At that moment Babe uttered a loud wail. In the act of painting a coat of arms on a banner, he had upset a can of red paint.
“Dope!” Chips scolded the younger boy. “Why don’t you watch what you’re doing?”
“I’m sorry,” Babe mumbled. “I accidentally kicked the can with my feet.”
“Just look what you’ve done to the carpet. The church will be making us pay for it! The trustees will say the Cubs are just a bunch of careless babies who destroy property.”
“I am not a baby,” the younger boy said furiously. “It was an accident.”
“Of course it was,” interposed Mrs. Hatfield. “One we’re quite prepared for too!”
While the Cubs watched in admiration, she wiped up the paint, and cleaned the carpet with turpentine.
“There, every trace is gone,” she assured the crestfallen Babe. “Chips, a knight should practice chivalry, don’t you think?”
“What’s that?” he demanded suspiciously.
“It means being polite and courteous to others.”