The Leader of the Lower School: A Tale of School Life

  CHAPTER V

  A Pitched Battle

  GIPSY ran upstairs to the classroom with a feeling of intensesatisfaction. So far all had gone well. She had succeeded in arousing aspirit of righteous wrath and resistance throughout the Lower School,and a desire to combine for the general welfare. There was a certainexhilaration in the discovery that she was thus able to sway the mindsof her companions. She had been popular in other schools, but she hadnever had a chance such as this. To do Gipsy justice, however, shethought far more of the cause she had taken up than of her ownpopularity. "Fairness" was her watchword, and wherever her lot had beencast she would have come forward as the champion of any whom sheconsidered unfairly treated. A girl of decided ability, her knockaboutlife had in many ways made her old beyond her years, and she had thatcapacity for organization and power of making others work with her thatbelong to the born leader. Having constituted herself practically headof the movement, she assumed the further conduct of affairs, and at fouro'clock held a small committee meeting with Hetty Hancock, LennieChapman, and Meg Gordon, her three self-elected coadjutors. As theresult of their consultations they presented themselves next day in theSixth Form classroom, at the identical moment when Miss Giles had justretired, and the members of the Sixth were still engaged in putting awaytheir books.

  "Hello, you kids! What are you doing here?" exclaimed Doreen Tristram."Just you quit, and be quick about it, too!"

  "Kids, indeed!" retorted Hetty Hancock. "Not much kids about us, Ishould think. We're all turned fourteen."

  "Are you really? What a magnificent age! I'm glad you've enlightened me,for I should certainly have classed you among the babes!" returnedDoreen sarcastically.

  "Define a kid!" drawled Esther Hughes, putting on her pince-nez toregard the intruders.

  "Everybody knows a kid means a First or Second Form-er, sometimes aThird, but never, never a Fourth Form girl!" burst out Lennie Chapmanindignantly. "Why, I'm taller than you!"

  The Seniors giggled.

  "Merely a difference of opinion, my child," said Ada Dawkins. "Now,according to our standard, every member of the Lower School is a kid,even if she were six feet in height! Our superiority lies in brains, notinches! All Juniors are kids, you are a Junior, therefore you must be akid. _Quod est demonstrandum!_"

  "And kids aren't allowed to poke their impertinent young noses into ourForm room," said Doreen Tristram. "I told you before to quit!"

  "Do you want to be turned out by brute force?" added Gertrude Harding."It would be an undignified exit, I'm afraid."

  Despite the threat, none of the four delegates budged an inch.

  "You say what we're here for," whispered Meg, nudging Gipsy.

  Thus urged, Gipsy opened her campaign:

  "We're all four members of the Photographic Guild, and we've come to askfor the developing machine. Some of us in the Fourth want to use it."

  "In-deed! I dare say you do!"

  "Don't you wish you may get it, that's all!"

  "Cheek!"

  "Look here--clear out of our classroom!"

  "Not until I've asked a few questions," returned Gipsy firmly. "Is thedeveloping machine the property of the Photographic Guild?"

  "I suppose it is," grudgingly admitted Ada Dawkins.

  "Then why aren't all members allowed to use it?"

  "Because we're not going to have it spoilt by kids' meddlesome fingers.That's the reason, and a very good one too!"

  "The Juniors pay their subscriptions as well as the Seniors, so they'vea right to everything that's the common property of the Guild,"persisted Gipsy.

  "No, they haven't!" snapped Helen Roper, the head girl. "Nobody butmembers of the Committee has a right to anything. If you think we'regoing to let you Juniors come interfering, you're just mistaken, and thesooner you undeceive yourselves the better."

  "We only want our rights."

  "Rights? You've got no rights! It's privilege enough for you to beallowed to belong to the Guild at all."

  "A great privilege to pay our shillings!"

  "You're allowed to vote, you know," put in Lena Morris, who possibly hadheard a hint of what was brewing in the Lower School. "You can elect anyof us as officers that you like, for any of the Guilds."

  "And much good that is, when you all play into one another's hands!"burst out Gipsy. "Who gets the best parts in the Dramatic and theMusical, I should like to know? Who votes the prizes in the Sports?"

  Helen Roper turned rather red. The difference in the qualities of theprizes offered to Seniors and Juniors in the last athletic contest hadbeen so marked as to call forth comment from the mistresses.

  "That's nothing to do with it," she faltered rather lamely. "If youJuniors have any complaints to make, you must make them at the AnnualMeeting."

  "We're going to," said Hetty Hancock grimly.

  "Then in the meantime keep to your own quarters, and don't intrudeyourselves where you've no business," commanded Doreen Tristram angrily."Do you intend to take yourselves off peaceably, or must we eject you?"

  "Thank you, we'll go now. We've found out all we want to know, and ithardly reflects to your credit."

  So saying, Gipsy and her confederates stalked away with what dignitythey could muster.

  Once outside the door they tore along the passage and downstairs to theJunior dressing-room, where, collecting all available members of theLower School, they promptly held an informal indignation meeting.

  "Only what everyone expected!" said Dilys Fenton.

  "Trust the Sixth not to give in a single inch!"

