ou will be glad of something to eat."

Miss Danesbury then led Hester across the hall and up some broad, low,
thickly-carpeted stairs. When they had ascended two flights, and were
standing on a handsome landing, she paused.

"Do you see this baize door, dear?" she said. "This is the entrance to
the school part of the house. This part that we are now in belongs
exclusively to Mrs. Willis, and the girls are never allowed to come here
without leave. All the school life is lived at the other side of this
baize door, and a very happy life I assure you it is for those little
girls who make up their minds to be brave and good. Now kiss me, my dear,
and let me bid you welcome once again to Lavender House."

"Are you our principal teacher, then?" asked Hester.

"I? oh, dear, no, my love. I teach the younger children English, and I
look after the interests and comforts of all. I am a very useful sort of
person, I believe, and I have a motherly heart, dear, and it is a way
with little girls to come to me when they are in trouble. Now, my love,
we must not chatter any longer. Take my hand, and let us get to your room
as fast as possible."

Miss Danesbury pushed open the baize door, and instantly Hester found
herself in a different region. Mrs. Willis' part of the house gave the
impression of warmth, luxuriance, and even elegance of arrangement. At
the other side of the door were long, narrow corridors, with snow-white
but carpetless floors, and rather cold, distempered walls. Miss
Danesbury, holding the new pupil's hand, led her down two corridors, and
past a great number of shut doors, behind which Hester could hear
suppressed laughter and eager, chattering voices. At last, however, they
stopped at a door which had the number "32" written over it.

"This is your bedroom, dear," said the English teacher, "and to-night you
will not be sorry to have it alone. Mrs. Willis received a telegram from
Susan Drummond, your room-mate, this afternoon, and she will not arrive
until to-morrow."

However bare and even cold the corridors looked, the bedroom into which
Hester was ushered by no means corresponded with this appearance. It was
a small, but daintily-furnished little room. The floor was carpeted with
green felt, the one window was hung with pretty draperies and two little,
narrow, white beds were arranged gracefully with French canopies. All the
furniture in the room was of a minute description, but good of its kind.
Beside each