so hardly with me, somehow, Dad! I don't know how it
is. I generally seem unlucky, both at school and at home. I suppose
it's partly me, but if things were easier, I'd be better. I should,
really."

[Illustration: "THINGS GO SO HARDLY WITH ME SOMEHOW, DAD."]

Father did not reply: he was busy addressing the motto-cards that he
was sending to his parishioners for the New Year. He handed one to her
silently.

And Gwen read:

"O do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do
not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers
equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no
miracle. But you shall be a miracle. Every day you shall
wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come
to you by the Grace of God."

--_Phillips Brooks._

Gwen sat staring hard into the fire.

"I'll hang this up in my bedroom, Dad," she said presently.

"Do; you'll find it worth thinking about," replied Father, as he
blotted the thirty-fourth envelope.

CHAPTER XI

A Prize Essay

Gwen went back to school feeling rather tamed and sober. The bad cold
and face-ache, subsequent on her adventure in the snow, had seriously
interfered with her plans for the holidays, and she had not
accomplished half she intended to do in the time. Dick Chambers had
been laid up in bed with an attack of rheumatism, so she had scarcely
seen anything of him, and altogether the much-longed-for month had
held its disappointments. She returned to her desk in the Fifth almost
glad to begin a fresh term, though she knew many difficulties awaited
her. First and foremost was the horrible fact that she owed a whole
sovereign to Netta Goodwin, and had absolutely no prospect of paying
it. She tried to avoid any private conversation with her chum, but the
ruse was not successful for long. Netta was a girl who was accustomed
to get her own way, and she followed Gwen round the school until she
caught her alone.

"I say, you old slacker, what about that sov.?" she began. "I suppose
you got your Christmas presents all right?"

"Oh, yes, I got my presents!" said Gwen, trying to pass things off
airily. "Not quite what I expected, though."

"But you can pay me back?"

"I'm afraid I can't just yet."

Netta's rather pretty face changed its expression considerably.

"When can you, then?" she asked sharply. "I want to know."

"Could you wait a fortnight?"

"It's inconvenient, but I might."

Netta