who formed her society. She<!-- Page 334 --><SPAN name="Page_334" id="Page_334"></SPAN> glanced round her; her dark-blue eyes grew
full of sweetness, and there was a look on her face which made the girls
for the moment feel that they would die for her.</p>
<p>"Come, girls," said their queen—"come; there is room on the platform."</p>
<p>She sprang up the couple of steps without another word, and the girls
followed her.</p>
<p>"Do what you like with Ruth Craven, Miss Mackenzie," she cried; "but put
your questions over again to me, and I will answer them one after the
other. Then expel me and my companions; turn us out of the school, but
keep the girl who would be a credit to you."</p>
<hr style="width: 65%;" />
<h2><SPAN name="CHAPTER_XXIX" id="CHAPTER_XXIX"></SPAN>CHAPTER XXIX.</h2>
<h3>END OF THE GREAT REBELLION.</h3>
<p>No one quite knew what happened next. Some of the girls went off into
violent hysterics; others rushed out of the great hall, half-fainting;
while others controlled themselves and listened as best they could. The
scene was vivid and picturesque. Mrs. Naylor sobbed quite audibly, and
took hold of Ruth's hand, and even kissed it. But as she did so Kathleen
herself came near and flung her arm round Ruth's neck.</p>
<p>"If you mean to expel Ruth you will expel me," she said. "But won't you
forgive her? If her ideas were wrong, they were at least generous; and
you know that I won't trouble you any more. I am very sorry, but I don't
think that I was made to suit a great school like this, and I give up
the society—yes, absolutely—so you won't have any rebels present in
your midst again. Expel me, but keep her, for<!-- Page 335 --><SPAN name="Page_335" id="Page_335"></SPAN> she will be the flower of
your school, the greatest ornament, one you will talk of in the dim
years of the future. Don't let me feel that I have spoilt her life."</p>
<p>"But why did you act so, Kathleen O'Hara?" said Miss Mackenzie. "Why did
you, a silly young girl, come over here, a stranger, to ruin the school
and make us all unhappy?"</p>
<p>"I can't answer you that," said Kathleen, flinging out her hands. "I did
what I was made to do. I am a rebel by nature. I believe I shall always
be a rebel. I shall go home to father and mother and tell them I am not
suited for a school like this. But don't expel Ruth, and don't expel the
others."</p>
<p>"But we will all go if you are not kept," suddenly cried one of the
sixty, Kathleen never quite knew which; and suddenly one girl after
another began to speak up for her, and all promised that if Kathleen
were allowed to remain, and if the whole story of the great rebellion
was allowed to blow over, they would work as they had never done before.
They wanted their queen to stay with them. Would the governors forgive
their queen, just because she was an Irish girl and like no one else?</p>
<p>How it came to pass it was impossible to tell. There was something about
Kathleen—the bold, bright, and yet generous look on her face, the love
which darted out of her eyes when she grasped Ruth's hand—that even
impressed Miss Mackenzie. She said after a pause that she was willing to
reconsider matters, and that she and all the other governors would meet
in a day or two to give their opinion.</p>
<p>Thus the school broke up. It had lived through its greatest and most
exciting hour. But when Kathleen was seen going through the gates, her
arm flung round Ruth's<!-- Page 336 --><SPAN name="Page_336" id="Page_336"></SPAN> waist, and all the sixty girls following at her
heels, such a cheer went up from the anxious mothers and fathers and
brothers—for many fresh people had come to swell the crowd since
Kathleen entered the school—as was never heard before in Merrifield.</p>
<p>Thus ended the great rebellion. It is spoken of to this day as the
greatest and most conspicuous event in the school's history. For, after
all, the governors were lenient, and no girl was expelled. Kathleen, as
years went on, became far and away the most popular girl in the school.
Her talents were of the most brilliant order; her very faults seemed in
one way to add to her charms. In one sense she was always a more or less
troublesome girl; but where she loved she loved deeply, and from that
hour she gave up all thought of rebellion either against the governors
or against Miss Ravenscroft. Ruth was Kathleen's greatest friend. Her
grandfather got better; his heart was never broken by the knowledge of
that terrible disgrace which the child so feared that she would bring
him. Mrs. Church became one of the Irish alms-women, and grumbled a good
deal at the change in her position. Mrs. Hopkins's debt was cleared off;
and all the characters in this story did well, and were proud to admit
that they owed most of their future prosperity to the Wild Irish Girl,
Kathleen O'Hara.</p>
<h3>THE END.</h3>
<p><b><big>Transcriber's Notes:</big></b><br/>
p.2 Typo fixed: changed OE to OF<br/>
p.2 Typo fixed: changed upside-down V in VERY<br/>
p.9 Added missing opening quote before THE BUTCHER<br/>
p.15 Added missing opening quote before I HOPE TO<br/>
p.27 Typo fixed: changed KATLHEEN to KATHLEEN<br/>
p.29 Removed an extra closing quote after STICKY<br/>
p.44 Typo fixed: changed SAN into SANS<br/>
p.47 Typo fixed: changed CASSANDA to CASSANDRA<br/>
p.61 Typo fixed: changed AND to AN<br/>
p.68 Typo fixed: changed RUTH RAVEN to RUTH CRAVEN<br/>
p.76 Added missing closing quote after ON THE TABLE<br/>
p.98 Typo fixed: changed TENNAN'T to TENNANT'S<br/>
p.99 Typo fixed: changed HOMOR to HUMOR<br/>
p.101 Typo fixed: changed EQUISITELY to EXQUISITELY<br/>
p.118 Typo fixed: changed WAN'T to WANT<br/>
p.125 Added missing line: -ING ANY LONGER.<br/>
p.177 Typo fixed: changed POSESSED to POSSESSED<br/>
p.183 Typo fixed: changed METROPOLE to MÉTROPOLE<br/>
p.184 Typo fixed: changed METROPOLE to MÉTROPOLE<br/>
p.197 Typo fixed: changed ABOUNT to ABOUT<br/>
p.209 Typo fixed: changed TENANT to TENNANT<br/>
p.209 Typo fixed: changed PROFUND to PROFOUND<br/>
p.235 Removed an extra closing quote after GOOD THINGS<br/>
p.241 Typo fixed: changed A SOON AS to AS SOON AS<br/>
p.247 Removed an extra closing quote after HER JUDGES<br/>
p.260 Typo fixed: changed FAVORIATE to FAVORITE<br/>
p.267 Added missing closing quote after THAT, DEAR<br/>
p.284 Added missing closing quote after THAT POINT<br/>
p.285 Removed extra opening quote before I CAN'T TELL YOU<br/>
p.290 Typo fixed: changed FOUND to FOND<br/>
p.294 Typo fixed: changed GREAW to GREW<br/>
p.301 Removed an extra closing quote after THE GIRL'S FACE<br/>
p.309 Removed an extra closing quote after WITH RESOLUTION<br/>
p.325 Added missing closing quote after AWARDED TO THEM<br/></p>
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