E-text prepared by Roger Frank and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.fadedpage.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 32992-h.htm or 32992-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/32992/pg32992-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32992/32992-h.zip) THE YOUNGEST GIRL IN THE SCHOOL by EVELYN SHARP Author of 'The Making of a Schoolgirl,' 'Wymps,' Etc. With Illustrations by C. E. Brock New York The Macmillan Company London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd. 1906 All rights reserved Copyright, 1901, By the Macmillan Company. Set up and electrotyped September, 1901. Reprinted January, 1902. New edition September, 1906. Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass. U.S.A. TO THE PROFESSOR ILLUSTRATIONS Page 'May I--may I have all that?' 27 'Look here, Babs,' she began, smoothing the mop of tangled hair 45 'What in the name of wonder are you children doing down there?' 99 Five heads suddenly appeared at the open window 108 'Dear me!' he said, slightly taken aback 175 'Hullo!' said Jean. 'What's the matter?' 184 'Tell me, Herr Doktor' 261 'So he got Jill' 310 CHAPTER I IN A LONDON SCHOOLROOM 'It's no good,' sighed Barbara, looking disconsolately round the room; 'we shall never get straight in time. Don't you think we had better leave it, and let Auntie Anna see us as we really are? She will only be disappointed afterwards, if we begin by being tidy; and I don't like disappointing people, do you?' There was a shout of laughter when she finished speaking, and Barbara frowned. She never knew why the boys laughed at her when she tried to explain her reasons for doing things, but they always did. 'Is that why you have put on your very shortest frock?' asked Wilfred, who was brewing something in a saucepan over the fire. 'I believe you think that if Auntie Anna saw you for the first time in your Sunday frock, she might suppose you were a nice, proper little girl, instead of----' Barbara seized the sofa cushion and aimed it at him threateningly. 'Instead of what?' she demanded. Wilfred was at a disadvantage, owing to his position as well as to the precious quality of the liquid in the saucepan; and he felt it wiser to make terms. 'Well,' he observed, 'you might at least have put on a longer frock for the credit of the family; now, mightn't you?'