Free Seaside Hospital by Pauline Ash

depended on the people concerned; perpetrators of heavier offences had been known to be given a second chance while lighter offences had been known before now to be taken to Matron’s office.
    Not long afterward Mary burst in, full of the day at the garden party, and was startled to find Lisa flat on her back on her b e d.
    “Lisa!” she exclaimed, shocked at her white face. “Is it true then, that those children who were nearly drowned were our children? Everyone was talking about it!”
    “They weren’t nearly drowned,” Lisa said, sitting up. “The girl fell in. I arrived on the scene just after Randall Carson pulled her out. She was only trying to get a goldfish.”
    “Randall Carson pulled her out! He would!” Mary exploded. “Why does that man always smell trouble and get there first? I’m sorry, Lisa, if you’re in hot water because of me, but honestly, we gave them ices and turned our backs for just a minute, and if they’d stayed where they were told to—but the minute we took our eyes off them, they must have bolted.”
    “Never mind,” Lisa said. “Randall Carson would have made trouble for me, no matter what had happened,” and she recounted the way he had brought them back to the hospital and taken her to Sister’s office.
    “He’s just mean,” Mary said. “I hate him. Just let me put on my uniform and I’ll go down and clear it all up.”
    “No, don’t, Mary—I haven’t mentioned your name, and there really isn’t any need to say anything. It was no more your fault than mine. It’ll all blow over, I expect.”
    “Don’t be silly. Don’t I always own up?” Mary said, patting her arm. “Besides, it’ll just show that Randall Carson up nicely, won’t it, when I say it wasn’t your fault at all? Then Sister will see he’s spoiling for getting you in a row all the time,” she insisted, overriding Lisa’s protests.
    Lisa went down dispiritedly to supper and was stopped by the porter with a note. “Bloke from the stage door of the Coronet brought it, Nurse, and it’s marked urgent.”
    Lisa’s heart missed a beat, but before she could open it she was again called to Sister’s office. Mary, already there, treated Lisa to an elaborate wink while Sister explained that in view of what Nurse Thorley had to say, the whole situation was changed.
    “It was all very unfortunate, Nurse Bryant, and much to your credit that you took the blame yourself, rather than involve another nurse. I hope such a thing won’t happen again, but the matter is at an end. Off you go to supper, both of you.”
    “You see?” the jubilant Mary said, as they hurried down to the dining hall. “How did you get on, apart from the children’s ducking?”
    “Actually, that was about the extent of my day there,” Lisa said; then she remembered Derek’s talk, and the way she had followed Jacky, which reminded her of the note. “Oh, look, you go on ahead to supper, Mary,” she said, “and I’ll follow.” She needed privacy to read that message.
    “Just a second,” Mary said. “Before you go, I forgot to tell you—they were trying to hush up another row just before we left. Lady Frenton has been robbed again.”
    “Robbed?” Lisa whispered, white to the lips.
    “Well, there’s a valuable clip missing—rubies, diamonds and emeralds,” Mary said. “It was left on her dressing table—Lady Frenton is always doing that—but it’ll probably turn up, like the last time. It had better turn up—they say it’s the most valuable piece of the lot.”

 
    CHAPTER FIVE
    Lisa walked on, telling herself she mustn’t listen to that nagging warning voice inside her.
    What if there had been a loss of a valuable clip? Why should it concern her personally? And yet she could not rid herself of the conviction that it somehow concerned Jacky.
    She recalled again that special look in Jacky’s face as she had gone toward the house. She asked herself what Jacky had been doing in the house, all by herself, when