er
of this veracious history has to do with the management of a self-
confident, high-spirited girl, who needs humbling and bringing to her
senses, let the author confidently recommend the pigtail and flat-heeled
system! To fasten back a mane of hair is at once to deprive the culprit
of one of her most formidable means of defence.

She has no shelter behind which to retire, as an ambush from the enemy;
she has nothing to toss and whisk from side to side, expressing defiance
without a word being uttered. The very weight of the pigtail is a
sobering influence; its solemn, pendulum movement is incompatible with
revolt. As for the slippers--well, try heel-less shoes yourself, and
test their effect! They bring one to earth, indeed, in the deepest
sense of the word. All very well to mince about in French shoes, and
think "What a fine girl am I," but once try mincing in flat, square
soles, and you will realise that the days are over for that kind of
thing, and that nothing remains but humility and assent!

Dinner over, the girls adjourned into the grounds; but as games, like
lessons, could not be begun without some preliminary arrangement, most
of the pupils contented themselves with strolling about, in twos and
threes, exchanging confidences about the holidays and hatching plans for
the weeks to come. Rhoda and Dorothy were standing disconsolately
together, when Miss Everett flitted past, and stopped for a moment to
take pity on their loneliness.

"What are you two going to do? You mustn't stand here looking like
pelicans in the wilderness. You must walk about and get some exercise.
I'm too busy to go with you myself, but--er--Kathleen!" She held up her
hand in summons to the second-term girl who had volunteered information
about the Lords and Commons--"Here, Kathleen, you remember what it is to
be a new girl; take Rhoda and Dorothy round the grounds, and show them
everything that is interesting. Have a brisk walk, all of you, and come
back with some colour in your cheeks!"

She was off again, smiling and waving her hand, and the three girls
stood gazing at each other in shy, uncertain fashion.

"Well," said Kathleen, "where shall we go first? The Beech Walk, I
suppose; it's half-a-mile long, so if we go to the end and back we shall
have a constitutional before looking at the sights. The grounds are
very fine here, and there is lots of room for all we want to do. You
can find a sunny bit, or a shady bit, acc