-hole if one could go into
it. Hermie said the other day that the Bumble Bee had buzzed out
something about taking us all for a picnic there some day. It would be
rather precious."

Raymonde shook her head reflectively.

"Picnics are all very well in their way, but when you turn about
thirty people together into a wood, I fancy the birds and butterflies
will give us a wide berth. Freckles found his specimens when he was
alone. You can't go naturalizing in a crowd! Look here! Suppose you
and I go and explore. I'll be the Bird Woman, and you can be the Swamp
Angel."

"Oh, what a blossomy idea! But what about Gibbie? Can we dodge her?"

"We'll wait till she's shut herself up in her attic, and then we'll
scoot. Between tea and prep.'s the best time, especially now prep.'s
been put later."

"You really have the most chubby inspirations, Ray," burbled Fauvette.
"You're an absolute mascot!"

The idea of posing as the Swamp Angel appealed to Fauvette. She was
conscious that she looked the part. She fingered her fluffy flaxen
curls caressingly, and resolved to wear a blue cotton dress for the
next day or two, in case there was a chance of the expedition. In
imagination she was already photographing rare birds and shooting
villains with revolvers, and looking her best through it all.

"I wish I knew how to mix iced drinks," she sighed regretfully. "One
can't get even the ice over here, not to speak of the bits of cherry
and lemon and grape and pineapple that the Angel used for Freckles.
Girls in America have a far better time than we have."

"Cheero! We'll get a little fun, you'll see, if we can only circumvent
the Wasp."

It was not a remarkably easy matter to leave the premises unobserved.
Monitresses had a tiresome habit of hanging about in places where they
were not wanted; Mademoiselle made herself far too conspicuous, and
Miss Gibbs seemed everywhere. The chums decided that a too great
attention to duty can degenerate into a fault.

"It's what Miss Beasley said in the Scripture lesson," declared
Raymonde. "Economy over-done turns into parsimony, liberality into
extravagance, self-respect into pride. Gibbie's over-stepping the
mark, and letting responsibility run to fussiness."

It is hardly possible to tackle a mistress and convince her of her
faults, so Miss Gibbs's pharisaical tendencies went unchecked.
Evidently the only possible method was to dodge her. Whether her
suspicions were aroused it is impossible