the hearthrug in front of the fire, and prepared for a happy if
somewhat solitary evening. She had not been established there very
long, however, before the door opened and Jack came into the room.

She dropped down beside Gerry on the hearth-rug and peered over her
shoulder at the book.

"What are you reading?" she asked. "Anything interesting? Do you want
to read very badly, or will you mind if we put out the light? Nita's
coming in directly, and we'd arranged to have a cosy confab in the
firelight. All the others are going to the organ recital, and we
thought it would be a splendid opportunity to have a nice quiet evening
all to ourselves."

"Is there an organ recital?" said Gerry. "I didn't know."

"Yes, there's been a notice up about it on the notice-board all the
week. You are a blind old bat, Gerry, always up in the clouds. I
don't believe you know half that goes on in the school. Miss Martyn's
giving one in the Chapel this evening, but you needn't go to it unless
you want--it's optional. Stay here and have a jolly evening with Nita
and me. Here comes Nita."

The door opened at that moment, and Nita came quickly into the room.

"Hullo, here you are! I've got them all right----" she began, then
stopped short at the sight of Gerry. In the dim light--Jack had
switched off the overhead lamps, and the room was only lighted now by
the glow from the fire--she had not seen her quite at first. "Oh, it's
you, is it?" she said, somewhat abruptly. "I thought you'd gone to the
organ recital."

Jack grinned at Nita's look of dismay and turned to Gerry with a
chuckle of amusement.

"It's all right--don't take any notice of Nita. She doesn't really
mean to be rude--it's just her way. Don't stand there looking like a
stuffed owl, Nita. Gerry won't split. Will you, Gerry?"

"Split? Split on what?" asked Gerry, looking from one girl to the
other in bewilderment.

"Why, we're going to have a chestnut-roasting, Nita and I. We were out
for a walk with the three Fourth Forms this afternoon. Miss Burton
took it. And we went by the chestnut plantation on Sir John Boyne's
place--you know it, don't you, up by Southdown Woods? Nita and I gave
the rest of them the slip and lay low in the plantation until they'd
all gone past. Then we just set to and stuffed our pockets with
chestnuts. There were loads of them, all eating ones, you know, and
when the walk came back we tagged ourselves on to it without any