ise Miss
Johnson--took her place.

"Perfect freedom to-day, girls," said Miss Johnson.

"Ah, good Lucy! thank you, Lucy!" exclaimed Kathleen.

"That's right, Lucy! Hurrah for Lucy!" cried several other voices.

"No discipline at all to-day," continued Lucy. "School doesn't begin
until to-morrow."

Cicely was seated near Aneta, with Kathleen O'Donnell at her other
side. Just for a minute Aneta's eyes traveled across the table and
fixed themselves on Maggie's face. Maggie found herself coloring, and
a resentful feeling awoke in her heart. She could not dare to oppose
Aneta; and yet--and yet--she was determined at any cost to keep the
love of Merry Cardew for herself.

Meanwhile Merry, who was equally delighted to find herself by Maggie's
side, began to talk to her in a low tone.

"You don't look very well, Mags," she said--"not nearly as robust as
when I saw you last; and you never wrote to me after that first
letter."

"I have a great deal I want to tell you," said Maggie in a low tone.
"Lucy is quite right; there are no lessons of any sort this evening.
Mrs. Ward always gives us the first evening to settle and to get
perfectly at home in, so we shall be able to chatter to our heart's
content. This is going to be a glorious night, and we can walk about
in the garden."

"But won't there be a lot of other people in the garden?" asked
Merry.

"Why, of course," said Maggie in a surprised tone. "I suppose we'll
all be there."

"We can't talk any secrets, if that is what you mean," said Merry,
"for the garden is so very small."

Maggie laughed. "That's because you are accustomed to Meredith Manor,"
she said. "Anyhow," she continued, dropping her voice, "I must talk to
you. I have a great, great deal to say, and you'll have to listen."

"Of course I will listen, dear," said Merry.

Rosamond Dacre now joined in, and the conversation became general.
Henrietta and Mary Gibson had a very agreeable way of describing
things. Maggie felt herself reinstated in the life she loved; Merry,
the girl she cared for best, was by her side, and she would not have
had a single thorn in the flesh but for the presence of Aneta.

It has been said that in this school there were two girls who held
considerable sway over their companions. One of them was Aneta Lysle,
the other Maggie Howland. Aneta had, of course, far and away the
greater number of girls under her spell, if such a word could describe
her high and noble influence o