Winona looked back upon that outing as a most memorable occasion.  She hoped to try her skill again as soon as opportunity offered.  The charm of the wheel was alluring.  She wished she knew the name of the stranger who had rendered such invaluable assistance.  But that she never learnt.

[Illustration:  “WINONA STOPPED THE CAR BESIDE THE HEDGE, AND, STANDING UP, WAVED HER HANDKERCHIEF AS A SIGNAL OF DISTRESS”]

CHAPTER XVI

The Athletic Display

The Easter term was passing quickly away.  It had been a strenuous but nevertheless successful season.  Out of nine hockey matches the team had lost only three—­not a bad record for a school that was still in the infancy of its Games reputation.  The Old Girls’ Guild had got up its eleven, and had practiced with enthusiasm under the captaincy of Kirsty Paterson.  A most exciting Past versus Present match had been played, resulting in a narrow victory for the school.  Winona felt prouder of this success than of any other triumph the team had scored, for Kirsty had congratulated her afterwards, and praise from her former captain was very sweet.  It had been the last match of the season, so it made a satisfactory finish to her work.  She felt quite sentimental as she put by her hockey-stick.  Next season there would be a fresh captain, and she would have left the High School!  She wished she were staying another year, but her scholarship would expire at the end of July.  She could hardly believe that she had been nearly two years at the school, and that only one term more remained to her.  Well, it would be the summer term, which was the pleasantest of all, and though hockey was over, she had the cricket season before her.  The Seaton High should score at the wicket if it were in her power to coach a successful team.

Towards the end of March Winona had an interlude which for the time took her thoughts even from the omnipresent topic of sports.  Percy, who had been in training with his regiment at Duncastle, was ordered to the Front.  He was allowed thirty-six hours’ leave, and came home for a Sunday.  Winona spent that week-end at Highfield, and the memory of it always remained a very precious one.  Percy in his khaki seemed much changed, and though she only had him for a few minutes quite to herself, she felt that the old tie between them had strengthened.  Her letters to him in future would be different.  During the last year they had both slacked a little in their correspondence, each perhaps unconsciously feeling that the other’s standpoint was changing; now they had met again on a new basis, and realized once more a common bond of sympathy.  Percy, absorbed in describing his new life, scarcely mentioned Aunt Harriet.  The episode of the burning of the paper seemed to have faded from his memory, or he had conveniently buried it in oblivion.  Winona had never forgotten it.  It remained still the one shadow in her career