  "They've been asked heaps of times before."

  "Then it adds another nail to their coffin," declared Gipsy. "We'vetried them fairly, and they've refused to act fairly. We'll give themone more chance at the meeting to-morrow, and if they won't accept ourterms--then we'll break loose and be off on our own. Are you all agreedto that?"

  "Rather! We'll stand no nonsense this time."

  "Kids, indeed! We'll show them what kids can do."

  "They'll get on pretty badly without the kids."

  "We'll soon let them find that out!"

  If the Seniors had received any warning of what was in the wind, theydid not take the matter seriously. From time immemorial the Juniors hadalways complained, and no notice had ever been taken of theircomplaints. As Juniors themselves the Sixth had grumbled at former headgirls and monitresses, but now that they had reached the elect positionof the top Form, they had reversed their old opinions. It had alwaysbeen the tradition of Briarcroft that all authority should be vested inthe Seniors, and they saw no reason why it should be changed. A mereoutburst of temper on the part of a few Juniors was nothing: it hadhappened before, and would no doubt happen again; it was as much theprovince of Juniors to grumble as of Seniors to rule. But theyreckoned without Gipsy. That any girl of her age should be capable ofwelding the shifting dissatisfaction of the Lower School into one solidmass of opposition had never occurred to them. So far no Junior hadexercised any particular influence over her fellows; it had been eachfor herself, even in clamouring appeals for privileges, and the uppergirls looked down on the "kids" as a noisy, selfish, troublesome crew,to be kept well under, and not worthy of very much consideration.

  The Annual Meeting of the Guilds was to take place on Friday, 15October, at three o'clock, in the lecture hall. It was held every yearon the Friday nearest to the middle of October, and by old-establishedcustom the last hour of the afternoon was allowed to be devoted to it.The mistresses were never present, and the girls, under thesuperintendence of the monitresses, were permitted to make anyarrangements they thought fit, so long as they did not interfere withthe ordinary school rules. Though the meetings had begun in good faith,as representative assemblies for all alike, they had degenerated into amerely formal statement of accounts by the Committee, which the generalrank and file were expected to pass without comment, and an election ofofficers chosen almost entirely from the monitresses. There werefavourites, of course, among the candidates, bu
t their number was solimited that they did not even take the trouble to canvass for votes,each one feeling nearly sure of being elected to fill one, if not more,of the numerous posts in the many Guilds. The Fifth, having securedcertain privileges denied to Juniors, were content if a few of theirnumber were chosen to supply minor vacancies, and rarely interfered withthe main direction of affairs.

  On the Friday afternoon, therefore, the Upper School strolled carelesslyinto the lecture hall, and took their seats with the air of having aperfunctory business to perform which they would be glad to get over.The Juniors, on the other hand, were in a ferment of excitement: theiropportunity had arrived, and they intended to make the most of it; eventhe youngsters of the First Form were grim in their determination toresist. The proceedings began in the ordinary time-honoured fashion.Helen Roper read a report for the previous year, and a statement ofaccounts. The latter, having been audited by Miss Poppleton and foundcorrect, was passed without demur, and the head girl then went on toannounce the list of candidates for the various offices. She rattled offthe whole in a rather supercilious, casual manner, and she finished withthe usual formula: "If any member of the Society has an objection toraise or a suggestion to make, kindly put it before the meeting now,that it may be discussed before the voting begins."

  She paused for a moment with a bored air, expecting to hear the oldgrievances, and to squash them in the old summary fashion. The thing, toher, was a mere farce, to be gone through as speedily as possible. Theeyes of all the Juniors were turned upon Gipsy, and Gipsy stood up.

  "In the name of the whole of the Lower School I have an objection toraise and a suggestion to make," she began, in her clear, high-pitchedvoice. "We Juniors consider that we are unfairly treated in many ways inthe Guilds, and we demand that a certain number of us should be eligibleto serve on the Committee, to look after the rights of our own Forms."

  Helen Roper stared at Gipsy as if she could hardly believe the evidenceof her own ears, and the Seniors gasped with astonishment. The impudenceof the proposal seemed to them beyond all bounds.

  "I'm afraid it's not exactly the province of Juniors to sit on theCommittee," returned Helen, with a sarcastic smile. "You can hardlyexpect us to comply with that demand."

  "Cheek!"

  "Sit upon her!"

  "We can't allow this kind of thing!" murmured the indignant Seniors.

  "A Guild is supposed to be formed for the common benefit of allconcerned," continued Gipsy. "And I contend that every member who pays asubscription has a right to fair representation."

  "Hear, hear!" shouted the Juniors.

  "Well, you are represented. You can vote for any candidate you like,"snapped Helen.

  "But it is not fair representation when the candidates are obliged to bechosen from the ranks of the opposite camp. We want candidates of ourown, to look after Lower School interests."

  "We'll have them too!" squeaked a shrill voice from the ranks of theThird Form.

  "You're not going to get it all your own way!" yelled another.

  "We're tired of tyranny."

  "Order! Order!" commanded Helen; then, turning to her fellowmonitresses, she held a brief whispered consultation.

