ld not help expressing her amazement.

"Why, what are you doing here?" she exclaimed.

"I might ask you the same," returned Muriel. "I suppose I have as good a
right to come to my desk when I want as anybody else has!"

"Why, of course," said Patty. "I was only surprised."

"Then I wish you would keep your surprise to yourself. I can't think why
you should always be following me about."

"Oh, Muriel, I wasn't! I only came to fetch my history."

"And I only came to do some of my lessons in quiet. The recreation room
is a perfect Babel."

"So it is," said Patty. "I thought I'd learn my dates quietly in here."

"Can't you learn them in prep.?" asked Muriel.

"Not so well. I want the extra time for my Latin. It's such a stiff
piece for to-morrow. Don't you think so?"

"I haven't looked at it yet," replied Muriel, in a rather strained
voice, and avoiding Patty's eye.

"Why, Muriel," cried the latter, who had come close to her cousin,
"what are you writing now? 'There remained one way through the
Sequani.'"

"I wish you'd mind your own business. I was only scribbling nonsense to
try my new pen," said Muriel angrily, tearing up her piece of paper. "Do
leave me alone!"

Patty sat down at her own desk, and, taking out her history book, was
soon deep in an effort to master the dates which Miss Harper had set for
the next day's lesson. Muriel went on for some little time arranging her
pencils and indiarubbers in a very discontented and annoyed manner.

"Look here, Patty, I wish you'd go!" she said at last.

"Go! Why?" asked Patty.

"Because you disturb me."

"But I wasn't saying it aloud."

"It doesn't matter. I can learn things much better when I'm quite
alone."

"You're never alone at prep."

"No, I wish I were. I could get through the work in half the time.
You're interrupting me now by talking."

"Then I won't talk," said Patty, taking up her book, which she had laid
down; "I won't say a single word."

"The very sight of anyone in the room is enough to stop me learning
properly. I haven't done a single thing since you came here."

Patty was on the point of saying, "It's your own fault, then;" but the
thought of Uncle Sidney stepped in, and she refrained.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked instead.

"To go and leave me in peace. You can learn your dates in a corner of
the lecture room or in the studio."

It was rather hard to be thus ordered away from the quiet place which
she had chosen,