an leave her for an hour, at any rate. I have told
Jenny to send for me if she wakes."

The first item on the programme was a tennis contest, limited to the
elder girls. It was a hard-fought battle, as the competitors were evenly
balanced, and it ended in a victory for Mildred Roper and Kathleen
Crawford. Monica played well, but she had not been able to spend so much
time at practice as the others, and she missed several balls.

"It was very stupid of me," she apologized. "I never seem to grow
accustomed to Mildred's fast serves."

A race followed for the second class, which Irene Spencer, much cheered
by her cousins, nearly succeeded in winning, though she was beaten at
the last by Merle Hammond, who made a sudden and unexpected spurt. It
was now the turn of the third-form girls. They were to run a handicap,
and awaited particulars with much eagerness.

"Miss Russell seems to set as severe tasks as the wicked stepmother in
the fairy tales," said Mr. Cross. "She decrees that you are each to be
given a small box of peas and beans and buttons mixed together, and that
you are to sort them before you start to run the race. Will you please
all kneel on the grass with your boxes in front of you. Are you ready?
One--two--three--off!"

It was a question of deftness of fingers. Effie Hargreaves justified the
old proverb, "More haste, less speed", by upsetting her box; and
Marjorie Butler got her piles mixed in her agitation. Cicely finished
first, and was halfway across the lawn before Nora Proctor overtook her.
It was a keen struggle between these two. All the others were some
distance behind, for Lindsay was not so fleet of foot, and Beryl Austen
slipped and fell on the dry grass.

"It's Nora! No, it's Cicely!" cried the girls. "Well done, Cicely! Go
on, Nora! She's gaining! No, she isn't! Why, it's Cicely after all!" as
the latter reached the winning-post a couple of yards in advance of her
opponent.

"Well run!" said the Rector. "You got over the course like young
greyhounds. If you learn lessons at the same speed, you will turn out
prodigies. Why is Miss Russell shaking her head? She says there is no
danger of that. Really, I feel quite relieved to hear it. I was
beginning to be almost afraid of you. I believe you are expected to pick
up the beans before we continue our proceedings."

The programme was arranged so as to be as varied as possible. There were
a round at clock-golf, a skipping tournament, an egg-and-sp