head. "Wasn't
he feeling well then, and did it make him cross?"

A group of girls drew near the radiator, Phyllis Tressider and Dorothy
Pemberton amongst them. Gerry, in her absorption in Bruno, did not
notice them at first, but Dorothy's sharp eyes soon discovered Gerry.

"Hullo! Look at German Gerry--she's found the black dog!" she said
teasingly.

Gerry looked up with a start and flushed scarlet, but she made no
reply, and Myra Davies, a girl from the Upper Fourth, inquired
curiously:

"What on earth do you mean, Dorothy?"

"Why, German Gerry's found her black dog!" came the jeering answer.
"It was sitting on her shoulders all the morning and she couldn't get
it off. I knew it was a pretty big one, didn't you, Phil?" she added,
seeing from Gerry's rising colour how surely her remarks were going
home, "but I'm hanged if I knew it was such a big one as that."

Gerry closed her lips firmly and braced herself to bear the teasing in
stoical silence. She knew it would do no good to say anything. Both
Dorothy and Phyllis were far too quick-witted and too ready with their
tongues for her to hope to compete with them in repartee. Besides, she
knew quite well that if she were to venture to say a word, she would be
greeted with a cool and astonished stare, while somebody would murmur
something about "Germans," and so effectually silence any remonstrance
she might try to make.

Fortunately for her self-control, Muriel turned round at this moment
and called out orders for the forms to take up their places; and in the
hurry of obeying the head girl's command, Gerry and her black dog were
forgotten for the time being. Just before beginning the drilling,
however, Muriel caught sight of Bruno, and sharply demanded to know who
had let him into the gymnasium.

"Please, Muriel, I think he belongs to Gerry Wilmott," said Phyllis
maliciously.

Muriel frowned severely at the girl.

"Don't talk rot, Phyllis," she said squashingly. "I don't know if you
think that's funny--but if you do I'm sorry for your sense of humour.
Gerry, did you bring Bruno into the gym?"

"No. He was here when I came in," answered Gerry, still hot and
flushed, but very grateful to Muriel for so promptly crushing Phyllis's
witticisms. She had been very much afraid that her enemy might have
gone on to disclose Miss Burton's remarks in form that morning about
the little black dog.

Muriel accepted her explanation without comment.

"Somebody