ip to its tail. I send kisses
to everybody.

"Your loving daughter,
"SYLVIA."

CHAPTER V

Rivals

Sylvia quickly discovered that life at school was a totally different
affair from what it had been at home. She had now very little
opportunity of ever being alone. The solitary readings and pretendings
with which she had been wont to amuse herself were impossible, for
every hour of the day seemed so well filled with work, walks, and
games, and even in recreation time the other girls constantly claimed
her attention. By the end of a week she had already learnt several
very necessary facts; that orders had to be promptly obeyed without
either dawdling or arguing, that strict punctuality was the rule, and
it was a terrible thing to be even a minute late for classes or meals;
that she was by no means the only important person in the school,
because everybody else thought herself of quite as much consequence,
and some rather more so; that schoolgirls had scant sympathy for
bumps, bruises, tears, headaches, or any other minor woes, and only
said "You baby!" if she complained; and lastly, that, though it seemed
most peculiar to have no one to make a special fuss over her, on the
whole there was so much fun going on that it was a great deal more
interesting than doing lessons by herself with Miss Holt.

The girls of the third class, all of whom could write their ages with
two figures, felt themselves very superior and grown-up in comparison
with the little ones in the Kindergarten. There were seven of these
children, whose ages ranged from six to nine, and as they shared the
playroom with the third form it was the fashion to pet them and take
notice of them. Dolly Camden, Connie's younger sister, was a merry
little soul with the family failing for continually getting into
mischief, and was the chief anxiety of Miss Coleman's life, having a
capacity for spilling water, inking her fingers, tearing her clothes,
and losing her books unequalled by anyone else in her division.

The Camdens were all handfuls, even Rosie, who was sixteen, and might
have been chosen a monitress if she had been more sedate, and
thirteen-year-old Stella, who enlivened the second class with
practical jokes. There was a story in the school that Miss Kaye had
once written to Mrs. Camden to say that Rosie was unmanageable, and
that Mrs. Camden had written back to say that she was very sorry, but
she had never been able to