  "Stop it at once!" "Put it down firmly!" "Don't stand any nonsense fromthem!" "Show them who are their betters," was the hasty advice given,and she turned again to the excited Juniors.

  "What you ask is impossible," she said imperiously. "The Guilds havegone on very well in the past, and they'll go on very well in thefuture. We promise that the interests of the Juniors shall be lookedafter, but the general management must remain as before. You can sitdown, Gipsy Latimer."

  But Gipsy did not sit down.

  "I've made a fair request, and you've refused it," she continued calmly."All that remains for me to do now is to appeal to the whole school. WeJuniors have held a meeting amongst ourselves, and have decided that, ifwe're denied our just rights, we'll withdraw our subscriptions and foundGuilds of our own. Am I voicing the public opinion?"

  "Yes, yes!" roared the Juniors.

  "Put it to the vote!"

  "Have it in black and white!"

  "We'll settle it to-day!"

  Gipsy's ultimatum was so utterly unexpected that the Seniors looked atone another as if an earthquake had occurred. They had imagined it wasall "bluff" on the part of the younger girls, and that they were quiteincapable of enforcing their demands. This sudden mutiny was a crisissuch as had never risen before.

  "Hadn't we better yield a point, and let them have one or two candidatesof their own?" suggested Lena Morris hastily.

  "Certainly not! It would be the greatest mistake to give way. Leave meto deal with them," said Helen, and turning on the Juniors with flashingeyes, she poured forth her scorn.

  "Guilds of your own, indeed! Nice Guilds they'd be! Why, the meetingswould be bear gardens. What do you know about how to conduct a Society?When I was a Junior I trusted to the wisdom of the Seniors, instead oflistening to every newcomer who talked frothy nonsense. I tell you, itis the monitresses who are your best friends, and who can decide what'sgood for you. Are you going to change the whole of our Briarcroftorganizations at the bidding of a girl who has only been in the schoolten days?"

  The latter part of Helen's argument appealed to a few who were jealousof Gipsy's influence, but the greater number broke out in indignantprotest.

  "Friends indeed!"

  "Pretty friends!"

  "Tyrants, more likely!"

  "We'll see about bear gardens!"

  "We won't be sat upon by a clique!"

  These and other remarks were shouted in reply. Some of the excited girlsscrambled up and stood on their seats; each began to talk to herneighbour, and the noise swelled till it grew into a general roar of: "Areferendum! Give us a referendum!"

  Helen rang the bell for silence, and, when some sort of order wasrestored, once more faced the turbulent Juniors.

  "Do I clearly understand what it is you want to put to the vote?" sheasked, frowning.

  "Yes! Yes! Tell her again, Gipsy!"

  "I may be a new girl," said Gipsy, "but the others have chosen me tospeak for them, so I'm their lawful delegate. What we want to vote aboutis a question of separation. Are we Juniors to keep on in the oldGuilds, or start Guilds of our own?"

  "It will have to be a referendum of both Seniors and Juniors," repliedHelen sharply.

  "That's only fair. This is a public Annual Meeting, and we want to doeverything in order."

  Helen conferred again with her own Form. By all rules of generalmeetings, it was impossible to refuse a referendum if called for. Theywere obliged, therefore, to submit with the best grace they could, andto deal out the voting papers.

  "Those in favour of union with the present Guilds kindly put a nought,and those in favour of separation a cross," commanded Helen. "Any paperwith anything more on it will be disqualified. Girls! I make a lastappeal to you to remember our old traditions, and to resist theseinnovations. Be loyal to your monitresses!"

  "Old traditions are sometimes bad traditions," exclaimed Hetty Hancock,metaphorically flinging back the gauntlet. "We're ready to obey ourmonitresses on questions of school rules, but we're not Saxon serfs.Fair play is a jewel! We Juniors haven't had it yet, and we mean to getit. Girls! Be loyal to the Lower School!"

  The Juniors snatched their voting papers with hot eagerness, and for amoment or two there was a silence in the room, while the necessarynoughts or crosses were being registered. The Seniors were feelingdecidedly blue, but for appearances' sake they kept up a show ofconfidence.

  "I think one of us is entitled to help to check the counting," saidHetty, as the papers were collected and handed to the monitresses.

  "Oh, certainly! Please come and satisfy yourselves," returned Helenbitterly.

  So the votes were counted by Lena Morris and Ada Dawkins on behalf ofthe Seniors, and by Hetty and Gipsy on behalf of the Juniors. The latterhad not doubted the result, but to the Upper School the figures werestartling: br />
  Separation 65 Union 28 ___ Majority for Separation 37

  Only six of the younger girls, therefore, had voted for the old regime,and the victory of the Lower School was complete. A mad scene oftriumph ensued. The Juniors clapped and cheered, and waved theirhandkerchiefs in the exuberance of their enthusiasm; and as thediscomfited Seniors beat a hasty retreat, the meeting broke up amid theroar of exultant hurrahs, and an impromptu chorus started by Gipsy andtaken up by a dozen jubilant voices:

  "Rule, Britannia! Britannia rules the waves! Juniors never, never, never, will be slaves!"