They reached the top in a few minutes, and found a seat on a dead tree
trunk. Mr. Perkins was properly impressed with the outlook. But
before very long he seemed to suffer a relaxation of his interest in
the view and a corresponding increase of attention to his companion.
Hazel recognized the symptoms. At first it amused, then it irritated
her. The playful familiarity of Mr. Perkins suddenly got on her nerves.

"I think I shall go down," she said abruptly.

"Oh, I say, now, there's no hurry," Perkins responded smilingly.

But she was already rising from her seat, and Mr. Perkins, very likely
gauging his action according to his experience in other such
situations, did an utterly foolish thing. He caught her as she rose,
and laughingly tried to kiss her. Whereupon he discovered that he had
caught a tartar, for Hazel slapped him with all the force she could
muster--which was considerable, judging by the flaming red spot which
the smack of her palm left on his smooth-shaven cheek. But he did not
seem to mind that. Probably he had been slapped before, and regarded
it as part of the game. He attempted to draw her closer.

"Why, you're a regular scrapper," he smiled. "Now, I'm sure you didn't
cuff Bush that way."

Hazel jerked loose from his grip in a perfect fury, using at the same
time the weapons nature gave her according to her strength, whereby Mr.
Perkins suffered sundry small bruises, which were as nothing to the
bruises his conceit suffered. For, being free of him, Hazel stood her
ground long enough to tell him that he was a cad, a coward, an ill-bred
nincompoop, and other epithets grievous to masculine vanity. With that
she fled incontinently down the hill, furious, shamed almost to tears,
and wishing fervently that she had the muscle of a man to requite the
insult as it deserved. To cap the climax, Mrs. Briggs, who had seen
the two depart, observed her return alone, and, with a curious look,
asked jokingly:

"Did you lose the young man in the timber?"

And Hazel, being keyed to a fearful pitch, unwisely snapped back:

"I hope so."

Which caused Mrs. Briggs' gaze to follow her wonderingly as she went
hastily to her own room.

Like other mean souls of similar pattern, it suited Mr. Perkins to seek
revenge in the only way possible--by confidentially relating to divers
individuals during that evening the Granville episode in the new
teacher's career. At least, Hazel guessed he must have told th