from your desk? What nonsense! Things don't lose
themselves. If you were tidy, you'd be able to find your books. No, I'm
not going to accept any excuses. You all know what you want for the
lesson, and it's your own fault if you come without it. Lose two order
marks for leaving your atlas behind, and a third for arguing! Will you
never learn that the monitresses have some authority here?"

Very much snubbed, poor Gipsy went into the lecture hall, to be further
rebuked by Miss Poppleton later on for the lack of her atlas. It was
only after a long hunt that she discovered her missing book in the
lost-property cupboard.

"I've a very shrewd guess who put it there, too!" she remarked to Hetty
Hancock. "Maude and Gladys were giggling something to Alice O'Connor,
and they all looked at me and simply screamed."

"You don't mean to say they've played a low, stingy trick like that upon
you?"

"I'm almost sure."

"Then they're mean sneaks! If ever I catch them at such a thing again,
I'll spiflicate them!"

CHAPTER X

The Millionairess

"HEARD the news?" enquired Barbara Kendrick one afternoon towards the
end of February, lounging into the Juniors' recreation room with a
would-be casual air, and whistling a jaunty tune which she fondly hoped
was expressive of superior indifference to news of any kind. Two girls
sitting reading by the fire closed their books, and three at the table,
who were in the agonies of three separate games of patience, temporarily
laid aside their cards.

"No; what's up? Anything decent?" asked Norah Bell.

Barbara strolled leisurely to the fireplace, and spread her hands to the
blaze. Being a member of the Third, and having a most interesting piece
of information to communicate, she did not intend to make it too cheap,
and wished to excite the curiosity of the Fourth Form girls before she
vouchsafed to enlighten them.

"Oh! something I heard just now downstairs. I was passing the Seniors'
door, and Allie Spencer came out and told me."

"Well?"

"She said it concerned your Form."

"Why us particularly?"

"What's going to happen?"

"Is it anything worth knowing, or not?"

"Really, that depends how you take it," said Barbara, enjoying herself.

"Look here, kiddie, you get on and tell us!"

"Gee up, stupid!"

Barbara paused, prolonging for one more blissful moment the joy of
tantalizing her audience; but in that moment her chance was lost, for
the door opened suddenly, and in