ed through his instrumentality, and his victims were only too
glad to assist Bruno in eluding him. Some dozen or so of the little
girls joined in the chase with great zest, getting in Bennett's way at
crucial moments, and shrieking with laughter at his abortive efforts to
lay hands upon Bruno, who barked and dodged and frolicked about,
thoroughly enjoying the fun.

The climax was reached at last when Bennett tripped over an
outstretched hockey stick and measured his length on the ground. This
rather alarmed the Lower School, the members of which hastened to make
themselves scarce. By the time the porter had recovered himself,
everybody had vanished, except Geraldine, who hurried to his
assistance, and Bruno, who stood watching him from a safe corner.

"I say, I do hope you haven't hurt yourself?" said Geraldine
solicitously.

Bennett shook his fist angrily in the direction of the departing
children as he rose painfully to his feet.

"Young varmints!" he said. "I'll be even with 'em one day. I mayn't
know their names but I knows their faces, and one day I'll make 'em
sorry for this outrage. Come you here, you brute, you!" he added,
addressing himself to Bruno, as he made another dive at the dog.

But Bruno was not disposed to yield himself up as yet, and another hunt
followed. This time, however, Geraldine joined in the chase, and
finally managed to catch and hold the dog until Bennett could reach him.

"Thank you, missie," said Bennett, more graciously this time. "I'm
much obliged to you, I'm sure. Would you care to come and watch him
bathed, now--seeing as you've helped to capture him?"

"Oh, I should love to!" said Geraldine, delighted at the idea of
something to do this dull, wet morning. And she followed Bennett out
to the washhouse on the farther side of the quadrangle, feeling happier
than she had felt for some time. Talking to Bennett, surly as he
seemed, would be better than talking to nobody at all.

Bennett, however, was not so surly as his outward manner had led her to
believe. Geraldine's opportune aid in capturing Bruno, and her anxious
inquiries as to whether he had hurt himself in his fall, had quite won
his heart. He opened up to her on the subject of his experiences in
war,--Bennett was an ex-soldier and had fought both in South Africa and
in France,--and Geraldine was immensely interested in his reminiscences.

"I used to live in Germany a long time ago," she told him shyly. "I