s, and other bits of school gossip. Then, however, it took a
personal turn, and Christopher's comments grew satirical.

'Has anybody asked after me?' inquired Barbara.

'What a question!' scoffed Christopher. 'A kid like you!'

'They have, though,' declared Jean, making a great effort to overcome her
shyness of Barbara Berkeley's clever brother. 'Everybody did, first thing.
You'd never think the Babe had only been there one term.'

'Oh, well, that's because she smashed herself up,' said Kit, cheerfully.
'Girls always fuss over you, if you kill yourself ever so little.'

'They _don't_, Kit,' objected Babs.

'Guess what Margaret Hulme said about you yesterday,' put in Angela,
eagerly. Angela was not nearly so shy as Jean, and, much to Barbara's
astonishment, Kit found her 'better fun' in consequence. It seemed a
little strange that the genius of the family should not be able to
appreciate the amazing qualities of Jean Murray.

'What did she say about me?' asked Barbara, only to be interrupted by
another jeer from Christopher.

'Never knew such cockiness as the Babe's,' he laughed, tilting his straw
hat a little more over his eyes.

'Babs always thinks that everybody's always talkin' about her,' added
Bobbin, in his shrillest voice.

Barbara stretched as far as she could, and managed with difficulty to
knock off Kit's hat with the end of a stick. Robin was out of reach, so
she contented herself with frowning at him severely, and then leaned
back again and began to fan herself with her handkerchief. Everything
made one feel hot this afternoon. 'What did Margaret say about me?' she
repeated curiously.

'It was when I was waiting to put away her books, just before dinner
yesterday,' Angela related with eagerness; 'or was it before tea? No!
I think it was before dinner, because----'

'Oh, get on, Angela, do!' interrupted Jean, impatiently. Even the presence
of Barbara Berkeley's clever brother, which was paralysing her, could
not keep the leader of the junior playroom from snubbing Angela.

'Well, she said Babs was the most popular girl in the school,' continued
Angela. 'She did, honour bright, and I'm _not_ exaggerating, Jean. She
said it to Ruth Oliver, and Ruth Oliver said: "Isn't it queer? Such a
little kid, too." And Margaret said: "That's just it, stupid!" Then she
saw me listening, and she told me not to listen but to make myself scarce;
and of course I wasn't listening at all, I was only----'

'There's