Part 21 (1/2)
Betty was laughing now over something funny exchanged between the girls.
”But it's really very serious,” she heard Betty say next. ”I dread to go to school tomorrow. Tell me ev'rything that you can remember about that examination. You wouldn't mind telling the princ.i.p.al what you just told me, would you?”
The answer must have been satisfactory, for Betty chuckled. The subject must have changed then, for Betty made some remark not connected with this recent affair and shortly the telephone conversation closed.
CHAPTER XV: DETECTIVE WORK
In the good, steadfast atmosphere of a sensible home, whose heads were not easily stampeded, Betty felt better. Father was told quietly by Mother. But Betty's sleep was troubled that night and it was with many an inward qualm that she started to school the next morning. She intended to go on through the day, as her mother advised her, with as much quiet dignity as she could command, discussing the matter with no one.
Peggy, however, referred to the conversation of the day before when she met her by her locker, next to Betty's. ”The boys _were_ up to something, as I told you. It wasn't Jakey but the boy behind him, Sam, that I was glaring at, as you said. He tried to s.n.a.t.c.h a piece of paper off my desk, a blank sheet, it was, and I thought the boys were doing that just to be smart, taking things off the girls' desks and seeing what they could do without being caught. I mean that bunch of boys, you know, not Mickey or Andy. So maybe somebody got hold of part of your paper.”
”The wind from that open window blew some paper off my desk once,” mused Betty. ”I believe it must have been Jakey that handed it to me, but I didn't think it was part of my paper that was written on. I stuck it under the rest. I did write out my translations on an extra paper first, for I didn't want to make any erasures and have a messy paper. But Jakey knows as much as I do. It certainly wasn't Jakey whose paper was like mine.”
”Time will tell,” said Peggy. ”Don't worry too much, Betty. Whatever happens, your friends among us girls will believe what you say.”
”Thanks, Peggy. You're a comfort. Please don't say anything to Carolyn yet.”
”She might know something.”
”How could she?”
”I don't know. But at least I can tell her how I was questioned, and everybody knew that you had to stay after school, so how can you help telling her?”
”I'll tell her that I was questioned, too.”
Betty however, had started to school as late as she dared. In consequence lessons and the day's program were upon them. At lunch she remained in the room until after Carolyn and the rest of those going up to lunch had gone, and pretended to be detained by some notes she was writing. Perhaps it was not a pretense either, she thought, for she needed the notes. But she would not have taken them then if she had not wanted to avoid being with the rest of the girls. A few who were not going to lunch were nibbling crackers or chocolate bars and stirring about the room a little. The colored girl in her Latin cla.s.s was there and Betty wondered if she had enough money for the lunch, little as some of it cost.
Sure enough, there were some chocolate bars and an apple in her locker!
She had the chocolate bars in her sweater pocket and the apple had been presented to her in the hall by no less a friend than Budd LeRoy. She, too, would miss lunch and divide with Sally. Quickly she ran out to her locker, rifled the pocket of her sweater, discarded since the early cold morning, and brought her apple and her pocket knife.
”Have a bar with me, Sally,” she said, ”if you are not going to lunch either, and I'll cut this apple in two.”
”Whythanks, Betty. That looks good. No, I thought I wouldn't go to lunch today. But you'd better keep all of your apple.”
”It's too big and it looks awfully juicy,” added Betty as she cut the apple in halves. ”With my compliments, Miss Sally,” and Betty a.s.sumed quite an air as she handed the fruit to Sally, who laughed and thanked Betty again.
”Have you always lived in this city?” asked Betty for something to say, as Sally sat down in her own seat which was opposite Betty's, by chance, just as in the Latin cla.s.s.
In the soft voice and accent peculiar to her race at its best, Sally answered this question and asked Betty how she liked this and that teacher, Miss Heath among others. Miss Heath had not met her cla.s.s that morning, to Betty's deep disappointment.
”I saw Miss Heath come in the uppah hall,” said Sally, ”jus' befo' the last cla.s.s. She hurried into the office and I suppose she couldn't get here this mawnin.'”
”Oh, is she here?” asked Betty brightening.
”Yes. Say, Betty, did you see Jakey Bechstein take some of your papers off your desk at the test?”
”No; did he?”