t you to your headmistress, I'm afraid. Your names, please."

"Winnie Fowler," "Hattie Goodwin," murmured two subdued voices.

Rona did not answer at all. She kept her head down and her eyes fixed on
the ground.

"It's--it's surely not the same girl who did me such a service this
morning on the marsh? Then I must repeat my thanks. Now, look here,
you've been up to some mischief, all three of you. Get back to school as
quick as you can, and I'll say nothing about it! There! Off you go!"

Without another word the sinners pelted along through the wood, never
pausing till they reached the railing and climbed over on to the high
road. Here, on free ground, they felt at liberty to express their
indignation.

"He's a nasty, horrid old thing to turn us out!" panted Hattie.

"How he looked at you, Rona!" said Winnie. "He stared and stared and
stared!"

"Wondering where he'd seen me before, I suppose. I expect the green
stains on my coat reminded him. I got them hauling up his precious dog."

"It wasn't with him in the wood."

"Oh, it's sitting by the fire drinking linseed tea! It looked a pampered
brute."

"We shall have to scoot to keep clear of Teddie."

"All right. Scooterons-nous. Thank goodness, there's the hedge of The
Woodlands! We'll slip in through the little side gate."

The three certainly merited discovery for their misdeeds, but on this
occasion they evaded justice; for, as luck would have it, they reached
the house just a moment or two before the rest of the school, and Miss
Teddington, who was in a hurry to pack her boxes of snowdrops, concluded
that they must have been in front with Ulyth and Lizzie, and did not
stop to remember that she had left them tying Winnie's shoelace by the
roadside. It was seldom that such a palpable lapse escaped her keen eye
and even keener comprehension; so they might thank their fortunate stars
for their escape. Hattie and Winnie made great capital out of the
adventure, and recounted all the details, much exaggerated, to a
thrilled audience in IV B.

Rona did not mention the matter to Ulyth. Perhaps, knowing her
room-mate's standards, in her heart of hearts she was rather ashamed of
it.

CHAPTER XI

Rona receives News

Ulyth and Lizzie Lonsdale were sitting cosily in the latter's bedroom.
It was Shrove Tuesday, and, with perhaps some idea of imitating the
Continental habit of keeping carnival, Miss Bowes for that one day
relaxed her rule prohibiting sweet