rose to address the school. He was
an amusing speaker, and made all smile by assuring them he felt more
nervous at facing an audience of so many young ladies than he would have
been in Parliament, or at a meeting of his constituents; and that he
hoped none of them were criticising his words from a literary
standpoint, and comparing them with the passages from Moliere and
Shakespeare which had just been so admirably rendered.

"Everybody will tell you," he proceeded, "that your schooldays are the
best time of your life. When I was a boy, I always thought that the
best part of my schooldays was the breaking-up day! I don't know whether
the teachers will agree with me, but I expect you girls will, and
perhaps even Miss Lincoln may be secretly looking forward to to-morrow,
though she won't reveal her feelings! I'm afraid from this you'll guess
that I must have been a dunce at school myself. I frankly confess I
never gained a prize in my life, but for that reason I shall appreciate
all the more my privilege of distributing these beautiful books; and you
will feel you have my true sympathy when I wish you a happy holiday and
a long one."

Everyone laughed as Sir John sat down; the girls hoped he would have
said a little more, but the time was limited, and Miss Lincoln was
waiting to read out the examination lists. The awards in the Upper
Fourth fell very much as Patty had expected: Winnie was first and Enid
second in English, Beatrice Wynne was easily top in French, but, to
everyone's surprise, Ella Johnson was head in mathematics. When all the
prizes had been given, and the fortunate owners had returned to their
places, Lady Carston stood up, and announced that she should like to say
a few words.

"By Miss Lincoln's permission," she began, "I am going to offer an extra
prize; the conditions for gaining it are to be quite different from
those for which you have already competed. I wish to present it to
whichever girl shall be judged by her companions to have been the most
kind, the most thoughtful and generous, and to have passed the most
unselfish life amongst you during the whole of the school year. The
voting is to be by ballot. Each of you will be given a small piece of
paper, on which I shall ask you to write the name of the one whom you
consider the fittest to receive my prize. Do not add your own signature,
and please do not tell anyone afterwards for whom you decided; let it be
a point of honour with you to keep th