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WindingPaths.

ByGertrude Page.

"So manygods, so many creeds,

So manypaths that wind and wind,

And justthe art of being kind

Is all thesad world needs."

WINDING PATHS

CHAPTER I

There wereseveral interesting points about Hal Pritchard and LorraineVivian, but perhaps the most striking was their friendship foreach other. From two wide-apart extremes they had somehowgravitated together, and commenced at boarding-school afriendship which only deepened and strengthened after their exitfrom the wise supervision of the Misses Walton, and theirentrance as "finished" young women into the wide area of theworld at large.

Lorraine went first. She was six years olderthan Hal, and under ordinary circumstances would hardly have beenat school with her at all. As it was, she went at nineteenbecause she was not very strong, and sea air was considered goodfor her. She was a short of parlour-boarder, sent to studylanguages and accomplishments while she inhaled the sea air ofEastgate. Why, among all the scholars, who for the most partregarded her as a resplendent, beautifully dressed being outsidetheir sphere, she should have quickly developed an ardentaffection for Hal, the rough-and-ready tomboy, remained amystery; but far from being a passing fancy, it ripened steadilyinto a deep and lasting attachment.

When Halwas fifteen, Lorraine left; and it has to be admitted that theanxious, motherly hearts of the Misses Walton drew a deep breathof relief, and hoped the friendship would now cease, unfed bydaily contact and daily mutual interests. But there theyunder-estimated the depth of affection already in the hearts ofthe girls, and their natural loyalty, which scorned a merequestion of separation, and entered into one another's interestsjust as eagerly as when they were together.

Not thatthey, the Misses Walton, had anything actually against Lorraine,beyond the fact that she promised a degree of beauty likely, theyfelt, coupled as it was with a charming wit and a fascinatingpersonality, to open out some striking career for her, andpossibly become a snare and a temptation.

On theother hand, Hal was just a homely, nondescript, untidy, riotoustype of schoolgirl, with a very strong capacity for affection,and an unmanageable predilection for scrapes and adventures, thatmade her more likely to fall under the sway of Lorraine, shouldit promise any chance of excitement.

And onehad only to view Lorraine among the other "young ladies" of theseminary to fear the worst. Miss Emily Walton would never haveadmitted it; but even she, fondly clinging to the old traditionthat the terms "girls" or "women" are less impressive than "youngladies", felt somehow that the orthodox nomenclature did notsuccessfully fit her two most remarkable pupils. Of course theywere ladies by birth and education, else they would certainly nothave been admitted to so select a seminary; but whereas the restof the pupils might be said more or less to study, and improve,and have their being in a milk and biscuit atmosphere, Hal andLorraine were quite uncomfortably more like champagne and good,honest, frothing beer.

No amountof prunes and prism advice and surroundings seemed to dull thesparkle in Lorraine, nor daunt nor suppress fearless, outspoken,unmanageable Hal. In separate camps, with a nice little followingeach, to keep an even balance, they might merely have livened thefree hours; but as a combination it soon became apparent theywould waken up the embryo young ladies quite alarmingly, andinitiate a new atmosphere of gaiety that might become beyond the