could tackle her.

Then events moved quickly.

"Centre it, Dorothy," called Muriel, and flew to intercept the ball,
which Dorothy passed to her. Dodging, tackling, dribbling, and
passing, the head girl and her inside left carried the ball into the
enemy's goal circle. And before the Green defence could recover from
the unexpected onslaught, the ball was safely through their goalposts,
put there by Muriel's stick. The whistle blew for goal and time
simultaneously, and a perfect storm of cheering broke from the watching
school. It had indeed been an exciting finish to the dormitory hockey
final!

There were certain formalities to be gone through before the teams
could leave the field. Alice Metcalfe, as captain of the defeated
team, called for three cheers for the victors, to which Muriel had to
respond by calling for three cheers for the runners-up for the Cup.
Then the rival captains had to shake hands and thank each other for the
good game--a little ceremony which had existed at Wakehurst Priory
since hockey matches first began, and which was never omitted.

But directly these formalities were over, and the girls who had been
watching the match came flocking around the dispersing teams, cheering
and asking questions and pouring out congratulations, Muriel looked
about for Gerry Wilmott and hastened to her side.

"Well done, Gerry! You were splendid!" the head girl exclaimed. "It
was all through you that we scored that last goal. If you hadn't
stopped that free hit so pluckily, we could never have done it. I'm
jolly glad I put you in to play."

Gerry's nose was bleeding badly, and it was cut and swollen from the
blow she had received. Her head was aching too, and she was feeling
dreadfully dazed and tired. But in spite of her injuries, the face she
raised to Muriel's was a very happy one.

"I'm _awfully_ glad I managed to stop it," she said.

"I say! You did get a bang, kiddie!" said Muriel concernedly, looking
down at her junior's injured nose. "You'd better come at once and let
me take you to Sister. She's got some ripping stuff for bringing down
bruises. If we get it seen to directly, perhaps it will save you from
being quite black in the face to-morrow."

And putting her arm round Gerry's shoulder, the head girl led her off
the field.

CHAPTER XXIII

THE PLUCK OF GERMAN GERRY

The head girl and her companion were joined by Monica Deane and Alice
Metcalfe as they left the hockey g