the sick-room all the evening, and was served by
Sister with a dainty little supper, sent from Miss Oakley's own
table--soup and chicken and jelly and cream, with a cup of delicious
coffee to finish with. Sister had intended that her patient should go
straight to the Pink Dormitory when bed-time came, and not descend to
the lower regions again that night.

"I'd send you there at once, but it isn't much good my letting you go
until the others are up," she said. "They'll only go waking you up
with their noise just as you've got to sleep, and you'd be better lying
quietly here. I've a good mind to fetch your things along and let you
sleep in the sick-ward to-night. Only you'll probably be all right in
the morning, and it hardly seems worth while."

"Oh, no! Please let me go back to the dormitory to-night!" pleaded
Gerry in alarm. In spite of her newborn courage, the prospect of
spending a night alone in the sick-ward was anything but pleasant.
Gerry was not to outgrow all her old terrors just at once. That
perhaps could hardly be expected.

"Very well," agreed Sister. "If you'll promise to lie quiet and not
talk to the others, you shall go. There's the Chapel bell just
ringing. We'll wait until we hear them come out from prayers, then
we'll get you along to the dormitory and into your bed by the time
they've done saying good-night to Miss Oakley."

It was the custom at Wakehurst Priory for the headmistress to stand by
the doorway of the Great Hall, whither the girls were marshalled when
they came out from Chapel, and smile a quiet good-night to them, as
they filed by her on their way to bed.

Sister's programme, however, was slightly disarranged after all. She
had just got Gerry to her feet, and was preparing to whisk her off to
the Pink Dormitory, when Jack Pym burst into the sick-room, a little
breathless with haste, and apparently labouring under some intense
excitement, with a request from the headmistress that Gerry might be
allowed to go down into the Great Hall and say good-night. Sister
demurred at first, but a request from Miss Oakley was almost equivalent
to a command. And as Gerry had really recovered, except for the
tiredness which was a natural reaction from her excitement, she at last
agreed to let her go.

"Mind you be quick up though when she's finished with you," she said.
"I shall be waiting for you, to see that you get quickly into bed, so
mind you don't dawdle once you've said good-