re all agreed," remarked Lorraine. "Whatever happens,
we must support one another. I need not keep you any longer now. Patsie
wants to get away to her dentist."

"Ugh! I don't feel in such a hurry to go and be tortured when it comes
to the point," shuddered Patsie.

"But I'm keen on the dressmaker. She's making me the sweetest coat-frock
you ever saw--in brown velveteen with braid trimming!" purred Audrey.

Having decided to keep a tight hand over the turbulent juniors, the
monitresses proceeded to live up to their resolution. They inspected the
cloak-room, sternly repressed giggling and talking on the stairs, and
insisted upon an orderly queue for the issue of library books. Even
Patsie turned the twinkle in her eye into a glance of reproof. The lower
forms, who had certainly been trying how far they could go, were
disposed to rebel, and gave trouble on one or two occasions, but the
slightest attempt at mutiny was met with instant firmness.

"Don't let them master you for a minute," counselled Lorraine. "If
anything very flagrant happens, report to me, and we'll deal with it in
Committee."

It was only a few days after this, at twenty minutes past two by the big
clock in the hall, that Vivien turned into the Sixth Form room, where
most of her fellow-monitresses were assembled. Her cheeks were scarlet,
and her eyes flashed sparks.

"I've been having _such_ a row with those wretched kids!" she exploded.
"What do you think a lot of them were doing? Why, they'd actually gone
into the gym., where everything had been placed ready for senior drill,
and were racketing about with the clubs and dumb-bells. The second they
saw me they bolted, and made a dash through the far door and out into
the garden, leaving clubs and dumb-bells lying just anywhere. You never
saw such a mess as the gym. was in! I had to send Effie Swan and Theresa
Dawson to put things in order again. Then I went round to the
cloak-room, and asked every single girl if she had been in the gym. Some
of them owned up quite frankly, but one told me a deliberate lie."

"A lie! Good gracious! Are you perfectly certain?"

"Absolutely sure. Couldn't be mistaken. I saw her myself in the gym. She
was the very last to run out."

"The mean little sneak! Lying is the absolute limit!" frowned Lorraine.
"We can't stand that kind of thing--we shall just have to make an
example of her. Which kiddie was it?"

"I'm frightfully sorry to have to say it--but it was Monica