Peggy Stewart at School

Peggy Stewart at School, by
Gabrielle E.

The Project Gutenberg eBook, Peggy Stewart at School, by Gabrielle E.
Jackson
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: Peggy Stewart at School
Author: Gabrielle E. Jackson

Release Date: July 20, 2007 [eBook #22113]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PEGGY
STEWART AT SCHOOL***
E-text prepared by Roger Frank and the Project Gutenberg Online
Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)

Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which
includes the original illustrations. See 22113-h.htm or 22113-h.zip:
(http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/2/2/1/1/22113/22113-h/22113-h.htm) or
(http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/2/2/1/1/22113/22113-h.zip)

PEGGY STEWART AT SCHOOL
by
GABRIELLE E. JACKSON
Author of "Peggy Stewart at Home," "Silver Heels," "Three Graces"
Series, "Capt. Polly" Series, etc.

The Goldsmith Publishing Co. New York N. Y. Made in U.S.A.
Copyright, 1918 by Barse & Hopkins

CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE BAROMETER FALLING 1 II. RECONSTRUCTION 16 III.
HOSTILITIES SUSPENDED 32 IV. HOSTILITIES RESUMED 48 V.
RUCTIONS! 64 VI. A NEW ORDER OF THINGS 81 VII.
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS SCHOOL 97 VIII. A RIDING LESSON 114
IX. COMMON SENSE AND HORSE SENSE 131 X. TZARITZA AS
DISCIPLINARIAN 149 XI. BEHIND SCENES 167 XII.
CHRISTMAS AT SEVERNDALE 184 XIII. YULETIDE 202 XIV.
AT SEVERNDALE 221 XV. IN SPRING TERM 239 XVI. A
MIDNIGHT SENSATION 256 XVII. A SEND-OFF WITH
FIREWORKS 274
CHAPTER I

THE BAROMETER FALLING
The September morning was warmer and more enervating than
September mornings in Maryland usually are, though the month is
generally conceded to be a trying one. Even at beautiful Severndale
where, if at any point along the river, a refreshing breeze could almost
always be counted upon, the air seemed heavy and lifeless, as though
the intense heat of the summer had taken from it every particle of its
revivifying qualities.
In the pretty breakfast room the long French windows, giving upon the
broad piazza, stood wide open; the leaves upon the great beeches and
maples which graced the extensive lawn beyond, hung limp and
motionless; the sunlight even at that early hour beat scorchingly upon
the dry grass, for there had been little rain during August and the
vegetation had suffered severely; every growing thing was coated like a
dusty miller. But within doors all looked most inviting. The room was
scrupulous; its appointments indicated refined taste and constant care;
the breakfast table, laid for two, was dainty and faultless in its
appointments; our old friend, Jerome, moved about noiselessly, giving
last lingering touches, lest any trifle be omitted which might add to the
comfort and sense of harmony which seemed so much a part of his
young mistress's life. As he straightened a fruit knife here, or set right a
fold of the snowy breakfast cloth, he kept up a low-murmured
monologue after the manner of his race. Very little escaped old
Jerome's sharp eyes and keen ears, and within the past forty-eight hours
they had found plenty to see or hear, for a guest had come to
Severndale. Yes, a most unusual type of guest, too. As a rule
Severndale's guests brought unalloyed pleasure to its young hostess and
her servants, or to her sailor father if he happened to be enjoying one of
his rare leaves, for Captain Stewart had been on sea-duty for many
successive years, preferring it to land duty since his wife's death when
Peggy, his only child, was but six years of age. Severndale had held
only sad memories for him since that day, nearly ten years ago, in spite
of the little girl growing up there, cared for by the old housekeeper and
the servants, some of whom had been on the estate as long as Neil
Stewart could remember.

But nine years had slipped away since Peggy's mother's death, and the
little child had changed into a very lovely young girl, with whom the
father was in reality just becoming acquainted. He had spent more time
with her during the year just passed than he had ever spent in any one
of the preceding nine years, and those weeks had held many startling
revelations for him. When he left her to resume command of his ship,
his mind was in a more or less chaotic state trying to grasp an entirely
new order of things, for this time he was leaving behind him a young
lady of fifteen who, so it seemed to the perplexed man, had jumped
over at least five years as easily as an athlete springs across a hurdle,
leaving the little girl upon the other side forever. When Neil Stewart
awakened to this