Now Allison, chancing to meet Nat that morning, had asked her a similar question—how was she getting on with her new study-chum?—and Nat had confessed ruefully that the new girl didn't seem to have the least wish to be really friendly with her.
Allison's next question was rather more unexpected. "And now you've told me what you think of the Fifth, I'm rather anxious to know what the Fifth thinks of you."
"As to that," said Monica in a hard tone, "they had made up their minds about me long before they saw or heard me. My aunt took good care to let the Principal know what a naughty, unmanageable creature I was, so that the girls might have due warning to beware of the dog."
Allison propped her back against the door-post and decided that she could very well spare ten minutes or so from the study of advanced mathematics.
"Yes, I believe it is true that your aunt made no attempt to hide from Miss Julian the fact that you had already been expelled from one school. She could hardly do otherwise. But it is also quite true that Miss Julian did not wish this to be known by the girls themselves and that she wanted you to have a fair opportunity to make a fresh start. It was pure chance that led to the publication of your lurid past. One of the Fifth Form girls had a letter from relatives who had made the acquaintance of your aunt, and from whom they received their information."
Allison paused and once again looked hard at Monica.
"It doesn't matter much how they got their information, does it?" said Monica, flushing up suddenly. "They were ready enough to condemn me before they had even seen me."
"No, you are wrong there," replied Allison with energy. "Of course, they were a bit heated over it at first and not unnaturally objected to a girl with such a bad reputation becoming one of their companions, joining their hitherto select little circle. But Nathalie Sandrich spoke up and said she thought it only sporting to give you a fair chance and to judge you by their own impressions of you, without prejudice. I had come into the room unnoticed and I heard all she said. I think she had in mind a few words Miss Julian said to us the first evening, words which she wanted us to take for our motto this year," and very briefly Allison outlined the Principal's speech. "The rest of the form soon came round to Nat's point of view and agreed to her proposal that they should make no mention of their knowledge of your past when you came, receiving you like any other new girl. It isn't altogether their fault if you snubbed their attempts at making friends and gave them a bad impression of you before you had been here a couple of weeks."
Monica stirred restlessly. "I don't want their friendship," she muttered, then added after a pause: "Besides, from what you say they were all ready to be nasty to me when I arrived—except Nat."
"Well, Nat spoke up for you," said Allison sharply. She went on in a gentler tone: "Nat's a nice kid, even if she does miss important catches at cricket and turn up at school parties with one stocking inside out. You won't come to much harm through her, if she's your friend."