The Nicest Girl in the School: A Story of School Life

E-text prepared by Suzanne Shell and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)

SHE STARTED GUILTILY AT HER COUSIN'S ENTRANCE
The Nicest Girl in the School A Story of School Life BY ANGELA BRAZIL Author of The Third Class at Miss Kaye's The Fortunes of Philippa ILLUSTRATED BY ARTHUR A. DIXON BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED london glasgow and bombay
Only one day more, cried Patty Hirst, surveying with deep interest the large new box which stood by the side of the chest of drawers in her bedroom; just one day! How dreadfully quickly the time has come! I feel quite queer when I think about it. I can scarcely believe that before the end of the week both I and my luggage will be a whole hundred miles away, and settled at Morton Priory. I do wonder how I shall like it?
Very much, I hope, replied her mother, pausing for a moment in her task of packing the neat piles of linen and underclothing into as small a compass as possible. I'm sure it seems a delightful school, and you are an extremely lucky girl to be going there.
Yes, said Patty, with a rather doubtful tone in her voice, sitting down on the edge of the bed, and beginning to turn over the pocket handkerchiefs, the new blouses, the ties, hair ribbons, and other articles which made up her schoolgirl outfit; I suppose I am lucky. Perhaps it may be nicer than I think. I wanted to go dreadfully when Uncle Sidney first wrote about it, but somehow now that it's got almost to starting off, do you know I feel as if I'd changed my mind, and I'm not at all sure that I wouldn't rather stay at home. It seems too horrible to have to go amongst so many new girls.
Mrs. Hirst laughed.
Don't be a silly child, she said. Of course you will feel strange just at first, but you will soon get over your shyness. It will be quite a fresh world for you, and a very interesting one. I expect to have the most enthusiastic letters from you when you have been there for a few weeks.