"After all," she said, "you may think what you please. By this time to-morrow I shall be established in my position, and I don't think either Ralph or his father will regret it. As you, Patience, have taken it upon you to order Ralph to bed--a thing which I imagine you will never have the power to do again--I shall not disturb him to-night: but when I am his school-mother, he will do what I wish, please understand: he will have passed out of your life, Patience, and out of the lives of all the rest of you, and you need not call yourselves by the ridiculous name of school-mothers any longer. You will be back to your horrid school life, and I wish you joy of it. I shall stay here, and be happy. I wish, however, to say one thing. I think it exceedingly shabby of Robina to give up the contest at the eleventh hour. It shows that notwithstanding your high opinion of her she is a coward at heart. She is so certain that she will be beaten, that she won't wait to witness her own discomfiture. Ralph choose Robina, indeed! There never was any chance of that." "No," said Patience, "and that brings us to another thing. Dear little Ralph told me that you saved his life--" "Good gracious!" said Harriet: "didn't you all see me do it?" "Yes, but he said you saved his life twice. When was the first occasion?" Harriet bit her lips. "Children exaggerate things," she said after a pause. "I did risk my own life for Ralph at Totland Bay, and the dear little man got confused." "I don't think so," said Patience; "he is never confused about things. Well, at any rate, Harriet, we should like you to explain that remark of Ralph's to-morrow to Mr Durrant before the great decision is finally come to." "Your likings or not likings, Patience Chetwold, will probably not be of the slightest consequence," said Harriet, leaving the room as she spoke with her head in the air. The moment she had gone, the rest of the girls drew close together. "Now listen," said Patience. "I have talked to that poor child. In his heart of hearts he doesn't really love Harriet. She would be a cruel and dreadful girl to leave him with. Didn't you watch her to-night, and didn't you see how she was forcing him to do something, and how he was refusing, and how she was making him do it in the end? and didn't you notice the way he hugged Robina? Oh! it's Robina he loves in his heart of hearts: he doesn't care for Harriet, but she has got the poor little darling into her power, and he is such a brave pet, and is so impressed by his sense of gratitude to her, he will do anything for her. Now, girls, we have a great deal to do between now and eleven o'clock to-morrow morning. We have to get our evidence together." "Oh what, Patience, what?" asked Rose: while the others clustered round her.