glance at her companion. "Love her?
Yes," she said, "I love her."

"But you must love her tremendously," said Merry--"as much as I love
my mother."

"As a rule all girls love their mothers," said Maggie. "We are not
talking about that now, are we?"

"What do you want to say to me in particular, Maggie?" was Merry's
response.

"This. We shall meet at school on the 20th of September. There will
be, as I have told you already, twenty boarders at Aylmer House. You
will arrive at the school as strangers; so will Molly and Isabel
arrive as strangers; but you will have two friends--Aneta Lysle and
myself. You're very much taken, with your cousin Aneta, are you not?"

"Taken with her?" said Merry. "That seems to me a curious expression.
She is our cousin, and she is beautiful."

"Merry, I must tell you something. At Aylmer House there are two
individuals who lead the school."

"Oh," said Merry, "I thought Mrs. Ward led the school."

"Of course, of course, Mrs. Ward is just splendid; but, you see, you,
poor Merry, know nothing of school-life. School-life is really
controlled--I mean the inner part of it--by the girls themselves. Now,
there are two girls at Aylmer House who control the school: one of
them is your humble servant, Maggie Howland; the other is your cousin,
Aneta Lysle. Aneta does not love me; and, to be frank with you, I hate
her."

Merry found herself turning very red. She remembered Aneta's words on
the night of her arrival.

"She has already told you," said Maggie, "that she doesn't like me."

Merry remained silent.

"Oh, you needn't speak. I know quite well," said Maggie.

Merry felt more and more uncomfortable.

"The petition I have to make to you is this," continued Maggie: "that
at school you will, for a time at least--say for the first month or
so--be _neutral_. I want you and Cicely and Molly and Isabel to belong
neither to Aneta's party nor to mine; and I want you to do this
because--because I have been the person who has got you to Aylmer
House. Just remain neutral for a month. Will you promise me that?"

"I don't understand you. You puzzle me very much indeed," said Merry.

"You will understand fast enough when you get to Aylmer House. I wish
I were not going away; I wish I hadn't to return to mother. I wish I
could go with you all to Scarborough; but I am the last girl on earth
to neglect my duties, and my duty is to be with poor dear mother. You
will understand that what I ask is b