t them. But
Gerry had a capacity for putting herself into other people's places
which was rather unusual in a girl so young; and do what she would, she
could not quite banish the mistress's side of the case from her mind.
Miss Burton was new and strange. She would probably grow more human in
time if the girls did not too openly set themselves against her. And
it was horrible to be unpopular. Gerry had had full opportunity of
finding out how horrible unpopularity was. She was trying so hard to
be brave--to live up to Muriel Paget's estimate of her--wasn't it
rather cowardly to go against her conscience like this just for the
sake of gaining the good opinion of her form-mates? Gerry had a long
wrestle with her conscience as she sat at her desk that evening, when,
all the rest of her preparation done, she was debating within herself
whether or not she should start upon the work Miss Burton had set. But
in the end, her longing for Jack's friendship overcame her sense of
right and wrong. And she stifled back the small protesting voice
within her.

"I promised the others I wouldn't, and I can't break my promise now,"
she argued to herself.

And when the bell rang for the end of preparation, the struggle was
over. Friendship had won, and Gerry, in company with the rest of the
Lower Fifth, had left undone the whole of the work that Miss Burton had
set.

CHAPTER XIV

CHESTNUTS

The week-end went by much more happily than Gerry would have believed
possible a few days ago. The members of the Lower Fifth were rather
shy of her as a whole, it is true. But although, with the exception of
Jack and Nita, they made no positive advances towards the new girl, yet
they did not behave nearly as coldly as they had been doing of late.

And Jack was friendly enough to make up for all the others. She was
rather fixed up with partners for the various week-end events; but she
chattered away gaily to Gerry at meal-times, invited her to stand with
Nita and herself to watch the hockey match on the Saturday afternoon,
and generally did her utmost to make Gerry feel happy and at home.

On Sunday evening after tea, Gerry, who had put in an attendance at
both the morning services and had so secured exemption from the evening
service at St. Peter's, went to the library to find a book. Having
procured one which promised to be interesting, she returned to the
Lower Fifth sitting-room, and finding it empty, curled herself up on