back saying I should be put in the
Lower Fifth," replied Geraldine.

"The Lower Fifth? Oh, well, come along then, and I'll show you your
sitting-room," said Monica briskly. "You've got an awfully nice room.
The Lower Fifth is one of the biggest forms at Wakehurst, and in
consequence it's been given the biggest sitting-room. You'll find
plenty of people to be friends with you there. Dorothy Pemberton's in
it, and Phyllis Tressider--you know, the girl who has the cubicle next
to yours."

"Oh, _is_ she?" said Geraldine blankly, a feeling of dismay creeping
over her. Then a sudden impulse moved her to confide in Monica.

"I don't think I like either of them, much," she volunteered.
"Especially not Phyllis Tressider."

"Oh, nonsense!" said Monica, stopping before a door and pausing with
her hand on the knob to give some good advice to the new girl. "Look
here, now, don't you go imagining things! Phyllis and Dorothy are both
quite nice girls on the whole, and you'll get on all right with them,
if you don't take too much notice of what they say just at first.
They've always slept side by side in those two cubicles, ever since
they came to the school, so naturally they're feeling a bit upset at
being separated. Though, I must say, they've rather asked for it--the
pranks those two used to get up to in the dormitory last term! But, of
course, they know that it has nothing to do with you, really; and
they'll soon come round and be nice to you--so long as you're nice to
them. You'll find they'll make much better friends than they will
enemies--and, if you take my advice, you'll try your best to keep them
friends."

And with this, for Monica, unusually lengthy homily, the elder girl
opened the door of the Lower Fifth sitting-room, and pushed Geraldine
inside.

Judging from the number of people congregated in the sitting-room, the
Lower Fifth was certainly a very big form. Geraldine shrank back a
little as Monica ushered her in, bewildered and shy of the crowd of
girls confronting her. But Monica laid her hand on her shoulder and
led her across the room to a group of girls clustered round a vivacious
individual with a crop of short curly hair, who was perched up on the
edge of a table, swinging her legs to and fro and talking vigorously.

"Sorry to interrupt," began Monica, still with her hand on Geraldine's
shoulder. "But this is a new girl, who tells me that she is going to
be in your form. Her name's Geraldi