hoed Phillis Marsh in open-mouthed
amazement.

"How far do you want it to go?" retorted Lesbia Ferrars, metaphorically
picking up the glove and accepting combat. "It's as decent as any other
school and nicer than most. Some people never know when they're well
off! If you went to the King's College now you'd have twice the home
work. Perhaps that's what you're hankering after? They're go-ahead in
the matter of work, if you like, at King's!"

"No more home work for me thanks," put in Etta Pearson hurriedly.
"Kathleen may take my share of it and welcome if her tastes run that
way."

Kathleen leisurely put down two elegant feet from the locker, reviewed
them with a glance of conscious satisfaction, then, grasping mental
sword and buckler, condescended to explain herself.

"What a set of lunatics you are!" she said compassionately. "You're not
bright, any of you, or you'd have twigged my meaning at once. Of course
I don't want any more home work piled on our shoulders. I--of all
people--to suggest that! Great Scott! What I _do_ mean is that it's just
lessons, lessons, lessons, eternally lessons, and not enough outside
things. Some schools have all sorts of jolly clubs, and we've hardly a
single decent society except the G. G. I. S. And what's that good for?"

"Good for nothing!" snorted Calla Wilkins scornfully.

"Well, it's all there is anyhow, and though some people may like to sit
doing crochet while a teacher drones away reading an improving book,
it's not in my line. I call it dull."

"Dull as ditch-water!" agreed Etta Pearson, with unction.

"We got through a whole heap of bazaar work at the G. G. I. S. though,"
objected Lesbia, who, though half sympathizing, felt bound to stick to
her guns in the argument.

"I daresay we did! But even _you_ can't pretend you enjoyed that
rubbishy book Miss Yates used nearly to go to sleep over. I call it an
insult to our intellects to read us such absolute 'bread and milk'
twaddle!"

"I told Miss Yates we didn't like the book," admitted Lesbia.

"Yes, and she nearly snapped your head off and said you were always
grumbling," added Calla. "I remember how she jumped on you."

"Well, to go back to my point," continued Kathleen, "here we are on the
first day of a new school year. At any other school there'd have been
great times. The 'King's' girls meet in the big lecture hall and have
speeches and arrange all the clubs for the winter. That's what _I_ call
a 'coming back'. W