“Did you leave your seat at any time?”
Betty thought. “Yes sir. I have an extra fountain pen and I thought I’d better fill it when I was partly through. But the ink at the desk was out. Then the ink in my pen that I was using gave out and I went up, twice, to sharpen pencils, thinking that I would need sharp points to make it legible enough for Miss Heath. She is always talking about our making our test papers especially legible.”
Mr. Franklin smiled. “Sensible woman. Well, Betty, I will tell you that there are three papers almost exactly alike and one of them is yours. Do you suspect any one of copying from you?”
“No, sir. If Jakey was where he could do it, he would never have to because he is as smart as any one in the class and almost never doesn’t have his lesson.”
“In other words, he almost always does,” smiled Mr. Franklin. “I am afraid we can not go by the usual order of seats, but I am finding out where the persons involved sat. You will admit that where papers are so alike there is room for suspicion.”
“Yes, sir. Is Miss Masterson correcting, or will Miss Heath do it?”
“Miss Masterson has read the papers carefully and discovered the similarity. Miss Heath will be back tomorrow. Every one has denied copying.”
Betty looked at Mr. Franklin and shook her head soberly. “Of course,” she said, “and I’m only one of them, I suppose. Well, Mr. Franklin, I’m not going to stay in school if any one thinks I’m that kind of a girl!”
“Do you think that you would be allowed to drop out, Betty? Think this over tonight and come to see me tomorrow at the same time. I may have more light on it–and you may think of something to tell me.”
Betty flushed at this. He meant if she had some confession to make! But Mr. Franklin was rising. She was dismissed, she saw. “I will come,” she said and went out, out of the main doors, too, down the steps, on to catch a street car home.