an looked upon her as an enemy.

'Go and ask one of the seniors,' retorted Jean, shaking her off. 'You're
much too high and mighty to have anything to do with us.'

'What is she talking about?' asked the amazed Barbara, looking after her.

'Well, it isn't likely she can forget all at once that you got her a
scolding from Margaret Hulme,' explained Angela, who was hurrying as
usual after her friend, like a shadow.

'_I_ got her a scolding? What do you mean?' cried Babs.

'Oh, it's all very well to be so innocent,' snorted Angela; and she
disappeared too.

Barbara sighed and remained where she was, till she was moved on again.

'Do get out of the way,' complained some one else; 'you're right in front
of my bookshelf.'

Barbara sprang aside hastily, and caught her foot in the leg of a desk
and fell down.

'I don't mind moving,' she said, getting up again and rubbing her elbow,
'but I do wish I knew where to move to.'

'Can't you find out?' asked the owner of the bookshelf inconsistently, as
she rushed off with her arms full of books.

Barbara sighed again. Try as she might to make the best of things, it was
a little tiring to be such a universal object of complaint.

'Hullo, Babe! You ought not to be here,' said a cheery voice from the
seniors' room, and Ruth Oliver put her head round the red curtain.
'This is only the playroom, you know, and, except for preparation or for
fetching your books between the classes, you are never supposed to use
it in lesson-time. The classrooms are upstairs.'

'I know I oughtn't to be here,' answered Babs, ruefully. 'I never am where
I ought to be.'

'But Finny sent for you, ages ago,' said Ruth, looking astonished. 'Didn't
Jean tell you? She's a young horror, that Jean. Never mind, come along
with me, and I'll show you the way.'

She hurried the child through the baize door into the front hall, and
pointed out a room that was close to the foot of the stairs. 'That's
Finny's study,' she said hastily. 'You'd better look sharp. Good luck
to you!' She gave her an unexpected kiss that promptly secured her the
child's allegiance from henceforth, and ran off with her books under her
arm.

Barbara entered the room, and looked round for Miss Finlayson. Only the
head girl was there, however, sitting at the table with a frown upon her
face.

'You ought to have been here before this,' she began reprovingly. 'Miss
Finlayson couldn't wait any longer, so I've got to miss the history