“I can’t say—anything,” Blue Bonnet’s lips were trembling.
CHAPTER XVIII
COVENTRY
It was after opening exercises on Monday morning, that Mr. Hunt, stepping to the front of the platform, announced that the pupils from Miss Fellows’ room who had absented themselves from French on Friday afternoon, were to go to his office instead of to their classroom.
The assembly-room had been very still while the principal was speaking, but as he finished a little ripple of excitement ran over it, and here and there there was a curious turning of heads. Then Miss Rankin struck the preliminary chords, and the various classes formed into line.
Blue Bonnet, with Kitty just behind and Ruth only two places ahead, was wishing with all her heart that presently she too might drop out of line with the others. The fourteen had not been the only ones towards whom curious glances had been turned that morning. “The girl who had not cut” was as much an object of interest as the pupils who had; only there had been no sympathy for her.
That she didn’t look as if she cared, was the general verdict; Alec, watching her from his corner of the big room, knew better. He would have liked to tell those girls what he thought of them—it was the girls who were the worst. He was glad when opening exercises were over and Blue Bonnet had reached the comparative shelter of her classroom.
She was glad, too, though for the moment, in spirit at least, she was in the office with the fourteen. What would Mr. Hunt say to them? Kitty had said once that he could be “rather awful.” Perhaps Kitty had exaggerated; she had not found him so.
But the young people waiting in the office were not so hopeful.
“I believe he’s just keeping us waiting on purpose!” Kitty grumbled, as the moments went by and Mr. Hunt did not appear.