“You know what will happen to you, if you tell,” he whispered warningly.
“Ouch!” cried Edward, but the principal’s sharp eyes had seen Tim.
“So you’re the culprit, Tim,” he said severely. “I might have known. What did you put in the pumpkin? Tell me the truth.”
“A firecracker,” replied Tim sullenly.
“Did you light it?” persisted Mr. Carter.
Tim nodded. He knew what was coming.
“Very well,” said the principal. “I will wait for you, Tim, while you put the scattered apples back as you found them and carry out the pieces of pumpkin. Then you and I will go up to the office and have a little talk. I think your father will be surprised to hear that you are carrying matches in your pocket. You may go back to your rooms, children, and please go quietly.”
It was all very well to tell then to go quietly, but such a buzzing of tongues as sounded in the halls and corridors as the boys and girls went upstairs! They talked about how frightened they had been when the pumpkin exploded and they talked about what might happen to Tim and they wondered what made him think of lighting a firecracker and how Mr. Carter had happened to come just in time to hear the noise of the explosion.
“I think it was a silly thing to do,” said Bobby indignantly. “Meg was so close to that pumpkin her hair would have been burned if I hadn’t pulled her back. And now Edward hasn’t even a jack-o-lantern to give the poor people.”
School closed at one o’clock that day because the next day was Thanksgiving, and of course as soon as Meg and Bobby reached home the twins demanded to know about the thank-offerings. Twaddles was delighted to hear about his bottle of cologne and he said that he was sure it would look nice on the Bureau. As Meg observed, there was no use in trying to explain that again to him, so she didn’t try.