fortunate enough to catch some of her own classmates. They were all
sucking enormous peppermint "humbugs", and were almost speechless in
consequence; but they had the politeness to listen to her, which was
more than she had experienced from some of the girls.

"Very sorry!" replied Annie Gray, talking with difficulty. "You should
have asked us sooner. Val's been round, and simply coerced us."

"She made it a hockey versus lacrosse contest, and of course we plumped
for hockey," murmured Elsie Bellamy.

"Val's simply ripping at hockey!"

"Is that all you care for?" exclaimed Dorothy scornfully. "Val has
nothing else to recommend her."

"Hasn't she? What about peppermint 'humbugs'? I call them a very
substantial recommendation."

"Did Val give you those?"

"Rather! She put on her hat and bolted out into High Street and bought a
whole pound. Lucky Miss James didn't catch her as she dodged back!"

"She's handing them round to everybody," added Helen Walker. "I wish I
had taken two."

For once Dorothy's pale cheeks put on a colour. She could not restrain
her indignation.

"How atrociously and abominably mean!" she burst out. "Why, it's just
bribery, pure and simple. I didn't think Val was capable of such a
sneaking trick. She knows quite well how unfair it is to the rest of
us."

"Why, you could have done the same if you'd liked," laughed Elsie. "It's
not too late now. I've a preference for caramels, if you ask me."

"I'd be ashamed!" declared Dorothy. "Surely you ought to give your votes
on better grounds than 'humbugs' or caramels? Such a thing has never
been done before at the Coll."

"All the more loss for us," giggled Helen flippantly.

"Do you mean to tell me you don't care whether a candidate behaves
dishonourably or not?"

"Not I, if she's jolly."

"I'm disgusted with you, absolutely disgusted! If you haven't a higher
ideal of what's required in a warden, you don't deserve to have votes at
all."

"Draw it mild, Dorothy!" chirped Elsie.

"I won't. I'll tell you what I think of you: you're a set of greedy
things! There isn't one of you with a spark of public spirit, and if the
election is going to be run on these lines, I----"

But Dorothy's tirade was interrupted by the dinner bell; and the objects
of her scorn, hastily swallowing the offending peppermints, decamped at
a run, leaving her to address a group of empty chairs. She followed more
leisurely, fuming as she went. She knew she had been f