"Why on earth couldn't the Professor go to bed and stay there, instead of messing round and spoiling the hockey-match for us all? I'm jolly glad he's leaving at the end of the month," she concluded vindictively; "but he's done the harm by now." "If only he hadn't been so sure about the girl," Joey repeated, frowning. "It's that makes Miss Conyngham so stiff about it--otherwise she'd just take our words." "I think she ought to, anyway. Just think of the match, and Redlands perhaps pulling it off for the first time for six years, and not one of us there!" "P'r'aps the girl will own up in time," Joey suggested, but not hopefully. Noreen shook her head. "Not she. She would have done it long ago if she meant to. She's probably a beastly slacker, who doesn't care two pins about hockey...." "Nor the Coll," Joey added gloomily. "I've a good mind to go to the match after all--are you game, Joey?" Noreen said suddenly. "Oh yes, I know there'll be the father and mother, not to mention the aunts and uncles of a good old row; but one may just as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb. If they're going to suspect me of beastly things like this----" Noreen was driven rather desperate; that was clear. Joey held on tighter to her arm, as though she expected her to bolt off there and then. "It would be heavenly, Noreen; but we can't--you know we can't. Besides, everyone's dying to go." "If I could get hold of that skunk of a girl!" growled Noreen, and then her eyes lit up again with a dangerous gleam. "Tell you what, Joey; I've a precious good mind to say I did do it after all; and then the others will be allowed to go anyway." "Noreen!" gasped Joey. "Oh, of course. I shall tell Miss Conyngham that I didn't--afterwards--when it's too late to matter. You're right about the other thing; it would be rather skunkish when everyone is dying to go. But I'd give them the chance this way. Oh, I know it's an awful thumper, but they shouldn't put it into my head by hinting that I did the crime and lay low." "No one would believe you did it," Joey urged, grasping at a straw. "No one to count, at least--who cares for silly idiots like Doris and Roma?" "Wouldn't they? I've got a truly Irish reputation here." "Well, no one could believe you wouldn't tell for a whole fortnight when everyone was being punished, anyway." "Doris and Roma hinted that quite a lot of people found it easy enough to believe," Noreen said bitterly. "No, shut it, Joey; I've settled, I'm going to do it. You ought to be pleased; you'll be able to go to your cousin's again--didn't you say they'd asked you for Sunday?" "Don't be a pig, Noreen!" "Pax, old thing, I didn't mean it. Of course, you won't like my doing it, I know; but it _is_ a way out. Get Gabrielle to take Syb for her other friend if she will; Syb's wild to go...."