ducing her masterpiece by at least one-half of its length. And what a
task that was!

"Really," she told Susan with a sigh, "cutting down is more difficult
than making-up! I read over each bit by itself, and it seems as if I
love it more than all the rest put together, and I simply can't _endure_
to lose it; but the next bit is the same, and the next, and the next."
She rolled her eyes dramatically to the ceiling. "I am like a mother,
called upon to sacrifice one of her children. Whichever I choose, it
will break my heart! How I wish I could send in two papers, and have
two chances!"

Such a proceeding was, of course, out of the question, so with much
groaning and lamentation Dreda cut out the quieter passages, reserving
the highly coloured flights of fancy which she considered more likely to
attract an author of Mr Rawdon's standing. When at last the typed
copies of the twelve essays were circulated in the school it was found,
as had been expected, that Susan and Dreda had far out-distanced the
other competitors, but Susan's most devoted admirers confessed that her
production appeared tame and dull when compared with Dreda's sparkling
eloquence.

"I don't quite know what she's driving at," Barbara admitted, "but it
sounds awfully grand all the same; and dear old Sue's so painfully in
earnest! We'd better resign ourselves to the worst, for Dreda's bound
to get the prize, and lord it over us for the rest of the term. Our
lives won't be worth living."

"It's the unexpected that happens in this world. I have a feeling that
there will be strange developments about this prize. Wait and see!"
said Nancy, darkly.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

After a week's circulation in the school, the twelve typed essays upon
"My life, and what I hope to do with it," were packed up and sent to Mr
Rawdon for judgment, and Miss Drake begged her pupils to dismiss the
subject from their minds as far as possible.

"Mr Rawdon has promised to attend our prize-giving on December the
nineteenth, and will announce the result of the competition himself, so
that nothing can be gained by discussing the matter before then. It
will be useless to question me, for I shall know he more than
yourselves, and we have the serious work of preparing for examinations
before us. Give your whole minds to your work, and don't waste time on
useless speculation."

"Easier said than done," was Dreda's comment on this exhortation as she
walked to the hock