However, although Carslake's only succeeded in making a moderate total themselves, Kitty's bowling was more successful this time. She not only bowled overhand with remarkable accuracy for a girl, but managed to make the ball break in a formidable fashion; and supported by some really smart ground fielding and catching on the part of the juniors, she dismissed Green's for a more moderate total still, leaving Carslake's victors by about a dozen runs. This triumph acted as a badly needed tonic, and when, a week later, the house also defeated Green's at tennis, the seniors began to congratulate themselves that the "bad time" was over and the house was at last looking up. Alas! no one had the slightest presentiment of the trouble that Fate had in store for them before that term was ended. CHAPTER IV THE RICHOTER SCIENCE PRIZE Everybody at Easthampton, new girls and old, knew all about the Richoter Science Prize. That and the Essay Medal were the "scholastic plums" of the year, as Hilary said. This year Salome, the head prefect of Sheerston's, was undoubtedly the favourite for the science prize. But a good deal of excitement was aroused when Duane, after returning from a rather mysterious interview with the Principal, announced somewhat lugubriously that Miss St. Leger strongly advised her to enter for the Richoter, and that Miss Vacher spoke highly of her natural ability at the subject and considered that she had a very good chance, if she did her best, of winning the prize. The other Carslake heroes naturally thought this a brilliant notion on the part of the Principal. Their house would now have a candidate to represent it, and if, by any chance, Duane managed to win the prize, what a triumph for Carslake's! They solemnly assured their doleful-looking head prefect that they would help her as much as they possibly could. The Upper Fifth, as a whole, freely gave their opinions on this new entry for the Richoter. Duane, they said, though a slacker, was undoubtedly clever at some things, and would be a worthy opponent for Salome and Eileen Gilbert and the other five or six candidates. Whereupon Kitty, her enthusiasm for her house catching fire from that of the girls of Sheerston's, Prince's and Green's, called out in her clear, decided way, a remark which she would afterwards have given worlds to have left unsaid, though it meant little or nothing at the time. "Duane will be something more than a worthy opponent to your girls. She's going to win that prize, and we're going to use every means in our power to bring it off. You mark my words." "I say, Kitty," remonstrated Hilary, a little later, "you needn't be so deadly certain that Duane will win the Richoter." Kitty laughed. "When I hear the other houses boasting that one of their own girls is practically sure of the prize, I simply have to up and boast a bit for our poor old house. No one else will."