"Good gracious, girls! Whatever are you doing here?" she demanded in idiomatic, if hardly strictly classical English. At the unwelcome sight of the head prefect the juniors one and all simply stampeded, and I regret to say that the more timid of the Camellia Buds followed their example. Peachy, Irene, Lorna, Delia, and Jess stood their ground, however. "We--we were only giving those kids a little fun," answered Peachy. In dead silence Rachel reviewed the pan, its contents, and the blushing faces before her. Then she said: "Rather dangerous fun. If that tree catches it will set the summer-house in a blaze next. You know your fire drill? Well, each fetch a bucket of water and put this out! Right turn! Quick march!" At the words of command the luckless five fled to the house and into the back hall where the fire buckets were kept. They returned with what speed they could, and thoroughly soused their bonfire. Rachel assured herself that it was safely out, then commenced further inquiries. "We didn't mean any harm," explained Peachy, much on the defensive. "We were only trying to amuse those juniors. They never have a chance to get hold of the tennis courts, and they're tired of eternal basket-ball, and they've rather a thin time of it. We started taking them up because they were so bullied. Bertha and Mabel used to snatch their biscuits away from them at lunch." Rachel's face was a study. "Bertha and Mabel snatched their biscuits?" she repeated. "Yes; we stopped that though." "_I_ never saw it!" "They took jolly good care you shouldn't." "Why didn't you come and tell _me_?" Peachy looked embarrassed. "Well, if you really want to know," she blurted out, "you're so aloof and superior nobody cares to come and tell you anything. We managed it by ourselves." Rachel winced as if Peachy had struck her a blow. "I'm sorry if--if that's how I seem to you," she faltered. "I must have failed utterly as head girl if you can't confide in me. The prefects want to be the friends of all the school." Peachy shrugged her shoulders eloquently. "I don't quite see where the friendship comes in," she murmured. "You bag the best tennis courts and have the best dormitories, and give your own stunts there. You never ask any of us to them. Do you, now?" "No, I'm afraid we don't," admitted Rachel, still in the same constrained, almost bewildered, manner. "We really never thought of it." The four Camellia Buds, listening to their friend's outspoken comments, expected an explosion of wrath from the head prefect, but Rachel only told them to take the buckets back to the house. "And that too," she added, pointing to the pan. Peachy stooped and picked it up, turned to go, then delivered herself of a last manifesto: "It's our own butter and sugar that we saved from breakfast and tea, so please don't blame anybody else." "I blame myself most," whispered Rachel, as she was left alone.