The Nicest Girl in the School: A Story of School Life Page 5

  CHAPTER V

  The Arithmetic Examination

  Patty's first letter home was, after all, a far more genuinely cheerfulone than she had expected. She thought it better not to say anythingabout Muriel's behaviour, knowing it would greatly distress her fatherand mother, so only mentioned that she had made friends with herfellow-travellers in the train, and how much she liked them. To beincluded in such a pleasant set certainly made all the differencebetween happiness and unhappiness at The Priory. Enid seemed determinedto make up to Patty for the neglect she had experienced at first, andtook great pains not only to show her the ways of the school, but to seethat she took her due part in the tennis sets and other games. MissLincoln had arranged the afternoon exercise as systematically as themorning lessons, with the object of obtaining as much variety aspossible. Twice weekly the girls played hockey under the direction ofMiss Latimer, the gymnastic mistress; twice also they were taken forwalks in the neighbourhood; and on the remaining Wednesday and Saturdayafternoons, which were regarded as half-holidays, they were allowed toamuse themselves as they liked, though they were required to beout-of-doors if the weather permitted. The judicious combination of workand play made the daily round both pleasant and healthy. The girls hadenough lessons to keep them occupied, yet their brains were notover-taxed, and the hours spent in the open air ensured rosy cheeks andgood appetites. When once she had settled down in her freshsurroundings, and the longing for home had become less keen, Patty foundlife at The Priory very congenial--whether in class, where Miss Harpermade every subject so interesting; in the refectory, where she now satin great content between Enid and Avis; or in the playing fields, whereshe was beginning to understand the mysteries of hockey, and to growquite clever at putting, which was a favourite substitute for golf. Sheenjoyed the atmosphere of a large school, the little excitements, andthe hundred-and-one topics of conversation which seemed continually tobe discussed by those around her. After having been the eldest at home,and the head pupil at Miss Dawson's, with so much to overlook and toarrange for others, it was quite a relief to find herself among theyounger ones, and she would listen with enthusiasm to the speeches ofthe prefects in the debating society, and watch their prowess at hockeywith never-failing admiration. She had not yet dared to speak to any ofthe big girls; but they seemed so clever and important in her eyes, thatshe felt pleased if she might only stand near while they were talking,and proud indeed if she happened to be included in the same team withsome of them.

  Naturally, her new life was not without its troubles. After MissDawson's easy methods, she found it needed all her energies to keep upto the high standard required by Miss Harper. She worked her hardestboth in school hours and preparation, but even with her best efforts itwas not always possible to win approbation from her teacher, and hermost careful exercises were often returned with ruthlessly severecomments. Her companions in No. 7 were also uncongenial. They werethemselves members of the Upper Fourth, and though they now spoke toher, and were to a certain degree more civil, they were not really niceand friendly, and often made her feel she was not wanted in the bedroom.They were willing enough to accept any of the kind little serviceswhich she was generally ready to perform, allowed her to tidy the room,to throw open the windows, to go to the bathroom to fetch the large canof hot water which was to be divided among the four basins; indeed, theybegan to depend so much upon her, that if a button needed stitching onhastily, a blouse fastening at the back, or a lost article must besearched for, they all said "Ask Patty", without the least hesitation,knowing that she would not refuse, and never seemed too busy to helpother people. Of her cousin Patty saw little, and that little wasunfortunately far from pleasant. Muriel seemed determined to show thatalthough they might both be in the same school, and even in the sameclass, she did not intend to be compromised by their relationship. Shewas a very vain girl, who thought much of her parents' wealth andposition. She considered Patty's advent would not bring her any greatcredit among the set of companions whom she had chosen, whose standardconsisted mainly of pretty clothes and worldly possessions, and she wasannoyed that her father should have wished to give her cousin the sameadvantages as herself. She lost no opportunity of slighting Patty, neverby any chance sat next to her, always chose the opposite side in a game,and on many small occasions made herself actively disagreeable. Pattybore it as patiently as she could. She ventured once to remonstrate inprivate, but the result was so unfortunate, that she determined shewould not try the experiment again. Evidently the only thing to be donewas to acknowledge the estrangement, and to keep out of Muriel's way asmuch as possible. Her uncle's letter, however, weighed on her mind. Howwas she to prove her cousin's friend so entirely against her will? PoorPatty's conscience, always a tender one, even accused her of acceptingUncle Sidney's kindness without fulfilling his conditions, and shesometimes wondered whether she was justified in remaining at The Priory,when she was not able to play the part he had designed for her.

  "And yet," she thought, "it's not my fault in the least. I'm ready anytime to help her if she'll let me. Perhaps an opportunity may come someday, and in the meantime, however horrid she is to me, I won't sayanything disagreeable back. That's one resolve I mean to stick to, atany rate, though it's hard sometimes, when she says such nasty things."

