Publisher's Synopsis
When a schoolgirl of sixteen falls in love with one of her schoolfellows there are no limits to herdevotion. Bessie Wendover's adoration of Miss Palliser was boundless. Ida's seniority of three years, her beauty, her talent, placed her, as it were, upon a pinnacle in the eyes of the younger girl. Herpoverty, her inferior position in the school, only made her more interesting to the warm-heartedBessie, who passionately resented any slight offered to her friend. It was in vain that Miss Rylancetook Bessie to task, and demonstrated the absurdity of this childish fancy for a young person whosefuture sphere of life must be necessarily remote from that of a Hampshire squire's daughter. Bessiedespised this worldly wisdom.'What is the use of attaching yourself to a girl whom you are never likely to see after you leaveschool?' argued Miss Rylance.'I shall see her. I shall ask her home, ' said Bessie, sturdily.'Do you think your people will let you?''Mother will do anything I ask her, and father will do anything mother asks him. I am going to haveIda home with me all the summer holidays.''How do you know that she will come?''I shall make her come. It is very nasty of you to insinuate that she won't.''Palliser has a good deal of pride-pride and poverty generally go together, don't you know. I don'tthink she'll care about showing herself at the Grange in her old clothes and her three pairs ofstockings, one on, one off, and one at the laundress's, ' said Miss Rylance, winding up with a viperishlittle laugh as if she had said something wit
