For answer Dave suddenly stood up. He slid out from behind the wheel and stooped down, seized the surprised Elizabeth Ann and lifted her into the bus. He put her down on the long seat and closed the door with a snap.
Then he started the bus.
“Wait!” screamed Catherine, just reaching the road. “Wait for me! Hey, Dave, you wait for me!”
Dave glanced at Elizabeth Ann. He stopped the bus. And that troublesome Catherine stopped running and began to walk as slowly as she could.
“Don’t wait for her, Dave,” said some of the boys. “She’s always acting like that. Serve her right to go on and leave her.”
To everyone’s surprise, Dave backed the bus. He let it run backward so fast that he reached the dawdling Catherine before she realized it. Neither was she prepared to have Dave jump out lift her up and tumble her into the bus with scant ceremony.
Then he closed the door again and began to drive with such a grim face that none of the children thought it best to speak to him. Elizabeth Ann didn’t feel very happy, but she was glad none of them would be late—at the rate Dave was driving they’d probably get to school a little earlier than usual.
Catherine sat and frowned out of the window all the way. She acted, thought Elizabeth Ann, as though someone had made her almost late instead of being the one who had nearly made the entire bus load late for school. Elizabeth Ann shuddered to think what Miss Owen would say if an entire bus load of children walked into school late. Of course they were not all in her room, but many of them were.
When they reached the school yard, Dave stopped the bus, but he did not open the door.