"My advice is to keep the
kids in their places, and there'll be no more bother with them. It's
that sloppy sentimental truckling to them that's at the bottom of all
the trouble. I've got to go home now. You may make any rules you like,
but I shan't promise to keep them."

Vivien scraped back her chair and clumped noisily from the room, leaving
the majority of the committee indignant. They consulted together, and by
general consent drew up a short code for the use of monitresses. They
handed a copy of it to Vivien next morning. She glanced at it casually,
and flung it into the waste-paper basket.

"I'm a monitress as much as the rest of you," she remarked, "and I have
my authority from Miss Kingsley. I can't see that I'm answerable to
anyone else."

Among the juniors, Vivien's reputation was not pleasant. Naturally, they
talked over the monitresses among themselves. Juniors are sharp-eyed
little mortals, and they had a very good idea of how matters stood.

"Vivien loves to boss," said Nan Carson. "She's wild because she's not
head, and she takes it out of us in exchange."

"I don't see why she should order us about so."

"She's not a mistress!"

"No, only a monitress."

"It's not fair."

"I shall tell her so, some day."

"She's a mean old thing!"

"Why should we obey her?"

So matters jogged along till one day they reached a crisis. Vivien
happened to be passing the door of Form II at about ten minutes to nine.
It was, of course, before the official school hour, and Miss Poole had
not yet entered to take the call-over. Some of the children were getting
out books, some were making a last effort to learn lessons, and a few
were talking, laughing, and throwing paper pellets at one another. They
were not making very much noise, and most monitresses would have just
walked past the door and taken no notice. Not so Vivien. She bustled in,
and commanded order.

"Marjorie, sit down! Connie, shut your desk! Doris, stop talking! Effie,
pick up those pieces of paper at once! You ought all to be quietly in
your places."

"It's only ten minutes to nine," grumbled the girls.

"I don't care what time it is. If you're here at half-past eight you'll
have to behave yourselves. I shall come in again in a few minutes, and
if any girl is talking I shall put her name down."

Vivien stalked away, leaving mutiny behind her.

"No one's ever told us before that we weren't to talk before Miss Poole
came into the room."

"I