dies."

"We must have our story prepared first."

Palit nodded, and the two men stepped under the shade of a tree whose
long, drooping, leaf-covered branches formed a convenient screen. For a
moment, the tree hid silence. Then there came from beneath the branches
the chatter of girlish voices, and two little girls skipped merrily
away. Miss Burton did not at first notice that now she had an additional
two children in her charge.

"Do you think you will be able to keep your English straight?" asked one
of the new little girls.

The other one smiled with amusement and at first did not answer. Then
she began to skip around her companion and chant, "I know a secret, I
know a secret."

There was no better way to make herself inconspicuous. For some time,
Miss Burton did not notice her.

* * * * *

The polar bears, the grizzlies, the penguins, the reptiles, all were
left behind. At times the children scattered, but Miss Burton knew how
to get them together again, and not one was lost.

"Here, children, is the building where the kangaroos live. Who knows
where kangaroos come from?"

"Australia!" clanged the shrill chorus.

"That's right. And what other animals come from Australia?"

"I know, Miss Burton!" cried Frances, a dark-haired nine-year-old with a
pair of glittering eyes that stared like a pair of critics from a small
heart-shaped face. "I've been here before. Wallabies and wombats!"

"Very good, Frances."

Frances smirked at the approbation. "I've been to the zoo lots of
times," she said to the girl next to her. "My father takes me."

"I wish my father would take me too," replied the other little girl,
with an air of wistfulness.

"Why don't you ask him to?" Before the other little girl could answer,
Frances paused, cocked her head slightly, and demanded, "Who are you?
You aren't in our class."

"I'm in Miss Hassel's class."

"Miss Hassel? Who is she? Is she in our school?"

"I don't know," said the other little girl uncertainly. "I go to P. S.
77--"

"Oh, Miss Burton," screamed Frances. "Here's a girl who isn't in our
class! She got lost from her own class!"

* * * * *

"Really?" Miss Burton seemed rather pleased at the idea that some other
teacher had been so careless as to lose one of her charges. "What's your
name, child?"

"I'm Carolyn."

"Carolyn what?"

"Carolyn Manto. Please, Miss Burton, I had