ruck your name off the list of
prefects, and have put Kathleen in your place. Now you may go."

Lesbia walked out of the study utterly bewildered. It all seemed a kind
of bad dream. She had certainly never thrown water from the gate-room
window on to the heads of passers-by. Had anyone else been into the room
and played such a shabby practical joke? Only prefects were allowed in
the sanctum. Still it was, of course, possible that some daring spirit
might have ventured to intrude. That she, Lesbia Ferrars, who had always
been so loyal to the school and had striven to uphold its reputation,
should be accused of this piece of vulgar horseplay seemed incredible.
She bitterly regretted the stupidity which had given Miss Ormerod the
supposed proof of her guilt. To be deposed from her post of prefect. Oh,
it was too horrible! Such an extreme measure had never been taken at the
school before within her remembrance. She felt it was unjust to give her
no opportunity of explaining herself. Miss Ormerod always carried
everything with such a high hand. Miss Tatham would surely have listened
to her, and not have condemned her unheard.

Her fellow-prefects were extremely indignant when they heard her bad
news. All the form, indeed, bristled with sympathy. Kathleen, sent for
to the study to be promoted in her place, tried to plead for her, but
only received a sharp snubbing for her pains. The girls shook their
heads over the matter dismally.

"I expect some of those juniors are responsible," said Carrie. "I've
been into their form rooms, and put them on their honour to tell
anything they know about it, but nobody breathed a word. Mean little
pigs. If I could catch the one who did it I'd spifflicate her."

"Hanging would be too good for such a girl," agreed Ermie
bloodthirstily.

"Well, there's one thing, we none of us believe it in the school."

"VB pretend they do," groaned Lesbia.

"VB are the scum of the school. Don't pay any attention to them. I'll
have a talk with them and settle them. If they say a word more about it
they'll have to reckon with me."

"I wish we could set it straight with Miss Ormerod."

"'None so deaf as those who won't see'," misquoted Ermie. "The 'Orm' is
one of those pig-headed people who get a notion into their precious
noddles and need a surgical operation to get it out again. I'm afraid
you'll have to live through the rest of the term as a blighted blossom.
Cheerio! Miss Tatham will be back after