“Is that it, Ruth?” Angela's voice was like a knife. “Who is it? Benedict? Or maybe Justin?”

A shiver of excitement ran around the table. If the Warden should catch them talking about boys! Why, boys were not supposed to exist until the New Year and Graduation.

“That's ridiculous.” Ruth's voice went up indignantly.

“Hush. Do you want to get us into trouble, you stupid thing?”

“Well, it is ridiculous. We never even get to meet boys until next year. How could I possibly be in love with one of them?”

Charity giggled. “What a child you are! We see them in the library and at meal-times, don't we?” She leaned across the table. “See the tall one with the black hair and the eyebrows that go straight across? Fidelius. Bet you I get to meet him before the New Year. Bet you I talk to him in next library period.”

As the girls giggled together Ruth was, for the moment, forgotten and could finish her dinner in peace. It wasn't until they were on their way back to their classroom that Charity opened the attack again. “I know you're in love with someone, so you can just stop pretending.”

“I'm not. What a story!” Ruth found herself blushing.

“It isn't then. I've heard you call out his name in your sleep.''

“Who is it? Tell us,” the others teased, but Ruth shook her head angrily.

“It's something like Browan,” Charity disclosed. “Don't deny it, you sly thing. I've heard you . . . Browan Browan.” Her wail sent the rest into giggles.

“There isn't . . . it isn't ...” Ruth ran ahead of her tormentors into the classroom.

The afternoon dragged on. At least I missed Web Practice today, Ruth consoled herself. But there's still the Warden to face.

The summons came in the middle of dish drying after supper. “Ruth, go to the Warden's office.”

There was silence as she hung her cloth carefully on the line and walked across the big kitchen. Only when she had crossed the threshold did the voices break out behind her, Charity's clear above the babble. “After what she did I bet they put her in the Hole.”

Ruth flinched and clenched her hands into fists. The Black Hole. The ultimate punishment on Ark Three. In fact the only punishment. Just the name was enough to send a shiver down the spine of the naughtiest neophyte in Junior School. The Black Hole.

In fact Ruth knew very little about it, or even where it was. But it was there. And after you had been in it an hour, or a day- rumours varied - you came out shattered and repentant.

But I didn't really do anything wrong, Ruth told herself as she made her trembling way along to the Warden's office.