round. Both the seniors said nice
things to Gerry about her great achievement and condoled with her upon
the injury to her nose.

"I say! I am sorry," said Alice in contrition. "I suppose I ought not
to have hit so hard, really. Miss Caton's always telling me that
hockey isn't just a matter of hard hitting, and that I overdo the
slogging part. But I never thought of anyone getting into the way of
that ball. As a rule, people run for yards to get out of the way of my
free hits."

"It was jolly lucky for us that Gerry _did_ get in the way," laughed
Muriel. "If the ball had gone out then, we should never have had time
to score that final goal."

"I ought to bear you a grudge, Gerry, for losing the Cup for my dorm,"
said Alice. "I'm afraid you've got to pay for it, though. Your nose
will be black and blue to-morrow."

"Oh no, it won't," said Muriel reassuringly. "I'm going to take her
straight up to Sister when we get in, and get some of that wonderful
lotion of hers to bathe it with. I got an awful whack on my forehead
the end of last season, but when I put Sister's stuff on it the
swelling went down almost at once, and it was hardly coloured at all."

"Gerry's nose will be awfully stiff and uncomfortable, though, for a
day or two, however wonderful Sister's stuff may be," observed Monica.

"I don't mind," said Gerry happily. And indeed she was so relieved at
having redeemed herself in the eyes of the head girl in the matter of
hockey-playing, that she really would not have cared very much if her
nose had been broken instead of merely bruised. She walked on down the
field amongst the seniors, feeling that she would not at the moment
have changed places with any other girl in the whole of Wakehurst
Priory.

It was some ten minutes' walk across the hockey field back to the
school. The three prefects and Gerry were well in the van of the
returning girls. A few Fourth Form children were some distance ahead,
but the majority of the school were descending more leisurely in the
rear. Just at this moment, however, the half-dozen girls in front
turned, and began running back, waving their arms and shouting as they
ran.

"What on earth's the matter with those kids?" said Alice in surprise.
"Have they gone quite mad?"

"They are shouting out something," said Muriel. "Can you hear what it
is? Why! There's Bennett running, too. And some other men! One of
them's got a stick--no, it's a gun! They're chas