If they had hoped to reach the side door unobserved, they were
soon undeceived; the governess's sharp eyes spied them at once.

"Lindsay and Cicely!" she burst out wrathfully. "You naughty girls!
Where have you been? Come at once into the house and change your
clothes. You give more trouble than all the rest of the class put
together. Miss Russell will have to be told about this."

Miss Russell was angry--really angry. She lectured them both severely,
and stopped their recreation for the whole of the next day. This seemed
only a very small circumstance in itself, but strangely enough it led
indirectly to something of much more consequence.

The two delinquents looked decidedly rueful when, instead of going into
the garden as usual, they were obliged to sit in the classroom, and copy
out a passage from "Lycidas" in their best handwriting. It was trying,
certainly, particularly as the other girls were playing a tennis
handicap, and they could hear the soft thud of balls, and the cries of
"'Vantage!" or "Game!" It was possible to see a few heads bobbing over
the wall, but they could not gather how the tournament was progressing,
nor which was the winning side.

Long before tea-time they had finished their allotted portions, and
going to the window they leaned out, to try to catch a glimpse of what
was happening on the lawn. The classroom was at the back of the house,
and overlooked a small paved courtyard. Below, on a wooden bench in the
sunshine, sat Scott, leisurely blacking boots, and humming to himself in
a voice that had little tune in it. The cat, purring loudly, was rubbing
herself vigorously against his trousers.

The girls were just going to call to him, and beg him to peep through
the door in the wall and give them some news of the tennis players, when
they suddenly changed their intention. Mrs. Wilson had appeared in the
porch. She brought out a flower vase, flung the stale water away, and
refilled it from one of the butts that stood near.

Scott had evidently seen her too, for he gave a short whistle to attract
her attention, then, throwing down his blacking brush, he crossed the
courtyard to speak to her. In spite of his lowered tone, his voice rose
up clearly to the classroom window above.

"About what we were talking of this morning," he began. "It had best be
done as soon as possible. I'll do it to-night."

"I've marked the place," replied Mrs. Wilson, "but I'll come with you to
make sure. You'll wa