“Oh, nothing much,” evaded Louise, “but I for one don’t care to serve on the committee.” Her lip was curled in unmistakable scorn, and the other girls, while saying nothing, were looking just as Louise looked, disdainful.
“Did anything happen?” Cara asked, for once unable to laugh off trouble.
“Well, yes there did,” Esther condescended to reply. “Miss Davis came around here just as we came. She said lots of mean things about the girls’ committee not watching things, and we’re not going to take any of that stuff,” scoffed Esther. “We don’t have to.”
“Watching things? What’s gone?” Barbara asked, she had to find out whether or not the girls knew about the boat model; of course, she feared they did.
“Miss Davis wouldn’t say just what,” Louise answered. “But something has been stolen. The idea! Just as if we could have or should have been around here early in the morning. Come on girls, I’m going,” she finished crisply, and with an unmistakable look towards Barbara. She did achieve a little smile when Cara looked her way, however. They always favored Cara.
“Of course, go if you want to,” flared back Babs. “There’s no reason why you shouldn’t. But if anything is stolen I can’t see why it would be blamed on—us,” she declared. She was going to say “blamed on you” but she changed it to include herself.
“Well, she did blame us and you’re chairman so I suppose you’ll have to fight it out with her.” Again Louise avoided using Babs’ name as she said this.
“Of course it’s that little Italian that tags around after you,” Esther put in. “And Miss Davis says she’ll clap him in a reform school if she lays her eyes on him,” was the way Esther wound that up. Just as if the reform school should include Babs, if justice were really doled out according to Esther’s ideas.
Babs was too indignant to answer. She stood there, digging her slippers into the sand and biting her lip. Her face was white and set in strained lines, and she knew, herself, that if she spoke just then she would say something that she might regret.
So she swung around sharply and left the girls, Cara standing there with them.