orm really ought to win!"

"I hope we shall," said Gerry fervently. Then she added under her
breath, "I'm going to try and do my share to-day, anyway, and justify
Muriel for having chosen me."

This little episode of the pink favour quite cheered Gerry up. Perhaps
the luck of the pink ribbon would counteract for once the unlucky
influence of Cubicle Thirteen. Gerry was really almost beginning to
believe that the ill-omened number of her cubicle must have something
to do with the persistent misfortune which dogged her footsteps!
Fortified by her precious talisman, she took her place up on the hockey
field as left outside without nearly such quakings of heart as she had
feared. And when once the whistle had gone and the play begun she
didn't have time to think about being frightened. Muriel saw to it
that her nervous left outer should have plenty of work quite early in
the game; and by the time the match had been in progress for ten
minutes or so, Gerry had lost all her gloomy fears in the excitement
and interest of the struggle.

It was obvious from the beginning that it was going to be a hard-fought
fight. Both teams were out to win. As before, the Pink Dormitory
forwards were far superior to the forwards from the Green Dormitory,
but the splendid defence of the latter team quite balanced this.
Backwards and forwards the battle raged, neither side getting a chance
to shoot for goal until the first half was nearly over. Then, much to
everybody's astonishment, Elsie Lipscombe succeeded in getting through
for the Greens.

"I say! That's serious!" said Dorothy Pemberton to Phyllis Tressider
as the two girls stood arm in arm sucking lemons at half-time. "Fancy
the Green Dorm getting a goal in like that, before we've scored one!
We shall have to buck up like anything this half if we're not going to
let the Pink Dorm down."

During the interval Muriel Paget went up to Gerry, who was standing a
little forlornly on the outskirts of the group of players, with a
reassuring word.

"Well, I don't think you need be afraid of funking now, Gerry; you're
doing quite well," she said.

"No; I don't think I shall funk now!" said Gerry. "It's all thanks to
you, though, Muriel. If I'd been playing back I know I should have
felt just the same as I did last time."

"Oh, well, but you're not playing back now," responded the head girl.
"So there's no need to worry over that! We've got to buck up like
anything this half, t