girl.

"There's the bell," and they all turned and scampered back to the house,
leaving Sylvia on the path; for Elinor had let go of her so suddenly
that she had fallen forward.

Her knees were hurt, and one of her hands was bruised by the fall. For a
moment she lay sobbing quietly. She was angry and miserable. She had
been brave enough when the girls had seemed to threaten her, but now her
courage was gone. She could not go back to the schoolroom and face all
those enemies. If Miss Rosalie came in search of her she might not be
able to resist telling her what had happened; and, miserable and unhappy
as she was, Sylvia resolved that she would never tell.

"But Elinor Mayhew and all the rest of them shall be sorry for this.
Yes, they shall," she sobbed as she got to her feet and turned toward
the shore. She knew she must either go straight back to the schoolroom
or else find a hiding-place until they had ceased to search for her.
There was a wall at the foot of the garden, covered with fragrant
jessamine and myrtle. If she could only get over that wall, thought
Sylvia, she would be safe. She ran swiftly forward and began to scramble
up, grasping the sturdy vines, and finding a foothold on some bit of
rough brick. She reached the top just as she heard Miss Rosalie's
servant calling her name.

Sylvia looked down to the further side. The vines drooped over and below
the wall a high bank of sand sloped to the shore. Holding tight to the
vines she slid down, hitting her bruised knees against the rough
surface. The vines cut her hands, and when she tumbled into the sand her
dress was torn and soiled, her pretty hair-ribbon was gone, and her once