The juniors started, and exchanged frightened glances. Lines or
order marks from prefects were not unusual punishments and could be
put up with, but "reported to house mistress" was a far more serious
affair, and a rare occurrence.
Duane crossed her arms behind her head and lounged back comfortably
in her chair, with the agreeable sensation of being mistress of the
situation.
"Well?" she said, serenely. "Peggy, you seem to be the leader of the
party."
Peggy gulped. "We--we--were only having a supper down in the
common-room."
"Oh, I see. That was what I surmised. There's generally some light
refreshment attached to your little affairs. Most thrilling!
Barbara, suppose you tell me what were the eatables in this repast of
yours."
Barbara giggled. It seemed to be an incurable affliction with her.
"Oh--er--sandwiches and cakes and--and lemon jelly. We took our soap
dishes down to eat it from and made it in a Moab--I mean a wash-jug.
And--and," here Barbara, rather singularly, hesitated and blushed
furiously, "pork pies."
"H'm. Quite a feast! I almost wish I had been invited," murmured
the head prefect. "Pork pies, too! Now, I wonder--" she paused, as
a sudden thought struck her, and repeated again, "pork pies! Of
course, there isn't any connexion between the--er--title of your
society and that article of diet? I have often wondered what P.
Squared stood for."
The faces of the juniors were a study. Peggy boiled over with rage.
"Yes, that's where we did get the title from," she flung out
defiantly, "and--and--it's beastly mean of you to get it out of us
like this. I half believe somebody told you."
"No, no, merely intuition--aided by Barbara's self-conscious blush,"
assured Duane. "I suppose the eating of pork pies at the beginning
of each meeting constitutes a sacred ceremony. Oh well, I was young
myself once. You do great credit to Miss Green's teaching. I must
congratulate you on the intelligent way in which you have learnt
algebra. Correlation of subjects, too, is one of the modern crazes."
She rose to her feet.
"Well, thank you for your frankness. I will think the matter over
and decide on the sentence. There's dinner bell, so you'd better
clear," and at the words of dismissal from the head prefect, who had
become aware that the other two seniors were no longer able to
control their merriment, the nine juniors gladly made their escape.
As they disappeared Hilary's face sobered suddenly. She turned to
Duane.
"You'll report 'em, I suppose? It's the only way to stop these silly
societies. One wouldn't mind them, of course, but these kids are far
more enthusiastic over a cricket match between P. Squareds and
Budmushes than one between Carslake's and another house, and when
they actually cut school matches because their blessed society is
running a picnic or has a jape on against the other one, it's getting
more than a joke."
Such was the point of view of the seniors.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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