Produced by Louise Pryor, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net THE REBELLION OF MARGARET BY GERALDINE MOCKLER AUTHOR OF "THE GIRLS OF ST. BEDE'S," ETC. ILLUSTRATED BY ARTHUR TWIDLE LONDON JARROLD & SONS, 10 & 11, Warwick Lane, E.C. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. Margaret's Dream Friend II. Margaret overhears a Conversation III. Margaret starts on a Journey IV. Margaret makes a Friend V. Eleanor Carson VI. Margaret and Eleanor change Names VII. Mrs. Murray meets the Train VIII. Maud Danvers IX. The Danvers Family X. Eleanor at Windy Gap XI. A Practical Joke XII. Eleanor meets Margaret's Aunt XIII. Hilary turns Detective XIV. The Hour of Reckoning XV. An Unexpected Visitor XVI. Conclusion LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS "Margaret!" said the Old Man, breaking into speech at last, and in a very harsh voice: "What Folly is this?" "I am going for a Walk into the Town," she said, shyly Maud swung round and saw Margaret standing with a Pile of Letters by her Mother's Chair Eleanor turned to the Piano, and ran her Fingers Lightly over the Keys "That Girl," pointing a lean, accusing Finger at Eleanor, "is not my Granddaughter Margaret" CHAPTER I MARGARET'S DREAM FRIEND "Margaret Anstruther! Margaret Anstruther! Margaret Anstruther!" It was a sultry afternoon in early July. The sun was shining out of a cloudless blue sky, the air was so still and so overpoweringly hot that it seemed to have sent every living creature, save the owner of the voice that was calling upon Margaret Anstruther, to sleep, for no answer was returned to the thrice repeated call, and the silence which the summons had broken settled once more over the garden. Not a leaf on even one of the topmost twigs of the huge old elms from underneath which that insistent voice had come was stirring, not an insect chirped, and the birds who held morning and evening concerts among the branches were silent now. "Margaret Anstruther, will you come and play tennis? My brothers Reginald and Lionel want a game, and if you will play we shall be four, and because you have not had much practice lately you shall play with Reginald, for he plays better than Lionel." Greystones was noted for its elm-trees. The grounds, indeed, contained little else in the shape of flowers or trees but elms. For a few brief weeks in spring when they were dressed in the tenderest of greens they were lovely, and in the autumn, if the leaves were not stripped off by gales before they had a chance to turn golden, their hues could vie with those flaunted by any other trees, but in the summer their dull, uniform green was apt to become monotonous, and Margaret Anstruther was then wont to declare that she could cheerfully have rooted up every one of them.