he corridors. There seemed
to be nobody about, and as she did not want to go to the sitting-room
sooner than she could help, she went on to look at the notice-board, to
see if Muriel really had put her name down for Saturday's match. From
Phyllis Tressider's speech she gathered that she had done so. Somehow,
after the incident in the gymnasium that afternoon, Gerry had quite
expected Muriel to change her mind about putting her into the team.
But, no! There was her name down, in black and white--Gerry Wilmott,
left outside.

Gerry stood for a few moments gazing at the list, uncertain whether to
be pleased that Muriel still intended to give her another chance, or to
be frightened at the ordeal that lay before her. And as she stood
there, doubtfully regarding the notice-board, the head girl herself
came along, and stopped to speak to her.

"Well, Gerry, I'm giving you your chance, you see," she said kindly.

"Yes--I see," said Gerry, turning round to face the prefect. "But,
Muriel, are you--are you sure you think it's best?
Supposing--supposing I funk again?"

"Now, look here, Gerry, I shall really get cross with you if you go on
like this," said the head girl impatiently. And indeed, there was some
reason for her impatience. She seemed always to be having to spur
Gerry Wilmott on to the simplest acts of courage. "I keep telling you
and telling you that you must have more confidence in yourself! You
needn't funk if you'll only make up your mind not to. You've put up
one or two quite good games since you've been playing forward, Alice
says, and there's no earthly reason why you should not do the same on
Saturday. If Dora Wainscott's hand was well enough for her to play, I
should put her in. But it isn't, and you're just as good as any of the
other girls in the dorm who are left--rather better than most of them.
Now, are you going to buck up and do yourself and the dorm credit, or
are you going to let me down?"

"I'm--I'm going to do my best," said Gerry, lifting earnest eyes to the
head girl's face. "It's jolly good of you, Muriel, to give me the
chance after the way I went on over gym this afternoon."

"Did you think I should cut you out because of that?" said Muriel.
"You certainly did make rather an ass of yourself. But there's no
earthly reason why you should do the same on Saturday. I should like
to fit you up with a new backbone, Gerry Wilmott," she added
laughingly. "You'd be quite a decent ki