included the Lower Fifth, the
Fifth Remove, and the Upper, Middle, and Lower Fourth Forms; and
directly after dinner the girls concerned hurried to their cubicles to
change into their gymnastic dresses.

Gerry was not looking forward to the afternoon with quite the same
enjoyment as the rest of the Middle School. She was not at all keen
upon gym. In fact, she would much rather have played hockey, which,
now that she had grown used to it a little, she was really beginning to
enjoy. Gym to her was still a very formidable affair, and the giant's
stride, rings, vaulting horse, and parallel bars filled her with
terror. So far she had escaped very lightly. Miss Caton, the gym
mistress, had seen how nervous and frightened the new girl was of all
the feats the other girls performed so gaily upon the different
apparatus, and she had contented herself with initiating Gerry very
slowly into their mysteries. But this afternoon Miss Caton was not
taking gym practice. Muriel Paget and three other athletic members of
the Sixth were officiating in her place, as Gerry found when she
wandered into the gymnasium rather earlier than most people, because
her changing had not been delayed by all the talking and excitement
prevalent amongst the other girls. There was nobody to come into Gerry
Wilmott's cubicle in search of a mislaid hair-ribbon, or to borrow a
darning-needle to cobble up holes in a stocking which the scantiness of
the gymnastic costume might display to the eyes of authority.

The four seniors were gathered at one end of the gym, discussing what
exercises they should give the school. Gerry made her way down to the
other end, where, curled up against one of the radiators by which the
room was warmed, lay Bruno, whom Gerry had not seen for some days past.

She stooped down to pat and caress him, pleased at seeing him again.
Much to her surprise, however, he growled and showed his teeth for a
moment, a very unusual thing for Bruno to do. She had never known him
anything but good-tempered hitherto, and from the very beginning he had
always shown a marked affection for her.

"Why, Bruno, what's the matter? Don't you know me?" Gerry said,
keeping, nevertheless, at a safe distance from him. At the sound of
her voice the dog rose to his feet, wagging his tail in a deprecating
manner and thrusting his nose into her hand as though apologising for
his irritability.

"Poor old fellow," said Gerry, cautiously stroking his