CHAPTER XI

BETSY IS FIRST AID TO THE INJURED FEELINGS

As Elizabeth entered the dining-room someone jumped out from behind the door and pounced upon her. “Why, Betsy,” cried Elizabeth, “when did you come?”

“Just now,” returned Betsy. “I came with Hal. He is going to take supper with you all, for he and Kathie are going somewhere afterward. I asked aunt Em if I couldn’t come too, and she said I might if I would not stay long afterward. Hal and Kathie promised to take me to our gate when they go down. I was so worried about you, Elizabeth, when you didn’t come to school. Bert said you had a headache and I was afraid you were getting some fatal disease.”

“I did have a headache,” Elizabeth acknowledged, “but it is better now. I think when I have had some supper I shall feel all right. I thought supper was ready.”

“I think they are waiting for your father to come in,” Betsy told her. “Elizabeth, I am so anxious to know what Miss Jewett had to say to you.”

“She didn’t have very much to say,” replied Elizabeth doubtfully. “She thinks I put the mouse in my desk on purpose to be mischievous, and she was very much hurt, so was I.”

“Oh, Elizabeth, were you really? You did put the mouse there, you know.”

“But I didn’t do it to make fun; I did it so it would not upset the school and scare Miss Jewett.”

“Why didn’t you tell her so?”

“I don’t know; somehow I couldn’t. I got sort of rattled, I think; at first I did, and then I was mad because she thought I did it on purpose so I just wouldn’t say.”

Betsy was thoughtful for a moment. “I wonder how the mouse got in,” she said. “I never saw one in the schoolhouse before, did you? Where was it when you picked it up, Elizabeth?”

“It was running along the top of a--a desk. It must have been cold or something, for it didn’t run fast and didn’t seem a bit afraid. I put my handkerchief over it and picked it up quite easily.”

“You are going to school tomorrow, of course,” said Betsy.

“Oh yes.”

“And you will tell Miss Jewett that you didn’t kick up a fuss on purpose.”

“Maybe so,”--Elizabeth still had a remnant of hurt feelings. “She may not believe me if I do tell her.”

“Oh, Elizabeth, she must. She wouldn’t be so mean. When you love her so much I don’t see how you can think she could be so mean.”

“She loved me so much and yet she thought I could be mean,” replied Elizabeth, still on the defensive. “I was hurt to the very core of my being, Betsy, and there is no balm for my wounded heart.”

Just here the family appeared and the conversation ceased. Betsy was quite at home here, and was never treated as company. She now began taking some things from a chair that she might draw it up to the table. As she removed some books, Bert’s lunch box clattered to the floor. Betsy picked it up and saw that there were queer holes in the bottom and that a cooky, which looked as if a mouse had nibbled it, had fallen out. Quick as a flash it came over her that Bert was responsible for the mouse’s appearance in the schoolroom, but she said nothing about it, although she thought: “That is just like Elizabeth; she wouldn’t tell for fear Bert would be found out.”

She felt that she had the key to the whole situation and made up her mind that Miss Jewett should know.

The opportunity for telling was soon afforded her, for when she reached home there sat Miss Jewett. “Oh,” exclaimed Betsy, “were you here to supper, Miss Jewett?”

“I feel quite sure of it,” returned her teacher with a smile.

“Why didn’t they tell me you were coming?” said Betsy, aggrieved. “I wouldn’t have gone out if I had known.”

“Maybe that is why they didn’t tell,” said Miss Jewett with a little twinkle in her eye.

Betsy did not know quite how to take this, so she said nothing.

“Did you find Elizabeth better?” said Miss Jewett, somewhat formally.

“Yes, she was much better,” Betsy answered. “She will be well enough to come to school tomorrow.”

Miss Jewett did not answer. She seemed to be thinking deeply. Presently she said, “Betsy, I wonder if you can throw any light on this matter of Elizabeth and the mouse. Did she really bring it to school with her? I know she is full of fun and likes to do unusual things, but I could scarce believe my ears when she told me that she put it in her desk herself.”

“Of course she didn’t bring it to school,”--Betsy spoke indignantly. “She saw it running across a desk and she jumped up and caught it so as to prevent a disturbance. She told me all about it this evening.”

“Why, Betsy, is that true? Then why in the world didn’t she tell me?”

“I don’t know; she said she was sort of rattled; and then, you won’t be mad, Miss Jewett, she was proud and didn’t see how you could suspect her of doing it.”

“Oh, but I am sorry,” returned Miss Jewett. “She didn’t deny that she had put it in her desk, and I didn’t care to question further, for I was feeling rather hurt myself. Did you see her catch it, Betsy?”

“I saw her jump up suddenly and then I saw her pop something in her desk. I heard it running around but I didn’t know at first what it was.”

“Dear me, dear me,” murmured Miss Jewett. “I wish she had told me.”

