into a merry laugh.

"You look like a lot of wax figures," said Pickering pleasantly; "just
about as interesting." Then they saw Polly Pepper's face.

"Oh, what is it?" cried Jasper, starting forward.

Polly tried to speak cheerfully, but the lump in her throat wouldn't let
her say a word.

"If you boys must know," said Alexia, flouncing up to her feet, "I've
been bad and perfectly horrid to that Harrison girl; and I've upset
everything; and--and--do go right straight away, both of you, and not
stand there staring. I don't think it's very polite."

"Oh Polly," cried Jasper, gaining her side, "can't we help?" He was
dreadfully distressed. "Do let us."

Polly shook her head. "No, Jasper, there isn't anything you can do," she
said brokenly.

Pickering thrust his hands in his pockets, and whistled softly. "Girls
always get into such rows," he observed.

"Well, I guess we don't get into worse ones than you boys do, nor half
as bad," cried Alexia crossly, perfectly wild to quarrel with somebody.
"And, besides, this isn't the other girls' fault. It's all my fight from
beginning to end."

"Then you ought to be perfectly ashamed of yourself, Alexia," declared
Pickering, not intending to mince matters in the slightest.

"Well, I am," said Alexia, "just as ashamed as I can be. Oh dear me! I
wish I could cry. But I'm too bad to cry. Polly Pepper, I'm going to run
after that horrible Harrison girl. Oh misery! I wish she never had come
to the Salisbury School." Alexia made a mad rush down the avenue.

"Don't, Alexia, you'll hurt your arm," warned Polly.

"I don't care--I hope I shall," cried Alexia recklessly.

"It's no use to try to stop her," said Jasper, "so let us go up to the
house, Polly."

So they started dismally enough, the girls, all except Polly, going over
in sorry fashion how Cathie Harrison would probably make a fuss about
the little affair--she was doubtless on her way to Miss Salisbury's
now--and then perhaps there wouldn't be any picnic at all on the
morrow. At this, Philena stopped short. "Girls, that would be too
dreadful," she gasped, "for anything!"

"Well, it would be just like her," said Silvia Horne, "and I wish we
never had taken her into our set. She's an old moping thing, and can't
bear a word."

"I wish so too," declared Amy Garrett positively; "she doesn't belong
with us; and she's always going to make trouble. And I hope she won't go
to the picnic anyway, if we do have it, so there."