Elsie Craig will show you everything." Elsie made no remark to Irene--perhaps she was shy--but, starting off at a quick pace, led her down a long passage into a room on the ground floor.

It was a pleasant room with a French window that opened out on to a veranda, where, over a marble balustrade, there was a view of an orange garden and the sea.

Round a table were collected several older girls, watching with deep interest a kettle, which was beginning to sing, upon a spirit-lamp.

They looked up with surprise as Elsie ushered in the new pupil.
"Hello! You don't mean to tell us there's another of them!" exclaimed a dark girl with a long pigtail.

"We've had two already! Why are they pouring on us to-day, I should like to know?
It's a perfect deluge." "I hate folks butting in when the term has begun," said another grumpily.
"We shall be swamped with 'freshies' soon," grunted the owner of the spirit-lamp.