The telephone bell rang just then and Miss Masterman answered it, saying, “at last,” as she crossed to the room.
Betty, too, thought “at last.” She was trembling from head to foot; but a little anger at the injustice of the charge sustained her and she remembered the kind face of the assistant principal. He had some children. Maybe he would listen to her. But what could she say, only tell him that she did not cheat. How did they think she could? Miss Heath would have called the assistant principal by his name in speaking of him–oh, if only Miss Heath had been there at that examination!
[CHAPTER XIV: SENT TO THE PRINCIPAL]
Betty went to her locker, put away all her books and took out her wraps. She would never come back if they thought she cheated! As in a dream she mounted the stairs and rounded the hall toward the office of the assistant principal. Several pupils were about the central hall, some of them leaving the office toward which she was making her way. Jakey Bechstein was slapping a cap upon his quite good-looking head and starting for the big outer doors with two companions. His big dark eyes were upon the nearest boy and he did not see Betty, though he closely passed her.
“What did he say to you, Jakey?” the boys was asking. It was one of the other freshman boys.
“’Lo, Betty, going home?” asked a girl behind her. Betty turned and waved pleasantly to the girl, whom she knew slightly. “Not now, Adelaide–sorry. I have to stop at the office a minute.”
“Been into mischief, I suppose,” laughed Adelaide.
“Of course,” returned Betty, knowing that Adelaide was only in fun. But alas, it was only too true that something was wrong.
As Betty entered the office a boy was just leaving the desk, going out with tense mouth and a frown. But the assistant principal looked up in a friendly way at Betty, whose face showed plainly her troubled mind.
“Sit down, Betty. This is Betty Lee, I suppose.” Mr. Franklin, who as assistant principal usually saw all the offenders in school discipline before his chief, now came from behind his desk and drew up a chair not far from Betty’s. He looked tired as he stretched out a pair of long legs, crossed his feet and leaned back, one hand reaching the desk, the other dropped in his lap. Here was only an innocent-looking child, whom he did not recall meeting.