You'll soon find out." Peachy shook off Irene's company as if in a hurry to get rid of her before she asked any more questions, so there was nothing to be done but wait in patience until the evening.

Supper was at 7.30, and from 8 till half past the girls did as they chose.

Those who wished to study might take the extra time for preparation, but work was not obligatory, and it was an understood thing that in the interval between supper and "set recreation" visits might be paid to other dormitories, and that so long as no noise reached the ears of the prefects, anybody disposed to be frivolous might indulge in a little harmless fun.
Irene's wrist-watch was not a reliable timepiece, having bad habits of galloping and then suddenly losing, so to-night she did not trust to it, but sat in the hall with her eyes on the big white-faced clock.

At exactly nine and a half minutes past eight she ran upstairs and tapped at the door of dormitory 13.

There were sounds of scuffling inside and an agitated voice squealed: "Wait a minute." But after a few moments quiet reigned and somebody else called: "Come in!" Feeling rather as if she were awaiting initiation into some Nihilist association Irene entered the room.