n the same way as she had left it, without being missed by Miss
Lindsay. She was hurrying back along the passage when Leonora, coming
from practising, entered from the opposite direction, and without seeing
Gipsy or noticing her frantic signs, went into the Juniors' room and
closed the door behind her.

The Peri shut out of Paradise was as nothing to the disconcerted girl
who stood blankly in the corridor. Poor Gipsy was indeed in a dilemma.
It was utterly impossible to open the door and walk in, but in the
meantime every minute increased the probability of her absence being
detected. There seemed nothing for it but to hang about on the chance
that Dilys or Barbara might also return from practising, and that she
could persuade one of them to leave the door open, so as to give her
the opportunity of entering. But the corridor was not a safe place to
wait in. Mistresses or Seniors might very possibly be passing, and would
ask awkward questions. It seemed more discreet to retire downstairs,
where she might catch Dilys as she came from the library. There was a
large cupboard in the hall where the boarders kept some of their outdoor
clothes, and here Gipsy took refuge, listening to the five difficult
bars of a sonata with which Dilys was wrestling, and wishing her
friend's half-hour at the piano might soon expire. As she stood among
the coats and waterproofs, peeping out through a small chink of the
door, she noticed Miss Poppleton come from the drawing-room, and cross
the hall in the direction of the library. Gipsy was in a panic of
fright. What account should she give of herself if her retreat were to
be discovered? Alarm made her draw her breath sharply, and the action,
combined perhaps with some dust or a slight cold--alack! alack!--brought
on a terrific and utterly uncontrollable fit of sneezing.

"Ha-chaw! Ha-chaw! Ha-chaw!" issued from the cupboard with horrible
distinctness. Miss Poppleton paused for a second, then made an instant
dart, and seized the culprit in the very midst of her fourth convulsive
gasp.

"Oh, indeed! So it's you, Gipsy Latimer, is it?" said the Principal
grimly. "What are you doing here, I should like to know?"

Too much taken aback even to sneeze again, poor Gipsy stood looking the
picture of guilt, without volunteering any explanation of her presence
in the cupboard. She felt that to do so would only involve her in
further difficulties. Miss Poppleton's keen, suspicious eyes seemed to
note