Part 48 (2/2)
The tears were coming in a flood now, and Blue Bonnet got out her handkerchief to stop the flow.
”There! there!” she said. ”Just think what a good time we're going to have with Uncle Cliff; and it's only a little while until the tenth of June. Why, the time will just fly after Easter, and--oh, my dear, be thankful that you have a mother to go to--suppose--”
But Carita had turned suddenly and gathered Blue Bonnet in a loving embrace.
”How selfish I am,” she said, between sobs. ”I didn't think, Blue Bonnet--really, I didn't.”
”Of course you didn't. And I didn't mean to remind you; it just slipped out. Sometimes it does, when I see girls crying for their mothers and I remember that I shall--never--have mine. Now, don't cry--please don't.
Where's Mary?”
Through her tears Carita smiled.
”She and Peg--Jerusha Austin are down in the office. Fraulein is after them again. Last night, when the trunks were brought up, Mary and Peggy waited until the lights were out and then they fixed up a tick-tack.
They hid in the trunks and worked the thing for almost an hour. It was awfully spooky--nearly scared Fraulein to death. She's just furious at both of them.”
”How did she find them?”
”Oh, Mary got the giggles! Mary would laugh at her own funeral. Peggy was so cross at her. Fraulein traced the giggles to Mary's trunk.”
At that instant the door opened and Mary came in, followed by Peggy.
”What did you get this time, Mary?” Carita asked.
Mary, laughed sheepishly.
”You talk as if I'd been sentenced,” she said, smiling, and showing every one of her beautiful teeth.
”Weren't you?”
”No, not this time. Miss North was so disgusted she didn't do a thing.
She made us feel as if we were infants; said she thought smothering in a trunk for an hour was punishment enough for anybody. She just talked!”
”And--_talked_!” Peggy added.
”She said that we'd so wrecked Fraulein's nerves--Peg and I--that Fraulein was leaving the school--wasn't coming back after Easter.”
”Really? Is that true, Peggy?”
”That we've wrecked her nerves? Hardly. That's just letting her down easy. Miss North's dead tired of her, herself.”
”Who's going to take her place?”
”Miss North didn't take us into her confidence,” Mary said flippantly.
”But I shouldn't wonder if Joy Cross subst.i.tuted until they get somebody. Joy's a whiz in German. She's had us two or three times lately when Fraulein was having one of her tantrums--beg pardon, nervous break-ups.”
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