-world garden, with its yew-trees cut in quaint shapes, and its high
walls, and its flowers, which seemed, every one of them, to belong to
the past.

At last the Major and Florence reached the postern-gate which opened
into the cherry orchard, and then Florence stood still and raised her
voice and called, "Kitty! Kitty Sharston!" and there came an answering
call, clear and high as a bird's, and the next instant Kitty, in her
white summer dress, was seen emerging from under the cherry-trees. She
saw her father, uttered a cry half of rapture, half of pain, and the
next instant was clasped in his arms. Florence saw the Major's arms
fold around Kitty, and a queer lump rose in her throat and she went
away all by herself. Somehow, at that moment she felt that she shared
Mrs. Clavering's wish that Kitty Sharston should get the prize.

"Although it means a great deal to me, a great deal more than anyone
can guess," thought Florry to herself, "for Aunt Susan is never very
kind to the dear little mother, and she makes such a compliment of
giving her that money term after term, and she insists on doing
everything in the very cheapest way. Why will she not," continued
Florence, looking down at her dress as she spoke, "why will she not
give me decent clothes like other girls! I never have anything pretty.
It is brown holland all during the summer, the coarsest brown holland,
and it is the coarsest blue serge during the winter; never, never
anything else--no style, no fashion, no pretty ribbons, not even a
cherry ribbon for my hair, and so little pocket-money, oh! so
little--only a penny a week. What can a girl do with a penny a week?
Of course, she does allow me a few stamps, just a very few, to send
Mummy letters, but she does keep me so terribly close. Sometimes I can
scarcely bear the life. Oh, what a difference the Scholarship would
make, and Sir John Wallis would think a great deal of me, and so would
Mrs. Clavering. Why, I should be the show girl of the school, the
Cherry Court Scholarship girl; it would be splendid, quite splendid!
But then Kitty, poor Kitty, and what a look the Major had on his face!
I wonder what can be wrong? Oh dear! oh, dear! my heart is torn in
two. Why do I long beyond all words to win the prize, and why, why do
I hate taking it from Kitty Sharston?"

CHAPTER VI.

KITTY AND HER FATHER.

Meanwhile the Major and Kitty went away by themselves. As soon as
Kitty had hugged her fathe