nture, and spent the night
there. They gave an hour next morning to inspecting the glorious old
church and the ruins of the castle, then once more resumed the Roman
road. It was the last day of their tour, so they made the best of it.
They explored some delightful woods, followed the course of a
fascinating stream, ate their lunch in a picturesque quarry, had an
early tea at a wayside inn which rivalled "The Pelican" in quaintness,
and finally reached Ribstang in time to catch the 5:20 train to
Grovebury. The conclusion of the excursion meant the close of the
holiday, for school would begin again on the following Monday. Everybody
had enjoyed it immensely, and everybody was only too sorry it was over.
To Ingred it marked an epoch. She had suddenly made friends with Bess
Haselford. Now she viewed Bess with unprejudiced eyes she realized what
an exceedingly nice and attractive girl she really was. The adventure in
the field had flung them together, and--much to the astonishment of the
others, who did not know their secret--they had walked the whole way
from Pursborough to Ribstang in each other's company.

"I can't make out Ingred!" declared Verity. "Here she's been abusing
Bess, and calling her a bounder, and now she's hanging on her arm! The
way some people turn round is really most extraordinary----"

"'There's naught so queer as folks!'" quoted Linda. "Glad Ingred's come
to her senses, at any rate. I always thought she was perfectly beastly
to Bess!"

"So she was. I wonder Bess will put up with her now. I'm sure I
wouldn't!"

Bess, however, was of a forgiving disposition, and let bygones be
bygones. It is the only plan at schools, for girls are generally so
frank in the nature of their remarks that if you begin to treasure up
the disagreeable things said to you, and let them rankle, you will
probably find yourself without a chum in the world. Though the fashion
may be for plain speaking, it is often a matter of mood, and the mate
who genuinely believes you a "blighter" one day, will claim you as a
"mascot" with equal persuasion on the next. It is all part of the
wholesome rough-and-tumble of your education, and proves of as much use
in training you and rounding your projecting corners as the lessons you
learn in your form. The girls thought Ingred's new infatuation would
soon wear off, but it had come to stay. She herself was quite surprised
at the force of the attraction. It was almost like falling in love. She