urous accounts of my visit to
Marshlands. She told me all the home news--how the baby had already
learnt to walk, Frank had gone to school, and Cuthbert was in
knickerbockers; how the old baby had been shorn of his curls, and
Dorothy had begun lessons. My little porcelain tea-service had, alas!
been broken (Blair ought not to have allowed the children to play with
it), there was a new carpet in the school-room, and Mary was learning
the violin. We talked in whispers for a long time after we were in bed,
till Miss Percy, overhearing us, bounced in with such dire threats of
penalties to be worked out on the following Saturday afternoon, that we
were obliged to defer our interesting conversation until the morning.

I found the winter term at "The Hollies" differed in many respects from
the summer one. We no longer drank the waters at the pretty little well,
and I greatly missed the morning run over the fields. It was now too
cold to study in our bedrooms, and evening preparation was held in the
school-room under the strict eyes of Miss Percy. When the weather
permitted we played hockey, but there were many days when it was
considered too wet for us to go out, and we were obliged to take what
exercises we could in the play-room. A new feature of our school-life
with which we had not hitherto been acquainted consisted of the Saturday
receptions, which were held during the winter evenings to supply the
place of the weekly cricket matches we had enjoyed in the summer-time.
It was part of Mrs. Marshall's system to form our manners and fit us for
good society, therefore these "At Homes" were very solemn affairs,
conducted with all the ceremony of a genuine party, though none of the
enjoyment. At half-past six o'clock, attired in white frocks and our
best hair-ribbons, we were received in state in the drawing-room, each
girl being duly announced in her turn by the parlour-maid. How I have
shivered with nervousness when "Miss Philippa Seaton" was called out,
and I was bound to advance with becoming grace, and shake hands
elegantly with Mrs. Marshall, her critical eye upon my demeanour, and
her censorious tongue ready with comment if my unlucky elbows protruded,
or my hand did not give the exact warmth of pressure required!

When we were all seated, Mrs. Marshall would start a general
conversation upon some topic, notice of which had been given out
previously, and we were each supposed to come primed with some
intelligent remarks