ated and really
pleased. In the whole course of her life she had never met a girl of the
Kathleen O'Hara type before. Her beauty, her daring and wild manner, the
flash in her bright dark eyes, the glints of gold in her lovely hair,
all fascinated Susy.

"What a queen she'd make!" she thought. "We must make her our queen.
We'd have quite a party of our own in the school if she took us up. And
she will; I'm sure she will. This is a lark. This is worth a great
deal."

Meanwhile Kathleen rang the bell at Sans Souci in a very smart,
imperative manner. A little maid, neatly dressed, came to the door.

"Please," said Kathleen, "will you say that Miss O'Hara has called and
would be glad to see Miss Ruth Craven for a few minutes?"

The girl withdrew. Presently she returned.

"Mrs. Weldon will be pleased if you will go in, miss. She is sitting in
the drawing-room. The two young ladies are out in the garden."

"Thank you," said Kathleen.

After a brief hesitation she entered the house, and was conducted across
the narrow hall into a very sweet and charmingly furnished room. The
room had a bay-window with French doors; these opened on to a little
flower-lawn. At one side of the house was a tiny conservatory full of
bright flowers. Compared to the house where the Tennants lived, this
tiny place looked like a paradise to Kathleen. She gave a quick glance
round her, then came up to Mrs. Weldon.

"I am one of the new girls at the Great Shirley School," she said. "My
name is Kathleen O'Hara. I am Irish. I have only just crossed the cold
sea. I am lonely, too. I want Ruth Craven. May I sit down a minute while
your servant fetches her? I like Ruth Craven. She is very pretty, isn't
she? She is the sort of girl that you'd take a fancy to when you're
lonely and far from home. May I sit here until she comes?"

"Of course, my dear," said Mrs. Weldon, speaking with kindness, and
looking with eyes full of interest at the handsome, striking-looking
girl. "I quite understand your being lonely. I was very lonely indeed
when I came home from India and left my dear father and mother behind
me."

"How old were you when you came home?"

"A great deal younger than you are: only seven years old. But that is a
long time ago. I should like to be kind to you, Miss O'Hara. Cassandra
has been telling me about you. You are living at the Tennants', are you
not? Alice Tennant and Cassandra are great friends."

"But I don't like either of them," sa