red, blue-eyed rascal, who attached herself promptly to
Sylvia like a limpet, sitting on her knee, clinging round her neck
with kittenish fondness, and making herself very charming with her
coaxing manner.

"It's only because you're somebody fresh," said Marian Woodhouse. "She
does this to every new girl. You should have seen the fuss she made of
me when first I came. She'll have quite got over it in a fortnight,
and will hardly look at you."

"You won't; will you, darling?" said Sylvia indignantly, hugging the
child closer, for she was much flattered at being the object of so
much adoration.

"No, I'll love you always. Better than any of these horrid girls. Tell
them to go away! I don't want anybody but you." And she clasped her
arms round Sylvia's neck, and kissed her again and again.

"I know you will," declared Sylvia. "So we'll just take no notice of
them. You're my special baby, and I mean to keep you."

"All right, you'll soon find out, and then don't say I didn't warn
you!" returned Marian, laughing.

In spite of both Sylvia's and Greta's protestations to the contrary,
Marian's words proved to be exactly true. For almost a week the little
girl's affection kept at red heat; on the seventh day it began to show
signs of flagging. It was in vain that Sylvia tempted her with
stories, cajoled her with sweets, or even presented her with one of
her lovely new paintbrushes; Greta was tired of her fancy, and though
she accepted anything that was offered her, she only gave a
half-hearted peck of a kiss in return, and ran back promptly to play
with Nessie Hirst. Poor Sylvia was terribly distressed. She had been
fascinated with Greta's pretty pink-and-white face, and big blue eyes;
she liked to curl the long, golden ringlets round her fingers, to
fasten the clean pinafores, or do any other small services for her,
and especially to feel that the child clung to her in preference to
anybody else. To be thus suddenly deserted was a blow, and it was
particularly galling to have Marian Woodhouse say "I told you so." All
her efforts at winning back her fickle admirer were absolutely
useless. Greta refused to be coaxed, and at the end of a fortnight
fulfilled Marian's prophecy by pushing away her former friend and even
smacking her, which brought matters to such a crisis that Sylvia,
after a storm of tears in private, gave up the attempt and resigned
herself to the inevitable.

Luckily there were plenty of fresh interests t