"Yes, we wondered what they were doing." "Well, it turns out that he's a sanitary inspector, and he's sent a report to Miss Russell to say that the drains are wrong, and must be taken up immediately." "Is that your grand news?" "No, it's only the first part of it. Let me finish, and then you'll see. Dr. Redford says the drains can't possibly be touched while we're all in the house, and yet they must be opened at once. Can't you guess now?" "Miss Russell never means to send us home when we've only just come back?" gasped Lindsay hopefully. "No, not that, though it's nearly as jolly. She's taken a beautiful old manor house in the country, and it's to be our school for the whole of the summer term. We're to go there in a body--girls, and teachers, and servants, and everyone." If Nora had hoped to astonish her companions she had certainly succeeded. They were wild with curiosity, and fired off questions all three together. "Where is it?" "When are we going?" "How did you get to know?" "One at a time, please," said Nora, enjoying her importance. "I met Mildred Roper in the hall just now. Miss Russell has been explaining it to the monitresses, and said they might tell us as soon as they liked. It's a lovely Elizabethan house, at a place called Haversleigh, a long way from here. We're to start next Tuesday." Such a tremendous event as the removal of the school from town to country was without precedent in the annals of Winterburn Lodge. "It's almost too good to be true," cried Cicely rapturously. "It will be like the last day and setting off for the seaside both together," declared Lindsay, waltzing round the seat in the exuberance of her spirits. "Not quite, because we shall have lessons when we get there," corrected Nora. "Well, at any rate it'll be ever so much nicer than being in London." "Hurrah for the old Manor!" shouted Marjorie Butler, clapping her hands. Miss Russell had indeed been much alarmed by the sanitary inspector's report. She was determined to make the change without delay, and hurried on the preparation as speedily as possible. Boxes were brought down from the attic, and teachers and monitresses were kept busy superintending the packing of clothes, linen, schoolbooks, and numberless other articles. For the few days that remained work was relaxed, the headmistress's chief anxiety seeming to be the health of the girls, and her one object to take them away before any sign of illness should break out amongst them. "Miss Russell looked so worried when I told her my head ached," said Nora Proctor. "She asked every one of us afterwards if we had sore throats." "I was silly enough to say I thought mine felt a little scrapy," said Lindsay ruefully. "I soon wished I hadn't, because she gave me a horribly nasty disinfectant lozenge, and told me to suck it slowly until I'd finished it. Ugh! I can taste it yet!" "I'm absolutely sick of the smell of carbolic. There's a jar full in every room," said Cicely.