I always brought my hat and jacket down with me when I came to breakfast; now I put them on and went off to school. I really was very ridiculous; but I always was wanting in common-sense. I forced myself to believe that father's letter was a sort of practical joke, and I was comfortably conning over the fact that we would have another jolly evening to-night, and that he doubtless would have forgotten all about having ever put pen to paper when he returned home, when I saw a number of my schoolfellows waiting for me just round the corner which led into the great school. Amongst them was Augusta Moore. But Augusta Moore, who might have been a sort of refuge from the ordinary girls, was now flanked on the right hand by Rita Swan and on the left by Agnes Swan; and there were several other girls behind this trio. When they saw me they all shouted, "Here she is! Here she is!" and they made for me in a body. I stood still when I saw them advancing. It wasn't that they came slowly; they came in a great rush as from a catapult. They drew up when they got within a few inches of me. Then Rita said, "We were making a bet about you." "A bet?" I said. "What do you mean?" "Augusta said you would come; Agnes and I said you wouldn't." "Why should I come?" I said. "Well," exclaimed Rita, "I know most girls would take a holiday on the day after their father's wedding. Most girls would--but you!" "What do you mean?" I said. My face was as white as a sheet then, I knew, for I felt very cold, and my eyes were smarting, and that dimness was coming over them again. "Oh, there, there!" said Augusta Moore. She wrenched herself away from the Swans, and came up to me and took my hand. I don't exactly know what followed next; I only knew that there was a great buzzing, and a number of people were talking, and I knew that Augusta went on saying, "There, there, dear!" Finally I found myself walking away from school, led by Augusta--away from school, and towards home. I was making no protest of any sort whatever. At last we reached our own house, and Augusta looked wistfully at the tall steps which led to the front door; but she said, "I am not coming in with you, for I know you would rather be alone. It must be a fearful trial for you to have that noble, exalted father of yours united in marriage to such a very commonplace woman as Miss Donnithorne. I feel for you, from the bottom of my heart. Kiss me; I am truly sorry for you." Of course, I could not go to school that day. I allowed Augusta to print a little kiss--a tiny, tiny kiss--on my forehead, and then I waited until Hannah opened the door. I felt so stupid that perhaps I should not have rung the bell at all; but Augusta, roused out of herself for the time being, had performed this office for me, and when Hannah opened the door I crept into the house and sank down on a chair.