't mix in this
Form, if you please!"

"Do you mean to tell me the whole thing is in the hands of Iris and a
few others?"

"With your usual astuteness you've hit the nail on the head."

"But that's monstrously unfair!" exclaimed Gwen indignantly. "A
Dramatic Club ought to be for the whole Form. Everybody ought to have
an innings, in the name of common justice."

Netta shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't want to act with Iris and Edith and Louise, thank you! A
pleasant performance it would be! They may keep their precious piece
to themselves, so far as I'm concerned."

"But that's not the point," persisted Gwen. "It's the fairness of the
thing I'm talking about. One set has no right to monopolize
everything."

"It is sickening, certainly."

"It's worse than sickening, it's intolerable, and I'm going to make a
stand against it."

"You can try if you like, but you needn't expect success."

When Gwen had a cause to champion, she was ready for a fight, even on
the losing side. One of her characteristics was a strong sense of
justice, and here, she considered, was a distinct case of oppression.
She thought over her plan of campaign, and decided that she would ask
to be admitted to the Dramatic Club. Next morning, accordingly, she
approached the five or six girls who constituted that society.

"Want to join our Dramatic Club!" exclaimed Louise Mawson almost
incredulously. "I dare say you do!"

"But you won't!" said Hilda Browne quickly.

"Cheek!" ejaculated Rachel Hunter.

"Why shouldn't I join?"

"On the other hand, why should you?"

"Because a society ought to be open to the whole Form, and not just
kept amongst a few. We didn't manage things like that in the Upper
Fourth."

"How very kind of you, fresh from the Juniors, to come and give us
Seniors a lesson in managing our affairs! Perhaps you'd like to be
President? Would that content you?" enquired Hilda Browne
sarcastically.

"I don't want to be President, but I claim the right to have some say
in the matter. The thing ought to be properly constituted, and every
girl in the Form ought to vote for officers."

"Well, of all cool proposals!"

"Look here, Gwen Gascoyne, you need suppressing!"

"She's not worth noticing!"

It was only what Gwen had expected, but she felt she had at any rate
opened fire. She did not mean to retire vanquished after a first
attempt. She now directed her energies to another quarter. She
canvassed the entire Form, askin