The Rebel of the School | Page 7

the school
Cassandra was one of the first arrivals. She was standing in the wide
courtyard waiting for the school doors to be opened. She looked, as
usual, bright and capable. A stream of girls were surrounding her, each
smiling and trying to draw her attention. Cassandra was a girl of few
words, and after nodding to her companions, she gave them to
understand that she did not intend to enter into any special conversation.
Her neat satchel of school-books was slung on her arm. She wore a
very dark-blue serge dress, and her white sailor-hat looked correct and
pretty on her shining brown hair. Cassandra, with her face beaming as
the sun, made a sort of figure-head for the smaller girls. Presently three
foundation girls entered the gates side by side and glanced up at her.
This trio formed perhaps the most objectionable set in the school. One
was called Kate Rourke; she was a girl of fifteen years of age, showily
dressed, with flashing eyes, long earrings in her ears, false jewellery
round her neck, and a smart, rather shabby hat, trimmed with a lot of
flowers, placed at the back of her head. Hanging on Kate's arm might
have been seen Hannah Johnson, in all respects that young lady's
double. Clara Sawyer, a fair-haired little girl about fourteen, with a
heavy fringe right down to her eyebrows, completed the trio.

They glanced at Cassandra, and then nodded to one another and joked
and laughed.
"I have no doubt," said Kate, "that Cassie will take her up."
She said the word "Cassie" in a loud voice. Cassandra heard her, but
she took not the slightest notice.
"She is safe to," continued Kate. "Now, such a girl oughtn't to be on the
foundation at all. If you only knew the snubbing she gave me yesterday.
I quite hate her, with all her pretty face and her mincing ways."
"Never mind, Kitty," said Hannah Johnson. "She may snub you as
much as she likes, but you have got me to cling on to."
"And you've got me, too, Kitty," said Clara Sawyer. She snuggled close
up to Kate and slipped her hand through her arm.
"Nasty thing!" said Hannah. "I feel every word you say, Kate. Do you
know, I offered to walk home with her yesterday, and she said, 'No, I
thank you; I prefer to walk home alone,'"
As Hannah made this speech she adopted the mincing tones which she
supposed Ruth Craven had used. The two other girls burst out laughing.
"Oh, do say what you are laughing about!" said another girl, running up
to the group at this moment. Her name was Rosy Myers. "You always
have a joke among you three, and I want to share it. Do say--do say!
I've got a lot of toffee in my pocket."
"Hand it out, Rosy, and perhaps we'll tell you," said Kate.
Rose produced a packet of sticky sweetmeat, and a moment later the
four were sucking peppermint toffee and making themselves
thoroughly objectionable to their neighbors.
"But what about the girl--the person you are laughing about?" asked
Rose.

"Oh, it's that stupid, tiresome Ruth Craven," answered Hannah. "Why,
she's nobody. The governors and the mistress ought not to allow such a
girl in the school. It's all very well to be on the foundation, but there are
limits. Why, her old grandfather kept nothing better than a huckster's
shop. It doesn't seem right that a girl of that sort should belong to this
school, and then take airs."
"But the question is," said Cassandra suddenly, "does she take airs?"
The girls all stopped talking, and gazed up at Cassandra with
astonishment in their faces.
"I have overheard you," said Miss Weldon calmly. "I presume you are
alluding to Miss Craven?"
"We are talking about Ruth Craven," said Kate Rourke; "and you will
excuse me, Cassie, but I never saw a girl more chock-full of pride. She
is so conceited that she is intolerable."
"I heard of her yesterday, but have not had an opportunity to form any
estimate of her character," continued Cassandra. "I should prefer that
you did not call me Cassie, if you please, Kate. I will watch her and
find out if I agree with you. I only noticed yesterday that she is
remarkably pretty. I will ask her to walk home with me to-day and have
tea. I should like to introduce her to mother."
"Well, I never!" said Hannah. "And you really mean that you would
introduce that girl to Mrs. Weldon?"
"I think so. Yes, I am almost certain. Here she comes. I like her face.
Don't let her hear you giggling, please, Kate; it is very unkind to make
a new girl feel uncomfortable."
Kate smothered a laugh and turned away.