to your own quarters, and don't intrude
yourselves where you've no business," commanded Doreen Tristram angrily.
"Do you intend to take yourselves off peaceably, or must we eject you?"

"Thank you, we'll go now. We've found out all we want to know, and it
hardly reflects to your credit."

So saying, Gipsy and her confederates stalked away with what dignity
they could muster.

Once outside the door they tore along the passage and downstairs to the
Junior dressing-room, where, collecting all available members of the
Lower School, they promptly held an informal indignation meeting.

"Only what everyone expected!" said Dilys Fenton.

"Trust the Sixth not to give in a single inch!"

"They've been asked heaps of times before."

"Then it adds another nail to their coffin," declared Gipsy. "We've
tried them fairly, and they've refused to act fairly. We'll give them
one more chance at the meeting to-morrow, and if they won't accept our
terms--then we'll break loose and be off on our own. Are you all agreed
to that?"

"Rather! We'll stand no nonsense this time."

"Kids, indeed! We'll show them what kids can do."

"They'll get on pretty badly without the kids."

"We'll soon let them find that out!"

If the Seniors had received any warning of what was in the wind, they
did not take the matter seriously. From time immemorial the Juniors had
always complained, and no notice had ever been taken of their
complaints. As Juniors themselves the Sixth had grumbled at former head
girls and monitresses, but now that they had reached the elect position
of the top Form, they had reversed their old opinions. It had always
been the tradition of Briarcroft that all authority should be vested in
the Seniors, and they saw no reason why it should be changed. A mere
outburst of temper on the part of a few Juniors was nothing: it had
happened before, and would no doubt happen again; it was as much the
province of Juniors to grumble as of Seniors to rule. But they
reckoned without Gipsy. That any girl of her age should be capable of
welding the shifting dissatisfaction of the Lower School into one solid
mass of opposition had never occurred to them. So far no Junior had
exercised any particular influence over her fellows; it had been each
for herself, even in clamouring appeals for privileges, and the upper
girls looked down on the "kids" as a noisy, selfish, troublesome crew,
to be kept well under, and not worthy of very much considerati