  The Fourth Form seemed split up into a good many small sections. Thelower division kept mostly to itself, and in the upper division therewere several sets. Muriel and her three friends, for no good reason atall, considered themselves slightly superior to the rest of the class,and put on many airs in consequence, a state of affairs which was muchresented by Enid Walker and Winnie Robinson, who, with Avis Wentworth,had a clique of their own, in which they now included Jean Bannerman andPatty. Doris Kennedy, May Firth, and Ella Johnson, the three girls whoshared Patty's bedroom, made a separate little circle with BeatriceWynne, while Cissie Gardiner and Maggie Woodhall were such bosom friendsthat they did not want anybody else's society. Patty found the likingshe had taken to Jean Bannerman increased on further acquaintance. Jeanwas a most pleasant companion; she was interesting and sympathetic, andwhile ready enough for fun, was more staid and thoughtful than Enid,though the latter's amusing nonsense and bright, warm-hearted ways madeher very attractive. Poor Enid was often in trouble; her lively tonguecould not resist talking in class or whispering during preparationhours. She was ready enough to respect Miss Harper, but she was apt todefy Miss Rowe's authority, a form of insubordination which generallyended in disastrous consequences. Patty, in common with most of theclass, found it rather difficult to get on with Miss Rowe. It felt hardto be corrected sharply for some slight slip, and to be expected toobey every trivial order as promptly as soldiers on parade duty. Thegirls resented the young teacher's imperious manner, and were sometimeson the verge of rebellion.

  "She's only about five years older than we are," declared Enid, "if somuch. I believe she's younger than my sister Adeline at home, so it'sabsurd to be expected to behave as if she were Miss Lincoln. She'sreally not much more than a monitress, although she's called amistress."

  "She makes so many tiresome, silly rules," said Winnie. "Miss Harpernever thinks of telling us to sit with our arms folded, or all to openour books at exactly the same moment, and to place our pencils on theright-hand side of our desks. One feels like a kindergarten baby withMiss Rowe. She ought to teach children of six."

  "I wish she didn't take arithmetic, at any rate," groaned Avis. "I nevercan get my sums right, especially those horrid problem ones she's sofond of. The more she explains, the more muddled I feel, and then shesays I'm the stupidest girl in the class, and tells Miss Lincoln it's nouse sending me in for the 'Cambridge', because she's sure I shouldn'tpass."

  "She's good at mathematics herself," said Winnie, "and she thinks thatanyone who isn't hasn't got brains. All my problem sums were wrongyesterday, and I got a bad mark. I hope she won't put too many of themin the exam. to-day."

  "If she does we'll go on strike, and say we can't do the paper. I can
'tpossibly calculate where two people will meet each other on the road, ifthey start from different points at different times. I should think itdepends how often they sit down to rest, or stop to talk to friends onthe way, or how fast they want to get to the end of their journey," saidAvis.

  "There was that dreadful problem about dividing oranges amongschoolboys," continued Winnie. "If I know anything of boys, they'd havethrown them down and scrambled for them; it would have been a far easierway of settling it. I always feel my head ache after trying to reckonthose absurd things."

  Every fortnight the class had a small examination in arithmetic, whichwas almost as solemn an affair as those held at the end of the term.Among other rules, Miss Rowe had decided that the girls, instead ofremaining at their own desks, should all change places and sit accordingto her directions, her object being to separate those kindred spiritswho, she considered, might be tempted to whisper or otherwisecommunicate with each other if left in too close proximity. By this newarrangement Patty found herself seated next to Muriel. Enid was at thedesk behind, and it was therefore impossible to exchange even a smilewith her without deliberately turning round. For some time the classworked away steadily and in silence. Occasionally a girl would so farforget herself as to count aloud, but a glare from Miss Rowe wouldinstantly recall her to a sense of the enormity of such a misdeed.Naughty Enid managed to draw a cat on the margin of her blotting paper,and held it up for an admiring comrade to see; and Beatrice Wynne gave aterrific yawn, for which she was told to lose an order mark. Patty hadbeen struggling for a long time with a difficult sum in compoundproportion, and having just finished it, paused for a moment to take arest. She presently became aware that Muriel, with lips pursed up as ifforming the word "Hush!" was trying to attract her attention, and thatMuriel's hand was secretly passing her a small note under cover of thedesk. She opened it at once. It ran thus:

  "How do you state Question 5? Ought the answer to be in bales of silk ordays?"

  Now Patty had only been a fortnight at The Priory; she knew little ofthe rules of a large school, and this was the first real classexamination in which she had ever taken part. At Miss Dawson's schoolshe was accustomed to help any girl who applied to her for aid, andindeed had often taught the younger ones how to work new rules, with thefull sanction and approval of the mistress. She did not yet understandthat an examination was a test of individual knowledge, and that noassistance must be either asked for or given. The only thing sherealized was that Muriel wanted to know something which it was in herpower to explain. She moved, therefore, as close to her cousin as shecould, and, leaning over towards the latter's desk, took up her paper ofquestions.

