The Youngest Girl in the Fifth A School Story   By: Angela Brazil (1868-1947)

The Youngest Girl

in the Fifth

A School Story

BY

ANGELA BRAZIL

Author of "The Leader of the Lower School" "A Pair of Schoolgirls" "The New Girl at St. Chad's" "A Fourth Form Friendship" &c.

ILLUSTRATED BY STANLEY DAVIS

BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED

LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY

Contents

CHAP.

I. AN UNEXPECTED REMOVE

II. THE GASCOYNE GIRLS

III. A FALSE STEP

IV. A DELICATE TRANSACTION

V. TROUBLE IN THE FIFTH

VI. A CASTING VOTE

VII. DICK CHAMBERS

VIII. GWEN RECEIVES A LETTER

IX. KEEPING CHRISTMAS

X. A PRODIGAL

XI. A PRIZE ESSAY

XII. GWEN TURNS HENWIFE

XIII. THE SHOE PINCHES

XIV. GWEN MEETS TROUBLE

XV. STORM CLOUDS

XVI. FIRST AID

XVII. A PRESSING ACCOUNT

XVIII. GWEN'S BRIGHT IDEA

XIX. A SCHOOL GYMKHANA

XX. A DAY OF RECKONING

XXI. RETRIBUTION

XXII. THE TENNIS TOURNAMENT

XXIII. GWEN TO THE RESCUE

XXIV. THE SENIOR OXFORD

Illustrations

GWEN IS CAUGHT BY THE STORM Frontispiece

GWEN MEETS DICK

"THINGS GO SO HARDLY WITH ME SOMEHOW, DAD"

"OH, I SAY, WELL CAUGHT!"

"YES, YOU CAN EASILY GO MILES OUT OF YOUR WAY"

"IT WAS BASIL WHO SPIED HIM FIRST"

THE YOUNGEST GIRL IN THE FIFTH

CHAPTER I

An Unexpected Remove

"Gwen! Gwen Gascoyne! Gwen! Anybody seen her? I say, have you all gone deaf? Don't you hear me? Where's Gwen? I want Gwen Gascoyne!"

The speaker Ida Bridge a small, perky, spindle legged Junior, jumped on to the nearest seat, and raising her shrill voice to its topmost pitch, twice shouted the "Gwen Gascoyne", with an aggressive energy calculated to make herself heard above the babel of general chatter that pervaded the schoolroom. Her effort, though far from musical, at any rate secured her the notice she desired.

"Hello, there! Stop that noise! It's like a dog howling!" irately commanded a girl in spectacles who was cleaning the blackboard.

"And get down from my desk this minute! Who said you might climb up there?"

"Look here, you kid, what are you doing in our classroom?"

"Take yourself off at once! Fly! Scoot!"

The "kid", however, stood her ground.

"Shan't move till you've answered my question," she replied with aggravating impudence. "I want Gwen Gascoyne."

"Why, there she is all the time!"

"Where?"

"Under your very nose, you stupid baby! Get down from my desk, I tell you!"

The Junior cast what was intended to be a withering glance before she descended.

"Gwen Gascoyne, why couldn't you answer when I called you?" she demanded abruptly.

Gwen paused in the act of sharpening a lead pencil, and eyed the intruder.

"Who asked you to come in here?" she retorted.

"You babes must keep to your own classrooms! Hey, presto! Vanish! And be quick about it!" interposed Myra Johnson.

"Shan't! Not till I've spoken to Gwen."

"Cheek!"

"Suppress that kid!"

"But I've got a message!" squeaked the babe, as sundry arms of justice thrust her summarily in the direction of the door. "Oh, I have really a message for Gwen from Miss Roscoe! She's to go to the library now!"

"Then why couldn't you say so at first?"

"You never gave me a chance!"

Gwen threw the half sharpened pencil inside her desk and banged down the lid.

"What does Miss Roscoe want with me?" she asked in some consternation. "Are you sure she meant me?"