She had been monitress for the afternoon in the drawing-class, and after the girls had left she stayed behind to put away various articles that had been used and to tidy the room.
As she worked along the desks where IV B had been sitting, collecting stray pencils and pieces of india-rubber, she noticed a book lying on the floor and picked it up.

It was a French grammar, with "Etta Jessop" written on the fly-leaf and had evidently been accidentally dropped.

She turned over the pages idly.

In the middle was a scrap of paper torn from an exercise-book, and on this was scribbled: "Where will she be to-night ?" while in a different hand, underneath, as if in answer to the question, were the words: "Side gate at 8.

Pass, 'John Barleycorn'." This was most important.