had taken her to the refectory, and who, she learnt,
was Miss Rowe, the second mistress of the fourth class. The curtains of
the other cubicles were closely drawn, so she did not catch a glimpse of
her companions, and as all conversation was strictly forbidden, the room
was in silence. Patty went to bed in the very lowest of spirits. It had
not seemed a favourable beginning to her school life, and unless things
improved a little she was sure she could never be happy.

"I suppose I must try and make the best of it," she thought; "and one
thing I'm determined about, however wretched I feel, I'm not going to
write miserable letters home and upset Mother. She wanted me so much to
like The Priory, so I won't let her know, even if nobody ever does talk
to me or be nice. There are eighty-nine days before I can go back, and
this is one off, at any rate. I expect they'll go by somehow, though I
wish I could skip them all, and this were the last day of the term
instead of only the first."

CHAPTER IV

A Maiden all Forlorn

Patty awoke next morning with a vague, drowsy, comfortable impression
that she was in her own room at home, with Milly in the other bed, and
she was just going to turn over and fall happily asleep again, when she
suddenly remembered where she was, and felt as if her heart, instead of
being light and cheerful as usual, had changed into lead or some
substance of an equally weighty description. She realized that it was
the sound of voices that had disturbed her. Two girls in the opposite
cubicles were talking together, in low tones, certainly, but loud enough
to be most distinctly audible.

"It is a shame, Doris," said the first, "when you and I and Beatrice and
May had all put our names down for a bedroom together, and Miss Graveson
had almost promised we should have this one! And she won't say why not,
either, only that Miss Lincoln had arranged it this way."

"It's perfectly disgusting," replied the other. "Miss Lincoln's
absolutely mean. And Beatrice is as disappointed about it as we are.
She's in No. 12, with Ada and Carrie Hardman. Think of having to share
your room with the Hardmans! Beatrice says she doesn't intend even to
speak to them."

"It's just as bad for us. We don't want this new girl. Why couldn't Miss
Lincoln put her with the Hardmans, and let Beatrice come to No. 7?"

"Oh, I don't know, except that she knew we were so anxious about it. We
shan't have any fun now. I expect she'l