e girl asked the chums, quickly.

"We are going to Briarwood Hall," said Ruth, timidly.

"Well, I'm glad I happened to be out walking and overtook the stage,"
their new acquaintance said, with apparent frankness and cordiality.
"I'm Mary Cox. I'm a Junior. The school is divided into Primary,
Junior and Senior. Of course, there are many younger girls than either
of you at Briarwood, but all newcomers are called Infants. Probably,
however, you two will soon be in the Junior grade, if you do not at
once enter it."

"I am afraid we shall both feel very green and new," Ruth said. "You
see, neither Helen nor I have ever been to a school like this before.
My friend is Helen Cameron and my name is Ruth Fielding."

"Ah! you're going to room together. You have a nice room assigned to
you, too. It's on my corridor--one of the small rooms. Most of us are
in quartettes; but yours is a duet room. That's nice, too, when you
are already friends."

She seemed to have informed herself regarding these particular
newcomers, even if she _had_ met them quite by accident.

Helen, who evidently quite admired Mary Cox, now ventured to say that
she presumed most of the girls were already gathered for the Autumn
term.

"There are a good many on hand. Some have been here a week and more.
But classes won't begin until Saturday, and then the work will only be
planned for the real opening of the term on Monday. But we're all
supposed to arrive in time to attend service Sunday morning. Mrs.
Tellingham is very strict about that. Those who arrive after that have
a demerit to work off at the start."

Mary Cox explained the system under which Briarwood was carried on,
too, with much good nature; but all the time she never addressed the
French teacher, nor did she pay the least attention to her. The cool
way in which she conducted the conversation, commenting upon the school
system, the teachers, and all other matters discussed, without the
least reference to Miss Picolet, made Ruth, at least, feel unhappy. It
was so plain that Mary Cox ignored and slighted the little foreign lady
by intention.

"I tell you what we will do," said Mary Cox, finally. "We'll slip out
of the stage at the end of Cedar Walk. It's farther to the dormitories
that way, but I fancy there'll be few of the girls there. The stage,
you see, goes much nearer to Briarwood; but I fancy you girls would
just as lief escape the warm greeting we usually give to the