  "I've just finished it myself, and it comes out nicely in bales ofsilk," she whispered.

  "Patty Hirst!" cried Miss Rowe, springing up in horrified indignation."Do you know that any girl detected in the act of copying must instantlyleave the examination?"

  "Please, Miss Rowe, I wasn't copying," returned Patty, with somesurprise.

  "But I saw you deliberately look at your neighbour's paper."

  "I wanted to show her something," explained Patty.

  "Indeed!" said Miss Rowe incredulously. "You know perfectly well thatall communication is strictly forbidden. Muriel, did you ask Pattyanything?"

  "I didn't speak at all, Miss Rowe," replied Muriel hastily.

  "I am glad to hear it. Patty, take your papers at once and come to thistable by the window. One of our first principles at The Priory is thestrictest honesty in our work."

  "But indeed I never intended----" began Patty.

  "Do as you are told, or leave the room!" commanded Miss Rowe in her mostdecisive tone. "I cannot have the examination interrupted."

  Patty gathered up her papers and obeyed in silence. She saw that she hadbeen suspected of trying to cheat, and the injustice of the accusationwas hard to bear. It was impossible to clear herself without involvingMuriel, and she hated to tell tales. She felt it was too bad of hercousin thus to let her bear all the blame, for Muriel, even if she hadnot spoken, had put the question in writing, so that she had practicallytold an untruth to Miss Rowe when she denied any knowledge of theaffair. Would the other girls in the class, Patty asked herself, alsothink she was trying to copy her neighbour's sums and gain an unfairadvantage? To such an honourable nature the idea was terrible, and shelonged to protest her innocence. Perhaps nobody would be friends withher any more if they believed her capable of such conduct, and shewould be lonely again, as she had been at first. The little occurrence,though it only occupied a few minutes, completely disturbed theexamination as far as she was concerned. She found it no longer possibleto concentrate her mind on her sums. In the midst of adding up a columnher thoughts were busy trying to imagine some explanation which mightperhaps be given without betraying Muriel, and as no solution of thedifficulty occurred to her, she found herself going over the samefigures again and again without in the least realizing what she wasdoing. Matters, however, were not quite so desperate as she supposed.

  Enid's sharp eyes had taken in the whole situation. From her seat behindshe had seen Muriel hand the note to Patty, and had also noticed thatthe little piece of paper had fallen on to the floor underneath thedesk. Putting out her foot, she managed to draw it nearer to her, then,dropping her pocket handkerchief, she stooped and picked up the twotogether, without anybody noticing that she had done so. She put thecrumpled note with her handkerchief into her pocket, and went on withher examination, determined to sift the affair afterwards, and to takeup the cudgels boldly on Patty's account. At eleven o'clock all paperswere tied and handed in to Miss Rowe, and the girls filed out of theroom. Enid saw Muriel glance cautiously at the floor under Patty's desk,as if searching for her note, and laughed to herself to think that shehad already secured it.

  "Are you looking for anything?" she asked, meaningly.

  "Oh, dear, no!" returned Muriel. "At least, I thought I'd dropped apiece of indiarubber; but it doesn't matter, I've two or three others."

  Enid waited a moment to let her pass, then, following, found all theclass collected in a group outside the pantry door, talking over theexamination and comparing the answers to the sums.

  "What have you got for No. 5, Vera?" said Kitty Harrison. "Wasn't it amost horribly difficult one?"

  "Dreadful! I couldn't do it at all. I got my statements in such amuddle, I had to leave it."

  "What's your answer, Muriel?" asked Cissie Gardiner.

  "270 bales of silk, but I don't believe it's right."

  "Most of the others have 340 bales."

  "Which others?"

  "Why, Patty Hirst, and Beatrice Wynne, and Ella Johnson. Patty has mostof her sums right, I think."

  "She may well have," sneered Maud Greening, "if she copies otherpeople's," she added under her breath.

  "I don't even look at anyone else when I'm working," observed Muriel,pointedly.

  "We've never had cheating in the Upper Fourth before," put in VeraClifford.

  "It's only the kind of thing one might expect, though," said KittyHarrison. "Some people aren't as particular as we are."

  Poor Patty, who was standing near, flushed red with indignation at theseimputations, but did not know how to defend herself. Enid, however, flewto the rescue.

  "Look here!" she cried. "If you've anything you want to say, I wishyou'd say it straight out, instead of these back shots. If you thinkPatty was trying to cheat this morning, I can tell you you're muchmistaken."

  "Oh! you've taken up Patty Hirst," said Maud, "and of course you sayshe's always in the right. I'm afraid it's no use your trying to makeexcuses for her."

