The four Rovers, accompanied by Gif and Spouter, had just reached a side entrance of the Clearwater Hall grounds when they heard a cry behind them. Looking up, they saw Mary, Martha and Ruth hurrying from a patch of woods with a teacher behind them.
“Oh, we’ve had such a scare!” burst out Martha, in excitement.
“If only you boys had been on hand perhaps you might have helped us!” wailed Mary.
“What sort of a scare—wild animals, or a ghost, or what?” queried Andy.
“No, it was a man—two men.”
“What did they do?” demanded Jack quickly.
“They didn’t do anything. I didn’t give them a chance,” said the teacher, a tall, angular woman who carried a stout walking stick and who looked amply able to defend herself.
“The men were in a closed car, and they drove up right alongside of Martha and me,” explained Mary. “Ruth was walking ahead with Miss Lambert. One of the men opened a door of the car and asked us if we didn’t want to ride. Then he jumped out and acted just as if he wanted to make us get into the car, even if we didn’t want to.”
“I called for Miss Lambert and Ruth,” said Martha, “and as soon as the men saw the teacher they went off in the car just as fast as they could go.”