. I only wish you wouldn't do it. Why can't you
read the books downstairs? You've plenty of time after prep."

"Because Miss Rowe'd take them away. We're only allowed to have books
from the school library, and these are some that Doris brought with her
from home. They're most exciting. I simply must finish mine."

"Oh, May, that's worse than ever!" exclaimed Patty, "if they're books
you know you oughtn't to read."

"Please be quiet, and mind your own business, Patty Hirst!" cried May,
angrily. "We're not going to ask your leave for everything we do."

May, Ella, and Doris knew perfectly well that they were in the wrong,
but they tried to justify their conduct to each other by calling Patty
"priggish". They treated her in as cool a manner as possible, and
generally had some secrets to whisper about in a corner of the room,
making her feel how little they cared for her company, and how much they
would have preferred Beatrice Wynne in her place. Patty, who hated
quarrels, and would rather have been on friendly terms with everybody,
disliked these unpleasant bickerings with her room mates; but as she
would not yield her point, and they would not relinquish their practice,
she had perforce to remain on rather distant terms with them. In school,
too, she found that everything was not quite what might have been
desired. Several of the girls helped each other openly with their French
composition. They would meet together before class and compare
sentences, hastily correcting errors, and copying each other's work to
such an extent that one essay was simply a duplicate of the other,
faults and all. Mademoiselle was not a very observant person, and in
consequence never discovered what was taking place, though the
similarity in the mistakes might easily have aroused her suspicions. The
history exercises also gave wide scope to those who were not absolutely
scrupulous. Miss Harper left much to the girls' sense of honour,
trusting them completely, and never subjecting them to the strict
surveillance which was practised by Miss Rowe. As a rule her plan met
with excellent results, though unfortunately her confidence was
sometimes abused. At the end of each chapter in the history book were a
number of questions, which were given as a weekly exercise. The class
was supposed to prepare the chapter first, then, opening the book at the
page of questions, to write the answers entirely from memory. A few did
so, but I fear a large proporti