8 'You’re Head-Girl, aren’t you?’
When Gwendoline heard that it was Clarissa who had pushed her in, she didn’t believe it. She made her way over to where an apologetic Clarissa was standing¹.
“Who pushed me in, Clarissa?” she demanded. “They keep saying it was you, the idiots! As if you’d do a thing like that!”
“Oh, Gwendoline. I’m so very sorry but actually it was me,” said Clarissa, quite distressed². “I slipped and fell, and bumped against you—and in you went. Of course I wouldn’t have done it on purpose! I’m most terribly sorry about it!”
“Oh, that’s all right then,” said Gwendoline, pleased to see such a very apologetic Clarissa. “It did give me an awful shock, of course—and I hurt my foot against the bottom of the pool—but still, it was an accident.”
Clarissa was more apologetic still, which was balm to Gwendoline’s wounded feelings. She liked to have the Honourable³ Clarissa apologizing so humbly⁴. She made up her mind to be very sweet and forgiving, and then Clarissa would think more than ever what a nice friend she was for anyone to have.
But the others spoilt it. They would keep coming up and yelling “Jolly good push!” to Clarissa, and “Well done, Clarissa—you got her in nicely!” and “I say, Clarissa, that was a fine shove. Do it again!”
“But I didn’t push her,” protested Clarissa, time and time again. “You know I didn’t.”
“Never seen such a good shove in my life!” said Alicia, and really, Gwendoline began to be quite doubtful as to whether Clarissa really had meant to push her or not! Then unfortunately Clarissa suddenly saw the funny side of all the shouted remarks and began to laugh helplessly. This made Gwen really cross, and she was so huffy with Clarissa, that in great alarm, Clarissa began to apologize all over again.
“Look at the twins,” said Alicia to Sally. Sally looked and laughed. Connie was carefully rubbing Ruth dry, and Ruth was standing patiently, waiting for her sister to finish.
“Why doesn’t Connie leave her alone?” said Sally. “Ruth can do everything for herself—but Connie always makes out she can’t. She’s too domineering for words!”

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