her mischance
she might disgrace herself by bursting out crying. Just at this moment,
however, something impelled her to look up. Her vis-a-vis, whom she had
as yet scarcely noticed, was staring hard. And now, to her great
surprise, this girl winked at her, winked slowly and deliberately with
the right eye. Laura was so discomposed that she looked away again at
once, and some seconds elapsed before she was brave enough to take
another peep. The wink was repeated.

It was a black-haired girl this time, a girl with small blue eyes, a
pale, freckled skin, and large white teeth. What most impressed Laura,
though, was her extraordinary gravity: she chewed away with a face as
solemn as a parson's; and then just when you were least expecting it,
came the wink. Laura was fascinated: she lay in wait for it beforehand
and was doubtful whether to feel offended by it or to laugh at it. But
at least it made her forget her mishaps, and did away with the
temptation to cry.

When, however, Mrs. Gurley had given the signal, and the fifty-five had
pushed back their chairs and set them to the table again with the same
racket as before, Laura's position was a painful one. Everybody pushed,
and talked, and laughed, in a hurry to leave the hall, and no one took
any notice of her except to stare. After some indecision, she followed
the rest through a door. Here she found herself on a verandah facing
the grounds of the school. There was a long bench, on which several
people were sitting: she took a modest seat at one end. Two of the
younger governesses looked at her and laughed, and made a remark. She
saw her room-mate, Lilith Gordon, arm in arm with a couple of
companions. The winker of the tea-table turned out to be a girl of her
own age, but of a broader make; she had fat legs, which were encased in
thickly-ribbed black stockings. As she passed the bench she left the
friend she was with, to come up to Laura and dig her in the ribs.

"DIDN'T she like her bread and butter, poor little thing?" she said.
Laura shrank from the dig, which was rough; but she could not help
smiling shyly at the girl, who looked good-natured. If only she had
stayed and talked to her! But she was off and away, her arm round a
comrade's neck.

Besides herself, there was now only an elderly governess left, who was
reading. She, Laura, in her solitude, was conspicuous to every eye. But
at this juncture up came two rather rollicking older girls, one of whom
was fair