Susie shrugged her shoulders. The Specialities generally sat close to each other; and she looked down the table now, and saw that Margaret, and the Bertrams, and Olive Repton were equally absorbed in watching the Vivian girls. Nothing more was said about them, however; and when the meal came to an end Miss Symes took them away with her, to give them brief directions with regard to their work for the morrow. She also supplied them with a number of new books, which Betty received with rapture, for she adored reading, and hitherto had hardly been able to indulge in it. Miss Symes tried to explain to the girls something of the school routine; and she showed each girl her own special desk in the great schoolroom, where she could keep her school-books, and her different papers, pens, pencils, ink, etc. "I cannot tell until to-morrow what forms you will be in, my dears; but I think Betty will probably have a good deal to do with me in her daily tuition; whereas you, Sylvia, and you, Hester, will be under the charge of Miss Oxley. I must introduce you to Miss Oxley to-morrow morning. And now you would like, I am sure, to go to bed. Mrs. Haddo says that you needn't attend prayers to-night, for you have had a long and tiring day; so you may go at once to your room." The girls thanked Miss Symes, and went. They heard voices busily conversing in Fanny's room--eager voices, joined to occasional peals of merry laughter. But they were too tired, too sleepy, and, it may be added, too happy, to worry themselves much over these matters. They were very quickly in bed and sound asleep. Meanwhile Fanny was much enjoying the unstinted praise which her friends were bestowing on the beautiful tea-set which her father had given her. "Oh, but it is perfectly lovely!" exclaimed Olive. "Why, Fan, you are in luck; it's real old Crown Derby!" "Yes," said Fanny; "I thought it was. Whenever father does a thing he does it well." "We'll be almost afraid to drink out of it, Fanny!" exclaimed Julia Bertram. "Fancy, if I were to drop one of those little jewels of cups! Don't the colors just sparkle on them! Oh, if I were to drop it, and it got broken, I don't think I'd ever hold up my head again!" "Well, dear Julia, don't drop it," said Fanny, "and then you will feel all right." Cocoa was already prepared; the rich cake graced the center of the board; the chocolate creams were certainly in evidence; and the girls clustered round, laughing and talking. Fanny was determined to choke back that feeling of uneasiness which had worried her during the whole of that day. She could not tell the Specialities what her cousins had done; she could not--she would not. There must be a secret between them. She who belonged to a society of whom each member had to vow not to have a secret from any other member, was about to break her vow. The girls were in high spirits to-night, and in no mood to talk "sobersides," as Mary Bertram sometimes called their graver discussions.