The Luckiest Girl in the School

rns a

sh Fate had wafted their fortunes to Seaton. They had left Miss Harmon's little school, and next term were expecting, with some apprehension, a governess whom Aunt Harriet had recommended. Winona, who after thirteen weeks at Abbey Close found the home arrangements rather chaotic, could not help privately endorsing Miss Beach's wisdom in instituting such a change. Poor Mrs. Woodward had been greatly out of health for the las

lls you, when she comes!" protested Win

nd in the meantime I'm not going to knuckle under to you, so don't think it! You needn't come back

herself baffled, for their mother was ill, and must not be disturbed, and P

I'll sweep up the fragments that remain of you afterwards. No,

hatic opinions upon the war, and aired them daily to his family over the morning paper. According to his accounts, matters seemed likely to make little progress until he and his contemporaries a

ust hear what Johnstone Major has to say. Some of those generals at the Front are old women! They ought to send them home, and set them

here was a chance for precept to be put into practice, and already, in imagination, saw his brother in the uniform of a Field Marshal. Winona smiled tolerantly. She took Percy's opinions for what they were worth. If his

ugh a large proportion of the money which had come to him at his majority, though fortunately he could not touch the bulk of his property till he should be twenty-five. At present he was waiting for a commission, and amusing himself as best he could in the village until the welcome missive should arrive. For lack o

and playing billiards with Jack!" she remonstrated. "

ve a bit on the score, of course, but he says that can wait a wh

ouldn't bet again, after w

you go ja

ay something! I

ad! I'm seventeen now. Look here, W

ell your secrets? Think wha

change

reathed a wor

ut I'm always terrified

all her estate would go to her next-of-kin, and that's Uncle Herbert Beach out in China. The mater wouldn't have a look-in, beca

tell, then?" f

You've plenty of opportunities, as you're living there. Bring the

I cou

o lose everything as it is. It would probably make Aunt Harriet

suspe

t? The servants might have been rummaging. I certai

ible to tell her outright, this would certainly be a means of putting her on the track. Winona's whole soul revolted from the notion of speculating upon possible advantages to be gained from a relative's death. She would rather let Uncle Herbert inherit everything than interfere for herself. But for her mother it was a different

ion. Now she would be able to join the Photographic Club at school, to go out on some of the Saturday afternoon expeditions, and to have a few of her prints in the Exhibition. She could take snap-shots of the girls and the classroom, and make them into picture postca

fair warning! Oh, yes, Dorrie! I dare say you'd just like to press the button! I'd guarantee your fairy finger

round again. She turned a large cupboard in the attic into her dark-room, and spent many hours dabbling among chemicals. She had urgent offers of help, but rejected them steadfastly, greatly to the disappointment of her would-be assistants. Her sanctum became a veritable Bluebeard's chamber, for to prevent possible accidents she locked the door, and kept the key perpetually in her pocket during the day time, sleeping with it under her pillow at nigh

ghborhood. They had fought in the Crusades, had taken their part in the wars of the Barons, had declared for the White Rose in the struggle with the House of Lancaster, and cast in their lot for the King against Oliver Cromwell. The family was extinct now, and their lands had passed to others, but a few tattered banners and an old helmet still hung on the wall of the side chapel, above the tom

the church door closely followed by Letty, Mamie, Godfrey, Ernie and Dorrie. She hesitated for a moment whether to send them straight home or not, but the ch

to behave themselves decently

mbition some day to climb, and wave her arms about in imitation of the Vicar, but she valiantly restrained her longings, and kept from the neighborhood of the chancel. Letty took a surreptitious peep at th

alone, and tell Dorrie she's not to touch the font, or I'll stick her inside and po

an to be left out of the proceedings altogether. In the circumstances they knew Winona had the whip-hand, and tha

inder, and she wanted to be quite sure that when the head of Sir Guy was safely in the right-hand corner,

clared, "and yet I mustn't leave out the old helmet on any account. I shall take it down, and

erson of Dame Margaret de Claremont, and managed to take the helmet from the wooden peg on

if I give it five minutes' exposure, that ought to do the deed.

he had a plan in her crafty young mind. She wanted to examine the helmet, and she knew Winona would be sure to say "Paws off!" or something equally offensive and objectionable. She waited till her sister was safely out of the way, then she stole from her cover, grabbed the helmet, and returned to the shelter of the pew. It made quite an interesting and fascinating plaything i

n, in case she should be forced to get up in a hurry and flee for her life. On this particular Saturday afternoon Mrs. Fisher, as was her wont, washed the pavement of the nave, and then took her broom and her duster into the side chapel. Nobody sat there as a rule, so she did not give it very much attention. She flicked the duster over the monument, hastily swept the floor in front, and was just about to turn away, having done her dut

the shop informed her customers, "and Wilson'

rode past our house on a bicycle the other d

u are with strangers in

er had seen it when she did, and they were gla

owing Sunday morning, however, they were considerably perplexed. The familiar "ding-dong, ding-dong" which ought

something must have happened! I hope Mr. James isn't ill.

y a couple of cottages near it. The Woodwards took a short cut across the common from Highfield, so that they did not pass any houses or meet any neighbors by

have mistaken the day! I can't understand what's the matter

spicuous by their absence. Mr. James went to the cottages near to make inquiries as to the cause. The first was locked up, but by

dangerous sort for going off. Some men brought it yesterday in a motor car. Spies of the Kaiser, they were. It may explode any minute, they say, and wreck the church and everything near. The Greenwoods n

is bomb?" as

who when the church was first found to be locked had volunteered to run back t

er, and I'll go and inve

e course of a few minutes, hold

announced. "I'm going to carry it to the village to convince the wiseacres there. Perhaps Stev

concealed but for the indiscretion of Mamie, who

in his eye. And Mrs. James was ice itself! I've never felt so horrible in all my life. If you'd only had the sense to keep mum, they might never