writing theirs also?"

"Yes, but they had more to do than I had. They'll bring theirs along
as soon as they've finished them," said Gerry, feeling suddenly more
embarrassed and uncomfortable than ever. A bright flame from the fire
had sprung up, and by its light Gerry saw something which filled her
with dismay.

Miss Burton's eyes behind the gold-rimmed spectacles were unmistakably
red and wet with tears! She had been crying! Gerry, who had cried so
often during this unhappy term, knew the signs too well to be deceived.

"I suppose you felt you had to do them since Miss Oakley set them,"
said the mistress, still with that bitter note in her voice. "I have
not time to examine them now. I'll look through them presently and let
you know if they are tidy enough for me to accept." And she made a
gesture of dismissal.

But Gerry still lingered. She did not quite know what she could do,
but somehow it seemed impossible to go away and leave the new mistress
in trouble behind her. Gerry was a tender-hearted person and she could
not bear to see others in distress. She longed to be able to say
something comforting, but no words suitable to the occasion came to
her, and at last Miss Burton, seeing her still standing near the door,
spoke to her in angry exasperation.

"What are you waiting for, child! Didn't you hear me say that I could
not look at them until later? Go back to your classroom at once. The
bell for preparation rang long ago."

Thus admonished, Gerry was obliged to leave the room, but she went very
reluctantly, and her progress back to the Lower Fifth classroom was
very slow indeed. A tumult of conflicting emotions was raging within
her. All along she had been uneasily aware that the strike against the
new mistress was wrong, and now the unmistakable traces of tears on
Miss Burton's plain face had borne in upon her how very wrong and mean
it was. Something must be done at once to stop it--that was
evident--but yet what could she do? What could one girl do against
many?--and an insignificant, unpopular new girl at that!

Just as she reached the top of the Upper School corridor she
encountered the head girl, who stopped with a friendly smile as she
recognised her.

"What are you doing here, kiddie?" said Muriel. "Oughtn't you to be in
prep?"

"I'm just going," said Gerry. "I had some lines to take to Miss
Burton, and I'm just on my way back."

"What have you been doing to get lines?" said