14 Problems for Amanda
Poor Jo lamented¹ loud and long to Deirdre about her bad luck. To think that Matron had the money! How in the world could she explain to Matron that she had had five pounds—five whole pounds—and not handed it in for safe custody² as usual?
“Jo, you’ll just have to go and tell her,” said Deirdre, anxiously. “If you don’t, you might not get the money back, ever. If Matron doesn’t know who it belongs to, how can she give it back?”
“Well, I suppose I’d better,” said Jo. But she had no sooner got to the door than she came back. “I can’t,” she said to Deirdre. “I daren’t face her. Don’t think me a coward³, Deirdre, but honestly I shake at the knees when Matron puts on that face of hers and says the most awful things.”
Timid⁴ little Deirdre had never had any awful things said to her by Matron, but she knew she would feel the same as Jo if she had. She stared at Jo. How were they to get out of the difficulty?
“Jo—I suppose you couldn’t slip into Matron’s room when she’s not there, and just see if the money is lying anywhere about, could you?” she said, in a half-whisper. “After all—it’s yours. You would only be taking what belongs to you!”
Jo’s little eyes gleamed⁵. “Yes!” she said. “I might be able to do that—if only Matron has got the money somewhere loose. I know I’ve seen some tied up in neat packages on her table sometimes—to pay the kitchen staff, I suppose. She might have put mine there, too, ready to hand out to the loser.”
“She wouldn’t hand it out,” said Deirdre. “You know that. She’d keep it and dole⁶ it out. All the lower-formers have their pocket-money doled⁷ out to them. You’d probably get just a bit of it each week, and the rest would be handed back to you when you go home for the holidays.”

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