“Bert Bobbsey!” she called again, for Bert was seldom absent and Nan could not remember when he had been late.
There was no answer, of course. For at that moment, though none in the room knew it, poor Bert was lying unconscious in the church basement.
Then Miss Skell looked at Nan, whose name was next on the list. She marked Nan as being present, and then asked:
“Is Bert sick to-day, Nan?”
“Oh, no, Miss Skell,” said Nan, very seriously. “He started for school the same time I did. Then he didn’t have his arithmetic and went back after it. I don’t know what happened to him. I don’t know why he isn’t here.”
Nan’s voice began to tremble a little. A thought entered her mind that perhaps, when Bert went back to get his book, something had happened at home—either to Dinah or Mrs. Pry—and Bert had had to stay to look after things.
“Or,” thought Nan to herself, “maybe a telegram came with bad news about Uncle Rossiter—or mother or daddy—and Bert had to go out there.”
But on second thoughts she hardly believed this possible. Bert would not start alone on a long journey without telling her.
Miss Skell saw that Nan was troubled, so the teacher said:
“Probably Bert had an errand to do that detained him. Or, after coming to school, Mr. Tarton may have met him downstairs and asked him to do something. I think that is it—Bert has gone on an errand for the principal. In that case I will not mark him tardy. I will wait until after the morning exercises.”