ly pretty, was piquant and interesting, her
light-brown hair curled at the tips. It was, of course, an unheard-of
liberty for a new girl, and an intermediate to boot, thus to address a
senior, but the greeting was spontaneous and decidedly flattering. The
grey eyes, in fact, expressed open admiration. On the whole, Loveday
decided to waive ceremony and tradition for the nonce.

"We've been put together for the term, so we must make the best of each
other," she conceded, more graciously than she had intended to address
the interloper. "I'm glad to see you've kept to your own side of the
room, and haven't overflowed into mine."

"No fear!" chuckled Diana. "I've been at school before, and learnt not
to spread myself out. We're on rather a short allowance of space, aren't
we? Are these drawers all I've got? I shall have just to wedge my things
in. There's my cabin trunk to come yet."

"You may have three pegs in the landing cupboard, and a locker in the
cloak-room, but anything else will have to be stored in the box-room. I
should think you had enough clothes there to last you a year, instead of
wanting another trunk full."

Diana shook her head.

"They're all mixed up. We packed in half an hour. I just flung in the
first things that came to hand. Cousin Cora promised to send on the
rest of my luggage after me. If she doesn't, I'd best 'phone."

"You'd have a little difficulty to do that," said Loveday dryly.

"D'you mean to say there's no 'phone here, or"--looking round the
room--"no electric light either?"

"Certainly not. We go to bed with candles."

"Well! I wanted mediaeval ways, and it looks as if I was going to get
them. It'll be rather a stunt to go to bed by candle-light. Are there
any ghosts about this place? Or skeletons built into the wall? Or
dungeons with rusting chains? Or mysterious footsteps? Oh! I thought
there'd have been at least something spooky in a house that claims to be
six hundred years old."

Diana's cabin trunk arrived in the course of a few days. She sorted out
a selection of her numerous belongings, arranged them in her limited
number of drawers, and consigned the surplus back to her boxes to be
stored in the attic. This done, and a telegram received to announce the
safe arrival of her father and mother in Paris, she seemed prepared to
settle down. Her fellow intermediates, biased largely by her generosity
in the matter of chocolates, gave her, on the whole, a favourable
reception.