t. To Gwen, who had so long been
left out in the cold, it was a most welcome change; she had never
expected popularity, but she had always hoped that in time she might
be able to conquer the prejudice that existed against her. It was a
new thing to be asked to lend her dictionary to Hilda Browne, to
compare chemistry papers with Iris Watson, or to play a game of tennis
with Elspeth Frazer, Edith Arnold, and Charlotte Perry. The ban which
had hitherto excluded her from the better set in the Form seemed to
have been suddenly removed, the girls were looking at her from a new
standpoint, and were ready to allow that after all she was different
from what they had previously supposed.

Naturally Miss Roberts's accident and consequent absence from her
post made a great upset in the school: classes had to be rearranged,
and lessons delegated to other teachers. It was particularly awkward,
because the Fifth Form was working for the Senior Oxford, and though
only a few girls were actually to take the examination, the
preparation was the same for everybody.

"I call it too bad," said Betty Brierley, an acknowledged slacker, "to
make the whole Form grind--grind--grind--like this, all on behalf of
about four candidates. They ought to have a special class to
themselves."

"There's method in the madness, though," said Joan Masters. "Miss
Roscoe isn't going to tell till the very last who's to go in for it,
so nobody knows if she mayn't be destined as a victim for the
sacrifice, and her name already entered."

"Oh! Not me!"

"Don't alarm yourself. But there are one or two others who, I expect,
are on the secret list. It depends entirely on our weekly reports."

"Then I'm safe, for mine are always bad. I wouldn't go in for a public
exam, for the whole world, the school ones are quite enough for me,
and too much, as a rule. Who's likely, do you think?"

"I'm not quite sure. Elspeth Frazer, for one, and--yes, I shouldn't be
so very much astonished if Miss Roscoe's chosen Gwen Gascoyne."

"Gwen--yes. She's been bucking up no end lately in maths."

"And in Latin too. However, it's not our business. But I think
there'll be some surprises."

Gwen, whether or not with the idea of the Senior Oxford in her head,
had certainly been working hard. She had not only caught up, but even
overstepped most of the Form, and her reports kept a steady average of
improvement. Miss Roscoe, who was generally scanty in the matter of
praise, said lit