of his sister in their
childhood, and thought how suitable it seemed for Muriel, who was three
months younger than Patty, to have the latter for a companion during the
years he wished her to remain at The Priory.

"Patty is such a good, conscientious child," he wrote to Mrs. Hirst, "I
know she will look after her cousin, and stand by her in any trouble. I
can trust her to be a true and loyal friend, and it will be a comfort to
me to think that Muriel has anyone so stanch and steady on whom to
depend. If Patty will consider my girl her special charge while she is
at The Priory, she will amply repay me for anything I may expend on her
behalf. It is a bargain to which I am sure she will agree, and which I
feel certain she will be ready to keep."

Such a tremendous occasion as being sent away to school naturally marked
an epoch in Patty's life, though she looked upon the event with mixed
feelings. Sometimes it seemed terrible to her to have to leave her dear
ones at home, and she shrank from the parting with an almost morbid fear
lest she should never see them all again; then a more sensible mood
would prevail, and she would be so glad to think she was going, and so
excited about it, that she could scarcely wait until the summer holidays
were over, and the autumn term should begin. The one thing which
troubled her most was the charge which had been laid upon her to look
after her cousin. The latter was such a totally different girl from
herself, that unfortunately she felt they had little in common; and
though she was anxious to do her utmost to prove the stanch friend in
need that her uncle required, she was sure that Muriel would greatly
resent all interference, and she did not anticipate an easy task. She
did not like to discuss the question much with her father and mother.
They seemed so pained at the thought that the two girls should not
agree, and so wishful that their schooldays should bring them nearer
together, that she determined not to mention the subject again, and
could only hope that her fears might not be fulfilled. What the future
held in store for her, and what experiences she was to encounter in her
new life at Morton Priory, it is the object of this story to relate.

A neatly printed notice had been forwarded to Dr. Hirst, reminding him
that the autumn term reopened on September 20th, and that it was
requested that all pupils should return on that day, arriving not later
than five o'clock in the aftern