"I wonder what they've said about me?" speculated Laura, fumbling in her box for the envelope which she had just packed. "And me?" echoed Janet. There is force in example. In another moment Laura, Janet, Irma, and Ethelberga were all perusing their reports. "'Good' for botany! Oh, how precious!" "Wonders will never cease! I've actually got 'fair' for general knowledge." "Oh, hold me up! I've passed muster in maths." "What does Miss Kennedy mean by this: 'sadly lacking in order, and wants more application'? I'm sure I'm no worse than the rest of you," exclaimed Janet indignantly. "Has she put that?" "Yes, I call it spiteful of her!" "Poor old sport!" "It isn't as if I'd been so very behindhand all the term. Miss Kennedy knows I haven't. I declare I shall go and ask her what she means by it!" The offended Janet, in a furious temper, flounced out of the room in search of her form mistress. She found her in the study addressing luggage labels. "Miss Kennedy, I do think it's too bad to give me such a horrid report!" burst out Janet. "Why am I specially 'lacking in application'? I'm sure I've worked just as hard as most of the other girls; and if it's a question of order, Irma's far more untidy than I am, and so is Ethelberga! I don't call it fair. You've no right to say such things about me!" Miss Kennedy looked up in extreme astonishment. "How do you know what I've said about you?" she queried. "Why, it's here, in black and white!" "What paper have you there?" "My report." "Do you mean to say that you have opened your report?" Janet's face fell. She shuffled her feet uneasily, and did not reply. "It was addressed to your father. Who authorized you to open it, I should like to know?" "Well, Avelyn Watson read hers, so we all thought we could read ours," urged Janet in exculpation. "Indeed!" Miss Kennedy's tone was as iced vinegar. "What an extremely honourable proceeding! Miss Thompson will have to hear of this! It's something new in the school for girls to open their parents' letters." Miss Kennedy abandoned the labels she was directing, and went at once in search of the head mistress, to whom she told her astounding tale. Miss Thompson took off her convex glasses, wiped them solemnly, and put them on again. "I couldn't have believed they would have _dared_!" she said, with a note of battle in her voice. "Send Avelyn Watson to me. I must deal with the matter at once." Miss Thompson might not be very tall, but she was thoroughly capable of managing her school. Every inch of her bristled with dignity. Avelyn entered the room a trifle jauntily, but one steady glance from those convex glasses caused her feathers to fall. "Avelyn Watson, I understand that half an hour ago Miss Hopkins gave you a letter addressed to your mother, to take home with you." "Yes, Miss Thompson, but I'm not going home for the holidays."