E-text prepared by Suzanne Shell, Mary Meehan, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 18505-h.htm or 18505-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/5/0/18505/18505-h/18505-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/5/0/18505/18505-h.zip) A POPULAR SCHOOLGIRL by ANGELA BRAZIL Illustrated by Balliol Salmon New York Frederick A. Stokes Company Publishers Copyright, 1920, by Frederick A. Stokes Company All Rights Reserved First published in the United States of America, 1921 [Illustration: UNDER THE LANTERNS _Chapter XX_] CONTENTS I. The End of the Holidays II. Opening Day III. Wynch-on-the-Wold IV. Intruder Bess V. The Fifth-form Fete VI. The School Parliament VII. Hockey VIII. An Unpleasant Experience IX. A Hostel Frolic X. The Whispering Stones XI. On Strike XII. The Rainbow League XIII. Quenrede Comes Out XIV. The Peep-hole XV. Brotherly Breezes XVI. An Easter Pilgrimage XVII. The Rivals XVIII. Bess at Home XIX. The Nun's Walk XX. Under the Lanterns XXI. The Abbey Recital Illustrations Under the Lanterns "Let's Call ourselves the Foursome League" A Friend in Need "You look _nice_--you do, _really_, with your hair down" "You may think you know everything, Bess Haselford, but you don't know this!" A Tall Figure, clothed in some White Garment, was gliding towards them A POPULAR SCHOOLGIRL CHAPTER I The End of the Holidays "Ingred! Ingred, old girl! I say, Ingred! Wherever have you taken yourself off to?" shouted a boyish voice, as its owner, jumping an obstructing gooseberry bush, tore around the corner of the house from the kitchen garden on to the strip of rough lawn that faced the windows. "Hullo! Cuckoo! Coo-ee! _In_-gred!" "I'm here all the time, so you needn't bawl!" came in resigned tones from under the shade of a large fuchsia. "You're enough to wake the dead, Chumps! What is it you want now! It's too hot to go a walk till after tea. I'm trying to get ten minutes peace and quiet!" Hereward, otherwise "Chumps," put his feet together in the second position, flung out his arms in what was intended to be a graceful attitude, and made a mock bow worthy of the cinema stage. "Have them by all means, Madam!" he replied in mincing accents. "Your humble servant has no wish to disturb your ladyship's elegant repose. He offers a thousand apologies for his unceremonious entrance into your august presence, and implores you to condescend----_Ow! Stop it, you brute!_"