irls, and, coming to the
assistance of her partner, asked many questions. It was absolutely
useless, for Rona would not answer a single word.

"Go to your bedroom," said the irate Principal at last. "This matter
cannot be allowed to pass. If you had owned up at once nothing would
have been said, but such duplicity and obstinacy are unpardonable. Until
you make a full confession you must not mix with the rest of the school.
We should be sorry to have to send you back to New Zealand, but girls
with no sense of honour cannot remain at The Woodlands."

Still sobbing hysterically, Rona was policed upstairs by Miss Teddington
and locked into her bedroom. An hour or two of solitude might bring her
to her senses, thought the mistress, and break the stubborn spirit which
seemed at present to possess her. A wide experience of girls had proved
that solitary confinement soon quelled insubordination, and by
dinner-time the culprit would probably volunteer some explanation.

Both Principals were greatly upset by the occurrence. Hitherto the
little world at The Woodlands had jogged on without any more desperate
happenings than the breaking of silence rules or the omission of
practising. Never in all its annals had they been obliged to deal with a
case of such serious import.

Ulyth, with the rest of V B, was obliged to march off to her form-room.
The inquiry had delayed the morning's work, and Miss Harding began to
give out books without a moment's further waste of time. Ulyth sat
staring at the problem set her, without in the least taking in its
details. She could not apply her mind to the calculation of cubic
contents while Rona was crying her heart out upstairs. What did it, what
could it, all mean? Had her room-mate only been intending to play a
practical joke on Stephanie? If so, why had she not at once admitted the
fact? Nobody would have thought much the worse of her for it, as such
jokes had been rather the rage of late among the juniors. It seemed so
unlike Rona to conceal it; lack of candour had not been her fault
hitherto. She was generally proud of the silly tricks she was fond of
playing, and anxious to boast about them. She could not have been
deterred by dread of the Principals' displeasure. Only yesterday she had
marched into the study, to report herself for talking, with a sangfroid
that was the admiration of her form; and had come out again smiling,
with the comment that both the Rainbow and Teddie were "as decent