h.

"It wasn't my fault," she sobbed. "I didn't want to do it, but I was
told it was school etiquette and I must."

"Who told you such rubbish?"

"That girl with the dark eyes and a patriotic hair ribbon."

"Raymonde Armitage?"

"I believe that's her name."

Hermie shook her head solemnly.

"New girls are notoriously callow," she remarked, "but I should have
thought anybody with the slightest grain of sense could have seen at a
glance what Raymonde is. Why, she's simply been playing ragtime on
you. Did you actually and seriously believe that the girls at this
school were expected to go through such idiotic performances? Don't
believe a word Raymonde tells you again."

"Whom shall I believe? Everybody tries to stuff me!" wailed the
injured Cynthia. "I never treated anybody like this at The Poplars."

"Trust your common sense--that is, if you happen to have any; and, for
goodness' sake, don't snivel any more. Wipe your eyes and take it
sporting. And, wait a moment. If you want a bit of really good, sound
advice, don't mention The Poplars again, or the fact that you were
head girl there, and the idol of the school, and the rest of it.
You're only a junior here, and the sooner you find your level the
better. We're not exactly aching to have our tone improved by you!
And, look here! Take that absurd keepsake bracelet off, and lock it up
in your box, and don't let anybody see it again till the end of the
term. There! go and digest what I've told you."

Having settled with Cynthia Greene, it now remained for the Mystic
Seven to turn their attention to the matter of Maudie Heywood. The
situation was growing acute. Maudie had been ten days at the Grange,
and in that brief space of time she was already beginning to establish
a precedent. She was a tall, slim girl, with earnest eyes, a decided
chin, and an intellectual forehead. Work, with a capital W, was her
fetish. She sat during classes with her gaze focused on her teacher,
and a look of intelligent interest that surpassed everyone else in the
Form. Miss Gibbs turned instinctively to Maudie at the most important
points of the lesson. There was a feeling abroad that she sucked in
knowledge like a sponge. Nobody would have objected to her consuming
as much as she liked of the mental provender supplied had she stopped
at that. Maudie unfortunately was over-zealous, and finding the amount
of preparation set her to be well below the limit of her capacity,
invariably di