The Madcap of the School

ystic

rm, and addressing an interested audience of three; "d'you know,

ily, "I was thinking so myself only this m

etween them!" commente

n my own mind, 'the poor thing is suffering, no doubt, from home-sickness and general confusion, and we must b

ed her head

a run round the garden before I felt fit again. It seems she's come from some much smaller school, where she's been the head girl and show pupil, and the rest of it. Sh

of this school to look after. We can't allow Fourth Form kids to bring those

chuckled

attending to the matt

't make much headway. She tells them she fully expects to be ragged, and sh

hing artistically. There's a finesse required for this kind of work that their stupid

!" grunted Ardiune. "You'll have y

se of my life. She ought to have a Form all to herself, instead of being plumped into the Fifth. I see dangerous possibilities in Maudie

enting her, and thought

this girl goes and learns whole poems, Gibbie'll think we can do the same, and

inerva!

stopper on that," urg

ey're things that ought to be set right. What I vote is, that our set form ourselves into a sort of

chuckled

t to right the wrong. We'll attack Duessa straight away,

were the Seven Champions of Christendom, and there are the Seven Ages of Man,

sted Aveline cheerfully. "

n rays for our secret sign. It has a nice occult kind of smack about it. When we chalk that mark upo

won't," twin

r. She'll find it's no use fighting ag

ith Cynthia Greene to-m

offered no objections, and indeed would have been prepared at Raymonde's request to join a Black Brotherhood, or a Pirates' L

ol before, and she's up to most dodges. Naturally she

pists. One or two of us have got to take Cynthia up. We'll make her realize, o

her up-what then?"

child! Why, we'll let

e all

ine and me. You others must stand aloof and look disintere

nding slightly apart from her Form, consuming thick bread and butter with an air of pensive

ou know, I thought I'd just speak to you. I expect you're having a grizzly

itted Cynthia cautiously, "especially

to Junior, isn't it? Why didn't M

teen it was quite impossible. It's all right. I expect t

n was almost too much for Raymonde, but sh

ou all the more af

em they were welcome. It seemed only fair to Miss Gordon. She was more like a personal

be lost wi

of regret. "The girls all subscribed before I left and gave me this bracelet

nonchalance for Raymonde's inspection. On the gold band was engrav

ifying!" gur

hem, and I'll do my best for this school too when I get the chance.

ntime, if there are any little t

e done the same by you if you'd

bubbling over wit

gining me as a new girl at her wretched pettifogging old school! Oh, it's too precious! She'd patronize the Queen herself! The Poplars must

," hinnied Aveline. "Poor angel! Did you notice her

her up to a few tips

ve done herself hundreds of times to many a poor neglected new girl at T

r on it!" a

e evidently likes it laid on thick. Suggestions invited, pleas

comes to-morrow,"

for a pretty and touching little scene at the beginning of the medi?val arts lecture. No

g bad jokes and weak puns to break up the monotony of his lectures. It was decidedly the fashion to admire him, to snigger indulgently at 28 his mild little pleasantries, and to call him "an old dear." Some of the girls even worked quite hard at their preparation for him. He had written his autograph in at least nineteen birthday books, and it was rumoured that, when the auspicious 10th of March had come round, no less than fourteen anonymous congratulatory picture post-cards had been directed to him from the school and posted by stealth. Having

lf for the rest of the day; but the following morning, after

erved casually. "You see, there are traditions in every school that one l

ars, and I used to initiate everybody. They always came straight to me, and I c

from these reminiscences of past service and bringing it up to date. "Pro

wonder what he'll think

gue, but she restrained herself, and, drawing her victim aside, whispered honeye

uch a thing at The Poplars, but, if it's expected, I won't break the tr

ress, and apparently refreshed by cocoa and conversation. The girls always agreed that his manners were beautiful. He treated everybody with a courtly deference, something between the professional consideration of a fashionable doctor and the dignity

owing off her new quarters, ref

find your class the same as before, with the addition of two new girls. Maude Heyw

large clasp, then thankfully merged her identity among her schoolfellows. Cynthia, who was behind her, smiled bewitchingly upwards into

edly astonished and embarrassed, hastily withdrew his hand from the

nd the tone of her voice al

an she had come forward, and spent most of the lecture in surreptitiously mopping her eyes. As she walke

ou to make such an utter exhibition of yourself just

ars burst fo

didn't want to do it, but I was tol

you such

dark eyes and a pa

nde Ar

e that's

ok her hea

ve seen at a glance what Raymonde is. Why, she's simply been playing ragtime on you. Did you actually and seriously believe tha

uff me!" wailed the injured Cynthia. "I neve

mention The Poplars again, or the fact that you were head girl there, and the idol of the school, and the rest of it. You're only a junior here, and the sooner you find your level the better. We're not exactly aching to

hat surpassed everyone else in the Form. Miss Gibbs turned instinctively to Maudie at the most important points of the lesson. There was a feeling abroad that she sucked in knowledge like a sponge. Nobody would have objected to her consuming as much as she liked of the mental provender supplied had she stopped at that. Maudie unfortunately was over-zealous, and finding the amount of preparation set her to be well below the limit of her capacity, invariably did a little more than was required. Her maps were colo

be having our prep. doubled

re taking any more active measures. The u

rk," urged Maudie, in rep

ard you swat during prep., but it isn't right for you to be putting in extra

supererogation,"

her intellectual

pposed to count," she interpose

But yours aren't! They're entirely for your own pride and vanity. Do you co

fair!" Maudie's tone

heap burdens on the

nd to do

ience. You've got an abnormal appetite for work, and it ought to be checked. It

r grey eyes gleamed with the en

" she sighed. "Something w

to it," snapped Raymonde. "We've given you full an

nger and lighter every day, and the tennis courts were in quite fair condition. It was Maudie's habit to take a pensive stroll among the box-edged flower beds in the co

ld Maudie's as punctual as a clock. She'll walk f

ityingly. "She's evidently thirsting to live her life b

a double-first or Senior Wrangler, or something swanky of that kind,

to-night!" grinned Raymonde. "Wait for me

urned with a lump of soft substance in one hand, and a spirit-

It's useful stuff. And I just looted Linda Mottram's curling apparatus from her be

eading a thick coating of the wax along the inside edge of the

nstitutional among the flower beds," she giggled. "I'll guara

ressure of public opinion," decreed Ar

lves forward," urged Raymonde. "I vote we go for a strol

er in the Principal's study enjoying a well-earned period of repose and a c

acter," observed Miss Beasley, toying with the vi

ect as anybody else's, and thus sensibly curtailed her teacher's leisure. "The child is so conscientious. In my opinion she needs

haps need a little adjustment. We mustn't allow her to neglect he

ontrolled, well-regulated child,"

announced. Her calm self-control had yielded to an agitated condition of excitement and

o that I can't get out my books. They say I work overtime, and it's not fair, for if I

To-morrow evening I hope to see you playing tennis. If you ask the cook for a screw-driver you'll probably be able to wedge open your desk easily. But in future you'll be 37 wiser to confine your work to the preparation hours. The bow must be unstrung sometimes, o

ring apologies. Miss Beasley picked u

They instinctively have all the principles of a trade union about them. On the whole, it's good for Maudie to be restrained. A littl

he business," sniffed Miss Gibbs. "Raymonde A

he most troublesome; full of bubbling spirits and misplaced energy, but st