-and-ink drawing of the house.

"She's not so bad on the whole, though she isn't liberal in the way of
sweets," remarked Daisy Scatcherd.

"You greedy pig!" said Dilys. "We don't want her to keep us provided
with chocolates. As long as she's fair, that's all I care about. I think
it's sickening to try and truckle to her because she's so rich. If you
wanted to get anything out of her, I'm glad you were disappointed. 'Give
and take' and 'Share and share alike' are the best mottoes for school."

"Thanks for the sermon!" said Daisy sarcastically.

"I don't care if you do call it preaching!" retorted Dilys. "When first
Leonora came, some of you made such a ridiculous fuss over her, I was
quite disgusted. A girl ought to be judged on her own merits, not by
what her father's got. If she shows herself ready to take a fair part in
everything, and be of some service to the school, then I'll approve of
her, and not till then."

"Hear, hear!" cried Hetty Hancock.

CHAPTER XI

Gipsy turns Champion

EACH Form at Briarcroft had its own teacher, but in addition there were
a certain number of visiting masters and mistresses who came out from
Greyfield to give lessons at the school. A few were popular, some were
tolerated, and one or two were cordially disliked. Among those who had
the ill fortune to encounter strong opposition was Fraeulein Hochmeyer,
the singing mistress. She was a most conscientious teacher and a clever
musician, but so intensely German in both accent and methods that she
offended the British susceptibilities of her pupils, and inspired more
ridicule than respect. Poor Fraeulein meant so well, it was really very
hard that her efforts did not meet with better results. She treated her
classes exactly as she would have dealt with similar ones in Germany;
but what might have pleased apple-cheeked, pig-tailed Gretchens did not
at all suit the taste of the Briarcroft-ites, particularly the members
of the Lower School. They refused even to smile at her heavy Teutonic
jokes, mocked her accent, rebelled at the numerous German songs they
were expected to learn, whispered, giggled, and talked during the
lesson, and generally made it extremely difficult for her to keep
order. In vain she alternately pleaded, conciliated, flustered, fumed,
and even threatened. The girls would not behave seriously, and though
they did not deign to laugh at her attempts at humour, they treated her
as a joke. As she was decidedly sto