“Why aren’t you?” Patricia asked with a saucy laugh.

“It’s recess time at our school,” said Nina.

“Well, it’s recess time at ours, too,” Patricia replied.

“But you’re a long way from your school,” Reginald said.

“Am I?” queried Patricia, “well, I don’t have to go to school every single day, as some folks do,” she retorted.

“I know ’most all the tables now, and I know a little geog-er-fry, and ’most half of the history, ‘cause some of it I learned when I was in N’ York.  We had a el’gant school there, and ma says I learned so much that I needn’t go to school every day now.”

Little Flossie looked quite impressed, but the older girls were not so sure that Patricia had gained so much knowledge.

No one spoke, and Patricia thought that they were all much surprised at what she had said.

“There’s to be visitors at our school to-day, and teacher said she was going to let them ask questions,” she continued.

“Guess you stayed away so as not to tell all you know,” said Reginald.  Katie nudged him sharply, but he only twitched away, laughing because Patricia looked angry.

The little silver bell tinkled, and they turned to enter the cottage.

“Good-by,” they called to Patricia, who stood at the gate.

“Good-by,” she replied, then looking over her shoulder, she said: 

“I’m glad I don’t have to go to private school; it’s too stupid.”

“The horrid, rude girl,” whispered Nina Earl, but Arabella surprised them all by saying: 

“I think I’d like that Patricia What’s-her-name; she isn’t like everybody else.”

Reginald heard what Arabella said, and in a loud whisper informed her that he wouldn’t go to school if all the girls were like Patricia.

Arabella would have answered him sharply, but they were entering the schoolroom, so she was obliged to be silent.

Later, when they were asked to write upon the little blackboard, Arabella looked for a chance to tease Reginald.

“If he does anything that I can laugh at, I’ll laugh till he’s mad as a hornet,” she whispered.

It happened that Reginald was the first to go to the board.

Aunt Charlotte asked for a sentence which should contain but five words, and yet tell a bit of news.

Every hand was raised.

Dorothy intended to write:  “Nancy is a true friend,” while Nancy thought that this would be interesting:  “Dorothy will have a party,” but Reginald felt sure that he had thought of the smartest sentence, and his face beamed with delight when he was told that he might write it.

He glanced toward Arabella as he strutted to the blackboard, and boldly he wrote: 

“Phido has a new collar.”

It was funny, and Reginald wondered why even Aunt Charlotte looked amused.  Every one knew Fido, and only that morning the little dog had followed Reginald and Katie half-way to school, the bell on his new collar tinkling all the way.