"Well, we put Pill through the mill, first," Erna said. "Come on, peoples. Line up." She shoved and pushed at the girls until they got into line, their legs apart, then she gave Flip a not unfriendly shove. "Through the mill." Flip bent down, held her breath, and started. With her long legs she practically had to crawl on her hands and knees as she pushed through the tunnel of legs, and her progress was slow and her bottom smarting from the slaps. She gritted her teeth and pressed on until she passed between Erna's legs at the head of the line. Erna gave her a resounding smack. "Good for Philippa," Solvei said. "She didn't yell once." "She has tears in her eyes," Gloria shouted. "I have not," Flip denied. "What are they if they aren't tears?" Esmée Bodet asked. "It's the wind," Flip said. "Are you ticklish?" Esmée asked. "Yes." Esmée rushed at her and started tickling her. "Stop! Oh, please stop!" Flip cried. Esmée tickled even harder and Flip fell to the ground, laughing and gasping hysterically while all the girls shouted with amusement. But although Flip was laughing it was the laughter of torture and she cried out whenever she could catch her breath, "stop, oh, stop--" She laughed and laughed until she could scarcely breathe and tears were streaming down her face. Finally Erna said, "For heaven's sake stop, Esmée. You've done enough." Esmée stood up while Flip lay prostrate on the ground, gasping and trying to get her breath back. She felt that now she knew what it must be like for a fish when the fisherman decides it isn't good enough and finally throws it back into the sea. "Get up," Erna said. Flip rolled over weakly. "Come on. Stand up. You've got to prove yourself if you want to pass the initiation." Flip staggered to her feet. "All right," Erna said in a business like manner. "Now the inoculation. All the new girls have to be inoculated, not just you, Pill. Did you get the matches, Jack?" Jackie nodded vigorously, so that her black curls bounced up and down. "Yes, but I only got six, one for each of them. No extras in case of emergencies. Mathilde was in a bad mood and told me to get out of the kitchen or she'd tell Black and Midnight. She acted awfully suspicious. She wanted to know what I wanted with the matches and I told her Balmy Almy wanted them for the Bunsen Burners in the lab, but it didn't seem to satisfy her." Sally Buckman gave one of the hoarse snorts that made her sound as much like a pug as she looked. "I bet she thought you were going off to smoke. Old stinker. If we could get cigarettes we could get matches." "What're you going to do with the matches?" One of the new girls asked Erna. "I told you. Innoculate you." Jackie embroidered. "You might catch all kinds of dreadful things if you didn't get innoculated. Erna, have you got the antiseptic?"