Peggy from Kerry by L.T. Meade

While Kitty and Jessie were having a confab of deep interest to themselves, a conversation which was, indeed, to mean tremendous results by-and-by, Hannah Joyce and Molly walked together. Molly had taken a fancy to Hannah; she belonged, of course, to the Lower School, and could never be a great friend like Alison Maude or Bridget O'Donnell, but nevertheless she could be a friend, and there was something which attracted Molly now in Hannah's rather plain little freckled face. It struck Molly as she watched the girl that Hannah would have a very great chance of winning the prize on the score of _expression_, for Hannah's small blue eyes were honest, and when she smiled her lips had a wonderfully kindly curve about them, and when she looked her friends in the face her friends were quite certain that Hannah Joyce would never do a mean or shabby thing. But, nevertheless, Hannah looked troubled to-night; she had indeed looked troubled ever since that terrible accident which had occurred during the first day of term. Yes, it was invariably spoken of as an "accident; " no one dared think of it in any other way, to do that would be too unspeakably dreadful.

"Now, Hannah," said Molly, slipping her hand inside Hannah's thin little arm, "what do you think about the big prize? Isn't it altogether too astounding?"