“Miss Jewett,” said Betsy presently, “if I tell you a secret, will you promise not to let anyone know? I hate to be a telltale, but I want you to know just how fine Elizabeth really is. She would rather take the blame herself than have the real person suffer.”

“Oh dear, Betsy, that is asking a good deal. Perhaps I should not make such a promise, yet if it exonerates Elizabeth I should be glad to know. Yes, I will keep the secret.”

“I will tell you what I think and why I think it,” began Betsy, and went on to relate how she had discovered the lunch box with the nibbled cake and all the rest of it, ending up with: “It would be just like Bert to do it; he is so full of mischief. Why, last year he brought a little grass snake to school and almost frightened Miss Dunbar out of her wits by putting it on the ledge under the black-board. She caught him, though, and he had to stay in for days and days after school and learn lines and lines of something or other.”

“He deserves to be well punished now,” declared Miss Jewett, “but as we have only what is called circumstantial evidence I suppose he must escape. I am glad you told me, however, for I am pretty sure you are right, and when I see Elizabeth I shall be able to use more diplomacy. Poor Elizabeth, to think that she took it so to heart.”

“She said that it wouldn’t have seemed so terrible if you had kissed her good-bye as you always did before. She seemed to feel worse about that than anything else. She thought that meant that you had stopped loving her.”

“The blessed child, of course I haven’t stopped loving her.”

“May I tell her that you send your love to her and good-night? I can speak to her over the ’phone, you know.”

“Yes, do tell her that and ask her to come to school early so I can have a word with her before work begins. I must go and put on my things now, for you know there is an entertainment at the Hall and we are all going.”

“You mean you grown-ups; we children are not. Hal and Kathie have gone already.”

As soon as the front door closed after her elders Betsy went to the telephone, called up Elizabeth and delivered Miss Jewett’s message. Elizabeth’s answer came back: “Oh, I am so rejoiceful. I shall sleep a sweet and dreamless slumber tonight, Betsy. You are a friend indeed to pour the oil of gladness upon my bruised and bleeding heart. I certainly will start to school early. What? Yes, I have studied them, for, even if I had no heart to acquire any more knowledge, I felt that I must do my duty to my parents no matter how I suffered. Good-night, dearest Phillipa, your Frederica wafts you a kiss.”

True to her promise, Elizabeth started off betimes to school the next morning. She did not stop for Betsy as usual, believing that she would not have finished breakfast, and as for Bess it was quite positive that she would still be at table for she loved to linger till the last moment. Miss Jewett greeted her with a smile. Elizabeth was the first arrival, as she hoped she would be. The schoolroom was fresh and bright, cheery with warmth of sun and blazing fire. Some scarlet geraniums in the window were beginning to put forth blossoms, while a great poinsettia, a Christmas gift to Miss Jewett, still showed its large and brilliant flowers amidst the green of palms and ferns.

“Good-morning, Elizabeth,” said Miss Jewett brightly. “Come up here and let us straighten out that unfortunate misunderstanding. You foolish child, why didn’t you tell me yesterday how it happened that you put the mouse in your desk? I might never have known if it had not been for Betsy. To be sure, I should have gone deeper into the matter and have inquired your motive, but I thought the least said the soonest mended, and after you had acknowledged that you put it there I thought that settled it. I am sorry, dear.”

“I suppose I should have told you,” answered Elizabeth, “but somehow I couldn’t. I felt all twisted up and contrary, and the more you talked about it the worse it was till at last I couldn’t have said anything if I had tried.”

“I see. And you captured the mouse simply to save me a scare and the school a disturbance?”

“Yes, Miss Jewett, although--” Elizabeth hesitated; but she was too honest not to go on, “although I was kind of half glad to have it happen: it made such a nice excitement.”

“But it was not your intention to start such an excitement,” replied Miss Jewett with a smile, “and that is the main point. It has not been such a long time since I was a schoolgirl for me to forget that any interruption of routine is welcome. We’ll call it square, Elizabeth, if you like. I think we were both a little wrong. Come and give me a good hug and kiss before anyone comes.”

Elizabeth did not hesitate to respond to the invitation, receiving as hearty a hug as she gave. “I think it was because I love you so much that I felt so badly,” she whispered.

“Dear child,” murmured Miss Jewett. “Hereafter we must speak right out, dear, and not allow any more misunderstandings.” Then two or three children came trooping in and Elizabeth went to her seat feeling very happy.

Believing that Elizabeth’s part in the yesterday’s disturbance might not be known, Miss Jewett took pains to inform the school of the little girl’s motives and at the same time she gave a lecture which was really aimed at Bert who felt most uneasy when he learned how unhappy he had made his sister. Indeed, Betsy took it upon herself to charge him with being the guilty one.

“I should think you would be ashamed of yourself, Bert Hollins,” she began at recess when she could get him out of hearing of the others. “I know it was you who brought the mouse to school, for I saw the holes in your lunch box and the cooky that the mouse had nibbled. Don’t you know that Elizabeth got the whole blame for it, and cried herself sick about it? She wasn’t such a sneaky coward as to allow the blame to fall on you where it belonged and she let Miss Jewett believe it was she who did it just to keep you out of trouble.”

