The hockey season would commence at the beginning of October, but during September, while the weather was still warm, the girls continued to play cricket on Wednesdays.  The school was fortunate enough to possess large playing fields; these adjoined the public park, in itself a big area, so that quite a fine open space lay below the buildings.  One afternoon, just as Winona was having her innings, Elsie Mainwaring uttered a cry, and pointed overhead.  Far up in the clouds was the aeroplane, and it was gracefully looping the loop.

“It’s Harry!  He’s showing off for our benefit!” squealed Elsie excitedly.  “I told him we should be playing cricket to-day.  Oh! didn’t he do it cleverly?  He went just straight head over heels in the air!  Let’s wave to him, and perhaps he’ll come down a little.”

Handkerchiefs fluttered out so briskly that the field resembled a washing day.  Miss Barbour was signaling as vigorously as the rest.  Evidently Lieutenant Mainwaring took the display for an invitation, the biplane descended like a hawk, and to every one’s immense gratification alighted on the school ground.  To see a real live airman at such close quarters was not an ordinary experience.  Elsie promptly introduced her cousin to Miss Barbour and begged that they might all inspect the machine.  Lieutenant Mainwaring good-naturedly explained the various parts; perhaps he rather enjoyed a visit to a Ladies’ School!  He did not stay long, however, but after a few minutes started his engine and went soaring up again into the blue of the sky, and wheeling over the towers of the old Minster was soon lost to sight behind some clouds.

“It must be glorious to fly!” sighed Winona.

In spite of Miss Kelly’s injunctions she could not help looking out of her window every morning for the aeroplane, and giving a surreptitious wave.  She told herself that she was only acting patriotically in cheering on our aerial defenses.  The back of the hostel opened into the school playground, and one day Winona, taking a run there for exercise before breakfast, heard the familiar whirring, and looking up, beheld the flying-machine poised just overhead.  She heard a shout from the occupant, and something dropped into the playground.  She ran to pick it up.  It was a packet of chocolates!  She tried to wave thanks, but the biplane had moved on, and was now far over the town, Lieutenant Mainwaring no doubt having enjoyed his little joke of innocent bomb-dropping.

Now most unfortunately for Winona, Miss Kelly’s bedroom window overlooked the playground, and she had been a witness of the whole incident.  She came out now in extreme wrath, confiscated the chocolates, and scolded Winona sharply.

“But it’s not my fault!  I’d no idea he was going to drop anything!” protested Winona indignantly.

“After what has happened before, I can only draw my own conclusions,” returned the mistress icily.  “You will change to Number 3 dormitory to-day.”