment of the festivities of the
season.

Christmas Day once over, however, recollections came back with a pang,
and she was all eagerness to begin the proposed lessons with the Vica