“Miss Sheldon, you will repent this. Miss Mayfair will accompany you to your mother at once, and will take with her your discharge from this school. Go to the dressing-room. Your books will be sent to you to-night.”
With flushed face and quickly beating heart, Tot left the school-room, put on her things, and started for home.
Had not her companion been with her, it is possible that she would have made some truant attempt to avoid meeting her parents’ eyes.
It was a little strange that Nettie Mayfair, her own particular friend, should have been selected as her companion. But so it was, and, as soon as they were out of the building, Nettie exclaimed in friendly but annoyed tones:
“Why, Tot Sheldon, how could you!”
“I!” repeated Tot, her anger rising toward the very one to whom she had meant to pour out all her griefs, “how could I? Why, I didn’t do anything—it was all that mean old Mr. Stimpson! I never saw such an abominable man in my life!”
“Oh, Tot!” began Nettie indignantly, “you know he has always been as good as—”
“No, he hasn’t either, Net Mayfair—and if you stand up for him, you’re just as bad as he, a mean hateful girl—so!”
“I should think you’d be ashamed of yourself, you spiteful girl,” cried Nettie, “I don’t see how I ever came to like you.”
“And I never did like you” retorted Tot, “though I was fool enough to think I did! I’ll never speak to you again!”