At this moment a group of girls espied the nuts Tavia was carrying in her Tam O’Shanter. With a most unlady-like whoop they descended upon her, and almost instantly succeeded in scattering the nuts about the hall.
“You thieves!” Tavia almost shouted. “I call that a mean hold-up—not to give any warning. But here comes Miss Bylow. Now you may have the old nuts, and you may also tell her how they came upon the floor,” and at this Tavia, more pleased than offended, at the turn the incident had taken, hurried off, leaving the surprised girls to explain to Miss Bylow.
“Why, young ladies!” the teacher exclaimed, shocked at their attitudes, as well as perplexed at the sight of the scattered nuts. “You surely were not bringing such things to your rooms? You would not think of eating that green stuff!”
“Oh, no,” replied Rose-Mary, “We were only gathering them for Hallow E’en. They make a lovely blaze in the Assembly hearth when they’re dry.”
“Oh,” replied the teacher. “But how came they to be all scattered—”
“We ran into Tavia,” answered Cologne, truthfully enough, “and she had them in her Tam.”
“Well, see that they are all picked up,” ordered the much-disliked teacher, “and say to Miss Travers that she is to put them in the storeroom—not in her own room.”
“Huh!” sneered Rose-Mary with a comical face, as Miss Bylow turned away.
“Also ha!” added Adele Thomas, who was on her knees picking up the nuts.
“I’d like to throw this at her,” said Ned, holding up a particularly large bunch of the green, fringy nuts.