ne Wilmott, and she's fifteen years
old, and you needn't all start catechising her directly I'm out of the
room. I fancy she's had about enough of that already. Jack,"
addressing the girl on the table, "will you have an eye to her for this
evening? Put her up to things a bit, will you? and tell her what to do
and where to go, there's a dear."

"Righto! Delighted, I'm sure!" replied Jack, stretching out a friendly
hand to Geraldine. "How do you do? What dorm are you in? Have you
unpacked your things yet? Is this the first time you've been to
school, or did you go to a day-school before? What part of the country
do you hail from, and how many brothers and sisters have you got?"

A shout of laughter from the group of girls around her greeted this
string of questions, and Monica made a laughing protest.

"Oh, Jack--and I told you not to go asking her questions!"

"Well--but you said 'after you had gone out of the room,' so I thought
I had better start straight away while there was still time," replied
Jack, with an injured air, which was belied, however, by the twinkle in
her laughing eyes. Then she turned to Geraldine in an impulsive
friendly way that it was impossible to resist.

"You needn't answer them, though, if you don't want to. Come along and
I'll get you a locker. We've bagged all the nicest ones already, I'm
afraid. But I'll get you the decentest that is left, and next term
maybe you'll get a better one." And Monica left the Lower Fifth
sitting-room feeling that she had done her best for the new girl.

"I'm afraid she's in for a rough time of it, though," the senior
thought to herself, as she made her way along the corridors to the
small study which, as a member of the Sixth Form, she was entitled to
have to herself. "She's just the type of sensitive girl who gets on
worse at school than any other sort, although at heart they're usually
quite nice kids. Still, if anybody can make her feel at home in the
Lower Fifth, it's Jack. I wish she'd come across her before Phyllis
and Dorothy appeared on the scene. Oh, well, it's none of my business,
I suppose! I like the kid, but she'll have to fight her own battles.
I dare say she'll shake down all right in the end--they mostly do."

And with this comforting reflection the Sixth Form girl entered her
study, and banished the thought of Geraldine Wilmott from her mind.

CHAPTER III

THE WAYS OF WAKEHURST PRIORY

Meanwhile in the Lower Fif