she carried an unhealed sore at her heart.

This was the state of things when the three girls arrived at the
Merrimans'. The house had truly been swept and garnished. The room where
Jane had been ill was re-papered and painted, the place looked
spick-and-span and beautiful, and Mrs. Merriman came out with a smiling
face to welcome the arrival of the party from The Follies.

"Welcome back, my dear!" she said to Rosamund, kissing her
affectionately, and just as though there had never been any ill-feeling
between them. "How are you, you dear little thing?" she said, addressing
Agnes in that petting tone which almost all women assumed toward her.
"How do you do?" she said more stiffly to Miss Frost.

Then she turned and addressed Miss Archer, who happened to be not far
away.

"Miss Archer," she said, "this is our new teacher, who will assist you
in every possible way. Will you take her to her room now? And Rosamund,
you know where to find yours. Irene and Agnes are to sleep in the same
room, and it is next to yours. You can go upstairs, therefore, all of
you, and get tidy for supper--at which you will meet the rest of your
school-fellows, Rosamund."

Rosamund smiled; she had come back from her holidays in Switzerland
feeling very brave and determined to do what was right. She felt that
she was a sort of person who had begun a crusade. Her crusade was
against the crudities, the cruelties, and naughty conduct of one little
girl of the name of Irene Ashleigh; but she had little idea how complex
was the task set her, and how difficult it would be even now to perform
it. Nevertheless, she was feeling courageous and happy for the time
being; and if Lucy Merriman had not belonged to the school so
effectually and so thoroughly as to make it impossible to have any
school at all without her, Rosamund might have been perfectly happy at
Sunnyside. As it was, she knew she would have a hard fight with herself
in the midst of her present surroundings.

Irene took her hand affectionately, guessing little of her thoughts.

"Do come and show us round, Rosamund," she said. "I know Aggie is tired.
Aren't you, darling?"

"Oh, no," said Agnes. "I'd like to go out presently and have a walk all
alone with you, Irene."

"Then of course you shall, dear."

"But there's no time to-night," said Rosamund. "We have barely time to
get our things unpacked and get ready for supper. You know this is
school, and I told you what school meant."

"