And when the German governess came to turn out their lights, she found the three white-robed figures standing together in Jean's room, one of them shaking with laughter, another trying rather unsuccessfully to keep grave, while the third, holding out a bottle in her hand, looked at them both with a puzzled air. There was no end, thought Fräulein, to the caprices of English children. Had not Miss Finlayson been relating to all the teachers downstairs, how the two little ones before her had flown at each other in a passion, just before prayers?
The junior playroom felt equally incapable of grappling with the situation, when the new girl marched gaily into it the next morning with her arm linked in Jean Murray's. For once, Jean's followers found themselves at a loss. Not having been informed what actually had taken place in the passage the night before, they could hardly be expected to know all at once how to treat this new state of affairs. Nor did Jean trouble herself to enlighten them. Indeed, she was so cross when any one approached her on the subject, that even Angela had to leave her alone; while the junior playroom in general, being less devoted, threw out dark hints about temper as soon as Jean was out of hearing. Angela, however, had the wit to see the one thing that was evident--the feud with the new girl was at an end, and anybody who wanted to keep friends with Jean Murray in future would have to accept Barbara Berkeley as well. So she decided to accept Barbara herself, to begin with; and she set to work at the same time to convert the whole of the junior playroom.
'If you don't behave decently to her, you'll have Finny down on you,' she advised, in the few moments allowed for conversation after breakfast. 'Anybody could see that, from the way Finny glared at Jean last night.'
'Did _you_ see it?' inquired Charlotte Bigley, with unpleasant directness.
'N--no, not exactly,' admitted Angela, uncomfortably. 'But Mary Wells did, and she told me. And look here,' she went on, shifting her ground hurriedly, 'Jean's made it up with Barbara Berkeley, and the sooner we do the same the better it'll be for us. Besides, why shouldn't we make it up? It's such a bore to have to keep on remembering all the time that you're _furious_ with some one!'