“Of course I have,” she replied with a little toss of her head. “I always like to know exactly where I stand.”
After a pause she continued: “Of course I have stood no chance from the very first. I lost twenty marks right out once because the Principal differed from some remarks of mine.”
“Indeed.”
“Of course, and I do not consider it fair that I should have lost them. You, and such as you, write simply according to the college rule.”
Deborah was silent. Probably Jane did not know how rude she was, and with her parting hit she went away.
Then that pride, the only strong and lasting pride in Deborah’s composition, asserted itself.
“Why should I enter into the competition with such as Jane?” she thought. “She may have the prize with pleasure. So long as I know I am really first I don’t care about the marks or the prize one bit.”
Another girl came running up to her.
“I say, I’ve just been adding up the composition marks and you are first.”
Deborah began to think seriously.