Monitress Merle | Page 4

two who had worn
the red bathing caps were evidently sisters, for they had the same
clear-cut features, fair complexions, cupid mouths, and beautiful
dark-fringed eyes. Their companion, whose brown hair was drying in
the breeze, was a complete contrast, with her warm brunette colouring

and quick vivacious manner, "like an orchid between two roses," as
Mavis described her later. It was she who spoke first--quite a
conventional inquiry but decidedly to the point.
"Are you staying in Chagmouth?" she asked.
"We've only come over for the day from Durracombe," answered
Merle.
The three strangers looked immediately interested.
"Durracombe! Why, we're going to start school there next week!"
"Never at 'The Moorings'!" gasped Merle excitedly.
"That's the place! Do you go there too? Oh! I say! Do tell us all about it!
We've been just crazy to know what it's like. You two look sports!
What are your names? Are the rest of the school jolly, and is Miss
Pollard nice?"
With such a common interest as 'The Moorings' to talk about, the ice
was completely broken, and the five girls were soon chatting in friendly
fashion.
Mavis and Merle, having given a few details about themselves and how
they often motored over to Chagmouth with Dr. Tremayne, drew in
turn some information from their new acquaintances. The two
fair-haired girls, aged respectively fourteen and thirteen, were Beata
and Romola Castleton, and their father, an artist, had lately removed
from Porthkeverne in Cornwall, and had taken a house at Chagmouth.
Their friend Fay Macleod, a year older than Beata, was an American,
whose father had come to Europe in search of health, and being
attracted to Chagmouth by his love of sketching, had settled there
temporarily for a rest-cure, and was enjoying the quiet and beauty of
the quaint place and its surrounding scenery.
"I suppose you'll all be weekly boarders?" ventured Mavis, when Fay
had finished her communications.

"No, we're to be day-girls. Six of us from Chagmouth are joining in a
car and motoring every morning and being fetched back at
four--ourselves, Nan and Lizzie Colville, and Tattie Carew. It will be
rather a squash to cram six of us into Vicary's car! We've named it 'the
sardine-tin' already. I hope nobody else will want to join us!"
"Babbie Williams is to be a day-girl this term. She lives over there at
The Warren."
"We haven't room for her."
"She's going in their own car."
"That's good news for the sardines! I was thinking some of us would
have to ride on the footboard or the luggage-carrier. Is Babbie fair, with
bobbed hair? Then I've seen her in church. Seven of us from
Chagmouth! We ought to make quite a clique in the school!"
"Oh, we don't want any cliques," said Merle quickly. "We had enough
of that sort of thing when Opal was there. Miss Pollard told mother that
the new mistress, Miss Mitchell, is going to reorganise everything, and
bring it up to date, so I expect we shall find a great many changes when
we start again. Have you been at school before?"
"Romola and I went to The Gables at Porthkeverne," replied Beata.
"We loved it, and we were dreadfully sorry to leave. Fay, of course, has
been at school in America."
"And we used to go to a big High school in the north until we came to
Durracombe. 'The Moorings' seemed a tiny place at first, and then we
grew to love it. We adore Miss Pollard and Miss Fanny. I hope you'll
like them too! I'm so glad we've met you, because we'll know you when
you arrive at school, and we can show you round. I'm afraid we shall
have to be going now, because Uncle David will be back from the
sanatorium and waiting for us. Thanks most immensely for the tea.
We'll look out for you on Tuesday. Good-bye!"
As Mavis and Merle walked back along the cliffs to Chagmouth their

tongues wagged fast in discussion of their new acquaintances. Mavis
was charmed with Beata and Romola, and Merle had utterly lost her
heart to Fay.
"I feel as if I could like her!" she declared. "She's a sport, and really we
want somebody to wake us up a little at 'The Moorings.' I believe this
term is going to be jolly. My spirits are rising and I see fun ahead. I
only wish Daddy could go and live at Chagmouth and we could go to
school every day in 'the sardine-tin.' They'll have the time of their lives,
the luckers! Don't I envy them, just!"
"I don't think I'd like to be packed quite so tight, thanks!" objected
Mavis. "On the whole, I much prefer going backwards and forwards to
Chagmouth in Uncle David's car. Merle! Do you know it's