But another girl tackled her, and although Elizabeth tried to dodge, it was no use at all. She fell over and the ball flew into the air, The Uphill girl caught it neatly and raced off with it. She passed it to another Uphill girl who threw it vigorously down the field to the girl by the goal.
The girl caught it, and shot straight for goal. It looked as if the ball ‘was flying straight for the goal-net-but Eileen saved it by flinging herself right out of goal She fell over as she caught the ball, but somehow she managed to fling it to a waiting Whyteleafe boy, He caught it and was off up the field like the wind, “Pass the ball, pass it!” yelled Elizabeth, dancing about, “Look out! There’s a girl behind you! PASS!” The boy passed the ball just as the Uphill girl behind him tried to strike at his stick to get the ball, It flew straight through the air to Elizabeth, She caught it, and sped off, followed by a swift running Uphill girl.
Elizabeth passed to Robert who was nearby. An Uphill girl ran at him-and he passed the ball back to Elizabeth, who ran for goal. Should she shoot from where she was?
She might get a goal-and she would win the match for Whyteleafe! But Robert had run down the field and was nearer the goal now-she ought really to pass to him! Without another moment’s delay Elizabeth threw the ball straight to Robert.
He caught it-and flung it at the goal, It was a beautiful shot. The girl in goal tried her best to save the goal. but the ball flew past her stick and landed right in the corner of the net, Goal to Whyteleafe! And almost at once the whistle blew for Time! The match was over! “Three goals to Whyteleafe!” shouted the umpire. “Three goals to two! Whyteleafe wins! Well played!” Then all the watching Uphill girls cheered too, and clapped their hardest. It had been an excellent match and everyone had played well, “Another second and the whistle would have blown for Time!” panted Elizabeth, “Oh. Robert! You were marvellous to shoot the winning goal just in time!” “Well, I couldn’t have if you hadn’t passed me the ball exactly when you did,” said Robert, his breath coming fast as he leaned on his lacrosse stick, his face flushed and wet, “Golly, Elizabeth-we’ve won! Think of that! We’ve never beaten Uphill before! Oh, I’m glad you shot a goal too!” The two teams trooped off the field and went in to wash, It was nice to feel cold water, for they were all so hot! The two captains shook hands, and the Uphill girl clapped Eileen on the back.
“A jolly good match!” she said, “It’s the first we’ve lost this term. Good for you!” Elizabeth hadn’t been able to eat much dinner, but she made up for it at tea-time. There was brown bread-and-butter and blackberry jam, currant buns and an enormous chocolate cake. The children ate hungrily, and the big plates of bread-and-butter and buns were soon emptied.
“I’m longing to get back to Whyteleafe to tell the good news,” said Robert to Elizabeth, “Aren’t you? Oh, Elizabeth, I am glad you played after all-and I can’t tell you how glad I am that / was able to play! I hope we play in heaps more matches together. It was marvellous being able to pass the ball so well to one another! “You shot that winning goal well,” said Elizabeth happily. “Oh, I’m so tired, but so happy. I feel as if I can’t get up from this form! My legs won’t work any more!” All the children were tired, but their tongues still worked well. They chattered and laughed and joked together’ as they got ready to go back to the waiting motor-coach, Oh, what fun to tell the School that they had won! They all got back into the coach. They waved good-bye to the cheering Uphill girls, and the coach rumbled off.
The children sank back into their seats, their faces still red with all their running about, and their legs tired out.
But as soon as they got near Whyteleafe School they all sat up straight and looked eagerly to see the first glimpse of the Whyteleafe children, who would all be waiting to hear the result of the match.
Joan and Jenny and Kathleen had been looking out for the coach for the last half-hour. When they heard it coming they tore to the big school door. Dozens of other children ran with them. It was always the custom at Whyteleafe to welcome home the children who had been to an Away Match.
The lacrosse team waved their hands wildly as the coach rumbled up to the big school door.
“We won! We won! Three goals to two!” “We’ve won the match. It was marvellous!” “It’s the first time Uphill have been beaten!” “Three goals to two! Three goals to two!” The Whyteleafe children cheered madly when they heard the good news. They swarmed out round the coach and helped down the team, whose legs were still very wobbly from all the rushing about they had done.
“Jolly good! Oh, jolly good!” cried everyone. “Come along in and tell us all about it!” So into the gym went the team, and Miss Belle and Miss Best, and Mr. Johns too, had to come along and hear all the excitements of the afternoon. Mr. Warlow spoke for a white and told how well everyone had played. Then John shouted out: “Who shot the goals?” “Elizabeth, Nora-and Robert,” said Mr. Warlow. “Good goals all three, Robert’s was the most exciting because he shot his almost as the whistle went for Time. Another second and it would have been too late!” “Three cheers for Nora, Elizabeth, and Robert!” cried everyone, and they clapped them on the back. How pleased and proud those three children were! Elizabeth almost cried for joy. To think she had actually shot a goal for Whyteleafe in her very first match. It was too good to be true.
Nora had played in many matches and shot many goals, so she just grinned and said nothing. But Robert was as pleased and proud as Elizabeth, though he did not show it quite so much, Elizabeth slipped her arm in his, “I’m so glad we both had the chance to play together:’ she said, “And oh, Robert, you don’t know how pleased I am that I’ve done something for Whyteleafe, even if it’s only to shoot a goal! I hated Whyteleafe when I first came here-but now I love it. Wait till you have been here a term or two and you’ll love it too)’ “I love it already, thank you,” said Robert, “And what’s more, I mean to do a whole lot more for it than just shoot a goal!” There was a special supper that night for the winning team! Hot sausages appeared -on the table, two for each one of the team. How delighted they were! And not only that, but anyone who had sweets or chocolates made a point of offering them to the team, so that by the time the bed-belt went, both Robert and Elizabeth felt that they couldn’t eat anything more at alt! Kathleen was as delighted as anyone. Her face was beaming as she brought a tin of sweets along. Elizabeth took a good took at her.
“Golly, you don’t look the same girl!” she said. “Your eyes are alt smiting and your hair is shiny! You walk as if you wanted to run, and you’ve already got rid of your awful spots!” Kathleen laughed. She had kept her word to herself and hadn’t eaten a single sweet. She had begun to forget herself, and to join in the chatter and jokes of the form. She held her head up and smiled gaily. Already when she thought of the horrid tricks she had played she could not imagine how she could have done them.
She had taken down Elizabeth’s books from the top of the cupboard where she had put them, and had dusted them well. With scarlet cheeks she had given them back to Elizabeth, who had taken them with a word of thanks. A few scornful words had almost come to Elizabeth’s tongue when she remembered how Miss Ranger had scolded her for losing her books-but she had bitten them back and said nothing.
Kathleen worked hard at the two handkerchief-cases, and embroidered them carefully and well. Each had the word HANDKERCHIEF across it, and it was a long word to sew. There were blue forget-me-nots on Elizabeth’s case and pink roses on Jenny’s.
Just as Kathleen was finishing the very last stitch, Jenny came into the common-.room, “My goodness, I wish I’d played in the match too,” she said, flinging herself into a chair. “What wouldn’t I do for hot sausages for supper! Hallo, Kath! What are you so busy about? Let’s see.” She bent over Kathleen’s work. “My goodness!” she said, “What tiny stitches-and how nicety you’ve worked the roses! I wish I could sew like that, I want a handkerchief-case.” “Welt, this is for you,” said Kathleen, delighted. “I’ve done one for Elizabeth too.” “But whatever for?” asked Jenny, in surprise.