witness her arrival. The glimpse the girls got of her was distinctly
disappointing. She wore a tweed coat and skirt, and the orthodox
Briarcroft "sailor", with its narrow band and badge.

"I thought she'd have come in a velvet coat and a big picture hat full
of feathers!" said Barbara, with rueful surprise in her tone.

"I never dreamt she'd drive up in only a station cab!" said Norah Bell.
"Why didn't she arrive in her own motor?"

When Leonora was introduced by Miss Poppleton to her schoolfellows at
tea-time, she certainly did not answer the expectations which had been
formed of her. She was short and rather squat, with heavy features and
nondescript eyes and hair.

"A most stodgy-looking girl," whispered Hetty. "I don't take to her at
all. She's not one half as nice as Gipsy. By the by, where is Gipsy? I
haven't seen her since four o'clock."

Gipsy came in just then, and took her seat at the table, looking cold
and rather dejected.

"Where've you been?" whispered Hetty.

"Arranging my new room. Didn't you know? I've been moved out of our
dormitory to make way for Leonora. Miss Edith carried all my things
upstairs this morning."

"How sickening! Is that girl to have your bed?"

"Of course."

"And where are you put?"

"In that little box-room on the top floor. The boxes are all piled at
one end, to make room for a camp bed."

"You don't mean it? Well, I didn't think Poppie was capable of such a
horrid piece of nastiness."

"There's no other place for me at present. I may be extremely grateful
to have that attic, so I'm informed. You forget I'm a charity girl!"
said Gipsy bitterly.

Poor Gipsy was smarting sorely from a brief conversation she had had
with Miss Poppleton. The Principal had reminded her in very plain terms
of her dependent position, and had questioned and cross-questioned her
as to whether she could remember any possible clue by which her father's
whereabouts might be traced. Gipsy had already told all she knew, so the
fresh catechism only seemed to her like the probing of an old wound. She
felt so utterly helpless, so unable to offer any suggestions, or any way
out of the difficulty. But she stuck tenaciously to her faith in her
father.

"Dad promised to come back for me, and he will!" she said, with a gleam
in her dark eyes.

"I'm afraid I know more of the world than you do, Gipsy, and it looks
bad--very bad indeed!" replied Miss Poppleton, with a dismal shake of
her head. "Some m