meet you, I'm sure!"

Quite in a flutter, Vivien advanced, looked, gasped, and spluttered out:

"Gracie and Sybil; you wretches!"

The masculine figures, unmindful of manners, collapsed on to the nearest
seats, and sobbed with laughter.

"Took you in this time, old sport! Don't we make killing boys? I
believe you were just gone on us both! Oh, how it hurts to laugh! I feel
weak!"

"I think you're a pair of idiots!" retorted Vivien. "I don't see
anything funny in it."

"_We_ do, though!" cackled Patsie. "Oh, Vivien, you looked so interested
and excited! It gave me spasms! There, don't get ratty over it! Brace
up!"

"It was a jinky joke!" burbled Audrey. "I say, you two, you'd better
scoot quick and do some lightning changing! If Miss Janet comes in
there'll be squalls! She's not quite ready yet for co-education here.
Stick on your waterproofs again! There, bolt before you're caught!"

"A nice monitress _you_ are, Patsie Sullivan!" exploded the outraged
Vivien. "Where's our authority to go to, I should like to know, if you
and Audrey put Fifth Form girls up to such tricks? I wonder you
condescend to it! If _I_ were head girl, I can tell you I'd have
something to say to you! But with these new slack ways there'll be no
respect for us left. The school's going to the dogs, in my opinion!"

Patsie and Audrey beat a hurried retreat, for they knew that there was
a certain amount of justice in Vivien's remarks. Their escapade, a
report of which would, of course, be circulated through the school,
would in no way enhance the authority of the Sixth. They hoped Lorraine
would not hear about it, though it seemed inevitable that it must come
to her ears. As a matter of fact, Lorraine learnt the whole story before
she had taken off her boots. She made little comment, but went into
class with a cloud on her face.

The head girl was going through the difficult experience, shared by all
who are suddenly placed in authority, of trying to hold the reins so as
to satisfy everybody. To keep slackers up to the mark without gaining
for herself the unenviable reputation of "a Tartar", to be pleasant with
the juniors without loss of dignity, to preserve old standards while
adopting new ones, called for all the tact she possessed. She often felt
her cousin a great impediment. Vivien was one of those people who love
to give good advice, and to say what they would do in certain
circumstances, urging on others drastic measures which they