“Gee!” exclaimed Bert, “I didn’t know that. I vow I didn’t, Betsy. Was that why she didn’t eat any dinner and didn’t go to school in the afternoon?”

“It was exactly that, if you must know, and I should think you would be ashamed to let a girl be braver than you; I wouldn’t if I were a boy.”

Bert got very red in the face. There was nothing he resented so much as an attack upon his courage. He stood looking very glum while Betsy berated him. “What do you expect me to do?” he said at last.

“What any manly and gentlemanly person would do,” returned Betsy with dignity, and walked away, having had her say.

Bert stood there in a most uncomfortable state of mind. The subject which he thought at rest had come back upon him like a boomerang. If Betsy knew he wondered if Miss Jewett did likewise. Of course Betsy had only guessed at it for he had not actually admitted that she was right. He wondered if Elizabeth was still under suspicion and he eyed her very closely when the return to his seat gave him an opportunity. She seemed as usual. He could see no traces of unhappiness in her face, but she knew and Betsy knew, so it was up to him to do something. He wouldn’t let a girl have more courage than he had. It was fine of Elizabeth, of course, but he almost wished she hadn’t put him in this position, for now he had two things to answer for instead of one. He had begun the mischief and had let her take the blame. Well, of course no man could allow that. All afternoon Bert was most saintly, so much so that Miss Jewett felt that Betsy was right in her suspicions. He went out with the rest, for Miss Jewett had no intention of calling him to account.

However, the schoolroom was scarcely emptied before Bert appeared in the doorway. He stood there twirling his cap and looking most uneasy.

“Well, Bert,” said Miss Jewett encouragingly.

“It was me,” said Bert doggedly, if ungrammatically. “I was the fellow that let that mouse out. I brought him to school on purpose to have some fun; it wasn’t Elizabeth at all.”

“I know that,” Miss Jewett said calmly, “and I was pretty sure of the guilty person, but on Elizabeth’s account I overlooked it. It was pretty good of her, don’t you think, Bert, to try to shield you?”

“It was, sure,” replied Bert. “She’s the stuff, but I ’most wish she hadn’t.”

“You think that since she did not succeed in preventing a disturbance it would have been better all around? Well, I think so too, so far as that one thing was concerned, but it has done something else which I think is more worth while. It has proved to you and to me that she is loyal to her brother and to me, that she has courage, moral courage, which is the best kind, and so we have learned how absolutely she is to be depended upon.”

“She’s all right,” repeated Bert.

“It has proved to me another thing that I might not have found out,” Miss Jewett went on: “it has shown me that you have moral courage, too, and that you are not willing to let your sister shoulder the blame which is really yours. That is worth while knowing, too, Bert. I am mighty glad of that. So, because it would grieve your sister to know that in spite of her efforts you were punished, and because of one or two other things, we are going to close the subject right now. But, listen, Bert, if ever you do such a thing again--” Miss Jewett did not say what would happen but by the expression of her face Bert knew he would not be let off easily.

He stood for a minute not knowing exactly what to say. He had had something of a lecture, to be sure, but he had been commended for having the courage to own up. He did not feel that he could depart with flying colors, exactly, yet he was not in disgrace, nor was there any occasion to show defiance. Probably the best thing was to show neither the mien of conqueror nor of vanquished, but to take his leave in a polite but firmly resolute manner. So he bowed and said pleasantly: “Good-evening, Miss Jewett. I don’t believe I will bother with bringing any more mice to school.” Then he went without a moment’s delay, leaving Miss Jewett shaking with laughter.

“They are so ridiculous, those two Hollins children,” she said to herself. “I wonder if I will get through the year with any dignity left. Teaching does take it out of one, but I must say that at times there are compensations. I wish I could tell exactly what was passing through that youngster’s mind when he went out in that absurd way.”

It did not make the slightest difference to Bert whether she knew or not; his whole feeling was of relief at having put an unpleasant interview behind him. There was but one more thing required of him and that could be made short work of. He put his intention into effect at the very first moment he could. There was no need of appearing anything but lordly before his own sister, so with hands in his pockets, he sauntered into Elizabeth’s presence.

He found her absorbed in studying her lessons for the next day, being fired with new ambition after the reconciliation. “I say,” said Bert, breaking in upon the doings of the English kings.

“Oh, what do you want, Bert,” said Elizabeth impatiently. “Can’t you see I am studying my lessons?”

“I just wanted to say that I am much obliged to you for being so decent about that mouse business. I told Miss Jewett that it was my doings.”

“Oh, Bert, and what did she do?”

“Oh nothing. I told her I wouldn’t bring any more to school.” Then Bert sauntered out with the air of having disposed of a very trifling matter. But Elizabeth understood.