bear upon her particular friends,
and began carefully to reckon up how many votes she could reasonably
count upon. The result was not altogether reassuring. Both Hilda
Browne and Gwen seemed powerful rivals to her pretensions, and the
chances were that the election would return Hilda for first champion,
and either Gwen or Charlotte Perry for second. The prospect of being
beaten in an affair upon which she had set her heart filled Netta with
dismay.

The voting was by ballot, and took place in the classroom immediately
after morning school. When the bell rang the girls did not immediately
leave their desks as usual, but sat still while Miss Douglas
distributed to each a half sheet of notepaper and an envelope. All
that was required was to write down the names of two champions, fold
the paper and put it in the envelope. No signatures were allowed, so
that even Miss Roscoe should not know who had voted for which
candidate. The whole affair did not take more than a few minutes. The
girls hastily scribbled the names of their favourites, many of them in
feigned handwritings, fastened their envelopes, and then returning
them to Miss Douglas, left the classroom.

"I wonder how soon we shall know the result!" said Netta, as the Form
trooped downstairs.

"It depends upon how soon Miss Roscoe has time to count them," replied
Iris Watson. "She may be in her study now, or she may be too busy to
look at them until four o'clock."

"Too bad to leave us in suspense."

"I'm not going to think about it," said Charlotte Perry. "It will be
time enough to rejoice or moan when one knows."

"Oh, bother the election!" said Betty Brierley. "Come and see if we
can get a court and have a set before dinner."

Netta did not follow the others to the tennis grounds. She was much
more anxious about the result of the ballot than they, and had no
heart at present for playing. Instead, she walked into school again,
and finding the door of Miss Roscoe's study open, she peeped in. The
room was empty, and on the desk lay the nineteen envelopes, each
marked solely with a large V, that represented the voting of the Fifth
Form. Netta looked at them wistfully. How she longed to open them and
learn their contents! Such a proceeding was, of course, impossible,
and she turned away with a sigh. As her glance wandered round the
room, she noticed a large parcel of stationery which had just been
unpacked, and lay spread upon a side table. Miss Roscoe had evide