A Modern Tomboy | Page 2

summer lane. Girls in different-colored dresses, with bright
faces, eager eyes, suddenly appeared in view. The wagonette drew up
at the gate, and Mrs. Merriman, to Lucy's disgust, went impulsively
forward.
"Here you all are, dears!" she said. "Oh, I am so glad to welcome you!
Now, you must tell me who's who. Won't you get down? It will be nice
to stretch your legs in walking up the avenue. Your luggage, of course,
is coming in the cart which was sent to meet the train.--Tell me, my
love, are you Laura Everett?"
Mrs. Merriman darted forward and took the somewhat irresponsive
hand of a tall, pale girl, who replied languidly that her name was Jane
Denton.
"I beg your pardon, dear--I do truly. Then which is Laura? For I want to
welcome the dear child of a very dear friend of my youth."
A girl with a merry face, bright blue eyes, and fair hair now extricated
herself from the group of her companions. "I am Laura," she said, "and

this is my friend Annie."
Mrs. Merriman rapturously kissed both girls.
"Welcome to Sunnyside!" she said. "You may be certain I will do my
utmost to make you happy. This is my daughter Lucy."
"Can I show you the house, Miss Everett?" said Lucy, speaking stiffly;
"and will you come, too, Miss Millar?"
The three girls went on in front.
"I must get to know the rest of you," said Mrs. Merriman, who was too
much accustomed to Lucy to mind her ways. "Which is--now let me
guess--which is Phyllis Flower? I am longing to know her. And which
is Rosamund Cunliffe?--Jane Denton, I shall not forget you, dear. I am
so glad to see you."
Here Mrs. Merriman gave Jane's hand an affectionate squeeze.
"And Agnes Sparkes--I have not noticed Agnes Sparkes. I am sure
you--whoever you are, but I can't quite make out yet--will be the wit of
the school. Ah! you are Agnes Sparkes?" and Mrs. Merriman pounced
upon a small, very thin, dark girl, with no beauty whatever about her.
A peal of laughter greeted her ears. "Indeed, I am Phyllis Flower," said
the young lady in question; and Mrs. Merriman started back with a look
of disappointment. "You thought because I had rather a pretty name
that I'd look it," continued the girl. "But I do not--I am neither witty nor
beautiful, and I know I am not clever. I have got just nothing but my
name. I'd rather like to live up to it; but somehow I don't think I can.
Perhaps I may at Sunnyside. It seems such a novel idea to come to a
sort of home school like this, and not to be treated a bit formally. Thank
you so much, Mrs. Merriman!" and Phyllis held out a small, neatly
gloved hand and clasped Mrs. Merriman's, looking at her all the time
with delight beaming in her eyes.
The other girls followed suit. They managed to introduce themselves

one by one, and presently Mrs. Merriman was seen trotting contentedly
down the avenue, followed by her new pupils. She looked something
like a well-groomed pony herself, and the girls were much amused at
her way of greeting them, and so thoroughly pleased that peals of
laughter reached the displeased ears of Lucy, who was waiting with
Annie and Laura in the porch.
"Really," thought Lucy, "poor mother gets worse and worse. What sort
of school will this be? Not the slightest vestige of order, and all these
girls being spoken to at the gate. Mother has no dignity. It is really
terrible. I shall be glad when Miss Archer and Mademoiselle Omont
come. How are we to spend the present evening?"
The girls themselves seemed to arrange that matter. Having lost all
shyness with regard to Mrs. Merriman, they were not likely to feel it
towards Lucy. They accordingly requested to be taken into the house,
and were much pleased with the arrangements made for their comfort.
The old house of Sunnyside was one of the prettiest in the southwest of
England. It had spacious grounds, beautiful gardens, and the rooms
themselves, although somewhat low, were large and numerous. One or
two girls had a room each, and the others were arranged two in a room,
with a curtain between.
When Mrs. Merriman started the idea of a small school for the special
education of special girls, she had spared no expense to have
everything done in as thoroughly nice a manner as possible; and the
girls themselves were delighted, and showed their appreciation by
behaving in a hoydenish and school-girl fashion. They laughed and
joked with each other, declaring that Mrs. Merriman was quite too
funny for anything, but that she was also an old dear; that Lucy was
rather a nuisance,