She was a widow with two sons and a daughter, and something under two
hundred and fifty pounds a year on which to live. To educate the boys,
to do something for Alice, and to put bread-and-butter into all their
mouths was a difficult problem to solve in these expensive days. She had
on purpose moved close to the Great Shirley School in order to avail
herself of its cheap education for Alice. The boys went to another
foundation school near by; and altogether the family managed to scrape
along. But the advent of Kathleen on the scene was a great relief, for
her father paid three guineas a week for Mrs. Tennant's motherly care
and for Kathleen's board and lodging.

"Poor child!" thought the good woman. "What a wild, undisciplined,
handsome creature she is! I must do what I can for her."

She sat on for some time darning and thinking. Her heart was full; she
felt depressed. She had been working in various ways ever since six
o'clock that morning, and the darning of the boys' rough socks hurt her
eyes and made her fingers ache.

Meanwhile Kathleen was running along the road. She ran until she was
completely out of breath. She then came to a stile, against which she
leant. By-and-by she saw a girl walking leisurely up the road; she was a
shabbily dressed and rather vulgar girl. Kathleen saw at once that she
was one of the Great Shirley girls, so she went forward and spoke to
her.

"You go to our school, don't you?" she said.

"Yes, miss," answered the girl, dropping a little curtsy when she saw
Kathleen. She was a very fresh foundation girl, and recognized something