store, for the sheets were warm instead of
cold, and her chilled feet came in contact with something soft and hot,
which proved upon examination to be an indiarubber water-bottle encased
in a flannel bag. Mademoiselle drew a long gasp of rapture, and nestled
down again with a feeling of comfort to which she had long been a
stranger. A day or two earlier, Miss Phipps had spoken of the necessity
of putting more coverings on the beds, as the frost had set in unusually
early, and Mademoiselle sleepily attributed this new comfort as another
instance of the Principal's consideration for her assistants. She felt
certain that it must be so, as night after night the welcome warmth was
in waiting, and more than once determined to express her appreciation;
but life was busy, and there was such an accumulation of work as the
period of examination approached, that there seemed no time to speak of
anything but school affairs.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

TERM-HOLIDAY.

Flora and Kate and Ethel were sitting with their classmates discussing
the day's work, and Pixie O'Shaughnessy had drawn her stool beside them,
and was putting in a remark at every possible opportunity. It made her
feel grown-up and important to join in the conferences of the older
girls, and though in words they might say, "Run away, Pixie!" it
generally happened that someone moved to the side of her chair to make
an extra place, or that an arm stretched out to encircle the tiny waist.
Even sixth-form girls like to be amused occasionally as if they were
ordinary mortals, and Pixie was welcomed because she made them laugh and
forget their trials and troubles, in the shape of Latin and Euclid and
German idioms which refused to be unravelled. Two or three of the older
pupils were going in for the Cambridge Examination at Christmas, and all
were looking forward to the school exams at the end of the term, so that
anxiety was heavy upon them.

"My brain feels like jelly! It _won't_ work. I shall be getting
softening of the brain at this rate!" sighed Flora, rubbing her cheeks
up and down between her bands until she looked like a fat indiarubber
doll. "I keep mixing things up until I don't seem to have a clear idea
left, and my mother has set her heart on my taking a good place. She
will look sad if I come out bottom, and I do hate and detest people
looking sad! I would far rather they scolded, and had done with it!"

"My people don't worry their heads about lessons.