the school magazine."

"Oh, go on! Rag me as much as you like. I don't care a scrap, so there!"

After eleven years at Kingfield High School, Lesbia was thoroughly well
accustomed to teasing. She let the girls say what they liked about her
new friendship with Regina. She certainly did not mean to be chaffed out
of it. On Saturday afternoon she donned her white tennis costume, put on
a new shady white hat, and went on the top of the tram-car to
Heathersedge, the suburb where the Websters lived. The guard put her
down at the right corner, and after a few minutes walking she found
herself at her destination, a square house covered with early June
roses, and with ornamental vases filled with geraniums on each side of
the porch. Though her reception was not quite on the lines which Ermie
had picturesquely prophesied, it was nevertheless apparent that Regina
had very much rubbed in glorified accounts of her personality. The
family, who all owned the same soulful eyes, gazed at her with a
fascinated intensity which made Lesbia devoutly hope she was not
disappointing them.

"So _you_ are Regina's idol! She talks about nobody else," said Mrs
Webster, in the abrupt manner of her daughter, shaking hands very warmly
and kindly, however, with her young guest.

Regina blushed and looked uncomfortable, as girls generally do when
parents are guilty of indiscreet remarks. She made a conspicuous effort
to hustle her friend away, but was balked by the rest of the family,
whose attitude plainly demanded introductions. She catalogued them
briefly, and would have dismissed them, but they declined to be so
easily disposed of, and accompanied the visitor in a body to the garden.
Lesbia, who was not very keen on spending a whole afternoon
_tete-a-tete_ with Regina, gave them palpable encouragement. She
decidedly liked them. First there was Derrick, known in his private
circle as "the stripling", a very tall boy of fourteen, who evidently
enjoyed female society and was immensely pleased if he were treated as
grown up. His manners were more suave than Regina's, and he had reached
the stage when he delighted to open doors, pick up handkerchiefs, or
perform any other small services for attractive members of the fair sex,
preferably older than himself. He attached himself at once to Lesbia,
ignoring indignant glances from his sister that seemed to say "Hands
off! This is _my_ special property."

Magsie and Una, two little girls with cropped fl