“No, I didn’t say anything about a ring!” answered Nan, speaking more loudly. “I said put mother’s letter, if it comes, where we can see it the first thing.”
“Oh, yes, my dear, I’ll do that. I thought you spoke of a ring. I don’t seem to hear so very well this morning. I think it must be going to snow again. My hearing is always worse just before a storm. But I hardly believe your folks would have had time to write yet. They’ll be very busy with your sick uncle. But if a letter does come I’ll take care of it.”
“It’s funny she thought I said ring,” remarked Nan to Bert as they walked along to school. “And that reminds me—did Danny Rugg find his ring?”
“Not that I heard of,” answered Bert. He looked down at his bundle of books and suddenly exclaimed: “Oh, I forgot and left my arithmetic at home. I’ll run back and get it. You go on with Flossie and Freddie.”
“Don’t be late!” cautioned Nan.
“No, I won’t,” promised her brother, as he sped back toward the house, only a few blocks away. Flossie and Freddie wanted to know where Bert was going, and Nan told them. Then she hastened on with them toward school.
But Bert did not find his book as quickly as he thought he would, not remembering where he had put it the night before, and when it was found, and he was hurrying back on his way to school, Nan and the others were out of sight.
However, Bert still had plenty of time, though he kept to a jog trot which soon brought him within sight of the school. But Nan and the others had taken a short cut, and were already inside the building.
Just as Bert was approaching the church, the stained-glass window of which had been broken by a snowball, the Bobbsey boy saw ahead of him Danny Rugg. Danny was alone, and before the trouble Bert would have run up and joined him, for he and Danny were friendly. But that was before the window was broken. Now Bert did not care to be friends with this boy, and so he hung back.
“I’ll wait until he turns into the school yard before I go in,” said Bert to himself.