Immensely relieved, Prudence sank down in the chair, and rocked comfortably to and fro a few times.  General principles,—­ah, blessed words!

“I suppose you know that Carol is quite the idol of the high school already.  She is the adored one of the place.  You see, she is not mixed up in any scholastic rivalry.  Lark is one of the very best in her class, and there is intense rivalry between a few of the freshmen.  But Carol is out of all that, and every one is free to worship at her shrine.  She makes no pretensions to stand first.”

“Is she very stupid?” Prudence was disappointed.  She did so want both of her twins to shine.

“Stupid!  Not a bit of it.  She is a very good scholar, much better than the average.  Our first pupils, including Lark, average around ninety-six and seven.  Then there are others ranging between ninety and ninety-four.  Carol is one of them.  The fairly good ones are over eighty-five, and the fairly bad ones are over seventy-five, and the hopeless ones are below that.  This is a rough way of showing how they stand.  Lark is a very fine scholar, really the best in the class.  She not only makes good grades, she grasps the underlying significance of her studies.  Very few freshmen, even among the best, do that.  She is quite exceptional.  We hope to make something very big and fine of Larkie.”

Prudence’s eyes shone with motherly pride.  She nodded, striving to make her voice natural and matter-of-fact as she answered, “Yes, she is bright.”

“She certainly is!  Carol is quite different, but she is so sweet-spirited, and vivacious, and—­un-snobbish, if you know what that means—­that every one in high school, and even the grammar-grade children, idolize her.  She is very witty, but her wit is always innocent and kind.  She never hurts any one’s feelings.  And she is never impertinent.  The professors are as crazy about her as the scholars,—­forgive the slang.  Did the twins ever tell you what happened the first day of school?”

“No,—­tell me.”  Prudence was clearly very anxious.

“I shall never forget it.  The freshmen were sent into the recitation room to confer with Professor Duke about text-books, etc.  Carol was one of the first in the line, as they came out.  She sat down in her seat in the first aisle, with one foot out at the side.  One of the boys tripped over it.  ‘Carol,’ said Miss Adams gently, ’you forgot yourself, didn’t you?’ And Carol’s eyes twinkled as she said, ’Oh, no, Miss Adams, if I had I’d still be in the recitation room.’” Miss Allen laughed, but Prudence’s eyes were agonized.

“How hateful of her!”

“Don’t the twins tell you little things that happen at school,—­like that, for instance?”

“Never!  I supposed they were perfectly all right.”

“Well, here’s another.  Twice a week we have talks on First Aid to the Injured.  Professor Duke conducts them.  One day he asked Carol what she would do if she had a very severe cold, and Carol said, ’I’d soak my feet in hot water and go to bed.  My sister makes me.’” Miss Allen laughed again, but Prudence was speechless.