  "I don't want to," declared Enid. "I only want the truth, and Murielknows perfectly well that it was mostly her fault."

  "I don't know anything about it," said Muriel. "I can't help peoplelooking over my shoulder."

  "Not when you ask them to!"

  "I don't know what you mean."

  "Copying is called sneaking in boys' schools," said Kitt
y Harrison.

  "And so are other things," said Enid. "Look, girls! what do you think ofthis? I saw Muriel pass it to Patty during the exam."

  She drew the piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it round foreverybody to see. It was written in Muriel's rather peculiarhandwriting, so there was no possibility of a mistake. There it was inblack and white: "How do you state Question 5? Ought the answer to be inbales of silk or days?"

  It was Muriel's turn now to flush red; she really had not a word to sayfor herself, and turned hastily away. Her three friends looked extremelyblank, and Maud Greening murmured something about a mistake.

  "Well," exclaimed Cissie Gardiner, "who talked about cheating, I shouldlike to know?"

  "And said it was called sneaking?" said Maggie Woodhall.

  "I think some people can be very deceitful," said Winnie Robinson.

  "She oughtn't to have been going to show Muriel how to work sums in themiddle of the exam., though," said May Firth.

  "She doesn't understand exams.; she never had them at her otherschool," explained Enid, "so she didn't really know she oughtn't. Didyou, Patty?"

  "Indeed I didn't," declared Patty. "I won't do such a thing anothertime."

  "Well, there's a vast difference, at any rate, between wanting to helppeople and trying to copy their sums," said Winnie.

  "I hope you all thoroughly understand the matter now," said Enid.

  "If I were Patty I should want that note to be shown to Miss Rowe,"suggested Cissie Gardiner.

  "It's exactly what I'm going to do with it. Give it me back at once!"cried Enid. "Muriel thoroughly deserves to get into trouble."

  "No, Enid, please don't; I beg you won't!" pleaded Patty.

  "Why not?"

  "Because I don't want you to."

  "But why? Miss Rowe ought to hear about it."

  "Oh, it really doesn't matter! Now that all of you know I didn't mean tocheat, I don't care. I hate tell-tales."

  "I should care," declared Winnie.

  "It's no use getting Muriel into trouble," said Patty.

  "It would serve Muriel right," said Enid, indignantly. "Patty, you're agreat deal too good-natured."

  "No, I'm not. Please let me have the note, Enid."

  "I don't think I will."

  "But it's mine. It was written to me, remember."

  Enid relinquished the incriminating piece of paper very reluctantly, andlooked on with disfavour while Patty tore it to shreds.

  "I'm fond of justice," she said, "and Muriel Pearson has got off tooeasily. Patty, I'm not sure if you're not a little too good for thisworld! I couldn't have torn that note up myself, and yet on the whole Ilike you for it. You're one of the nicest girls I've ever known!" Andthrowing her arm affectionately round Patty's waist, she walked with heralong the passage to the classroom.

  During an interval in the hockey practice that afternoon, Muriel foundan opportunity to speak to her cousin.

  "How stupid you were this morning, Patty!" she said. "What possessed youto lean over my desk and whisper?"

  "What else could I do, when you'd asked me how to work that sum?"replied Patty.

  "Why, of course you should have written me a note back, and handed it tome underneath the desk."

  "But I'm afraid that wouldn't have been fair," objected Patty.

  "Quite as fair as whispering."

  "I didn't know either was wrong. You shouldn't have asked me."

  "Oh, don't begin preaching to me! You contrived to make it veryunpleasant for me, at any rate, and I shan't soon forget."

  "Muriel! You know I never meant----"

  "I don't care what you meant. Enid Walker has been telling PhyllisChambers, and Phyllis won't put my name down for the hockey final. It'stoo bad."

  "I'm dreadfully sorry."

  "What's the use of being sorry? You should have managed better. I'm outof the match on Friday, and it's entirely your fault. I wish you'd nevercome to The Priory at all!" And Muriel walked away with such a sulkyexpression on her face, that no one at that moment would have called herpretty.

  Patty knew it was no use trying to justify herself further. Muriel wasdetermined to be angry, and having secured what she considered agrievance against her, would make that an excuse for avoiding heraltogether. She could only hope that her cousin would not give adistorted version of the story in any of her letters home, and allowUncle Sidney to believe that she had been unkind. That would indeed bemost unjust, especially as she would have no opportunity of everexplaining the true facts of the case.

  "She surely couldn't!" thought Patty. "It would be too untruthful. Ihope she never mentions me at all when she writes. Oh, dear! How hard itis when you know you ought to be friends with someone and you can't! Ifonly Muriel were Enid or Jean, how different it would be! I shouldn'thave a single trouble left in the world, and life at The Priory would bejust delightful."