en dropped it and took up a piece of chalk.

"This is Old Hornbeck," he scrawled under the picture, the words
running downhill across the board.

A noise at the door caused them all to look around. There stood Mr.
Hornbeck!

Luckily Bobby stood before the drawing he had made, and quick as a
flash Meg darted forward. Slipping in behind her brother, she managed
to rub the sleeve of her dress over the writing and smudged the
greater part of the picture. Bobby, who had stood as if paralyzed, the
chalk in his fingers, turned and with a sweep of the eraser blotted
out the rest.

"What are you children doing here?" demanded Mr. Hornbeck severely.

He had not noticed the blackboard at all, for Twaddles had fixed him
with such a fascinating stare the moment he entered the room that he
had not been able to see any one else at first.

"Do these small children come to school?" he asked. "Why are they
here, then? And aren't you the boy I stopped from fighting only last
week?"

"Ye-s, sir," answered Bobby. "We're going now. My sister had to come
back for her books."

"There must be no loitering about the building after school hours,"
said the committeeman sternly. "I'll speak to Miss Wright. When you
have finished your school work, you are to go home immediately. Do you
understand?"

"Yes, sir," murmured the four little Blossoms, the twins joining in.

"Then go," ordered Mr. Hornbeck majestically.

The four were very glad to go, and they lost no time in getting out of
the building.

"My, I'm glad you rubbed that out, Meg!" said Bobby gratefully.
"Just suppose he had seen it!"

"What would he do?" clamored Twaddles. "Keep you in?"

"He might expel me," Bobby informed him gloomily. "Going to school is
no joke, Twaddles. Is it, Meg?"

"No, it isn't," returned Meg absently, her eyes and thoughts on
something else. "What does that big poster say, Bobby?"

She pointed to a large poster pasted on a pole across the street.

"Let's go over and read it," suggested Bobby.

They crossed over, and Bobby spelled out the large black and red
letters for them.

"Goody," he announced, "it's a circus! With a p'rade, and everything!
We'll ask Daddy if we can go."

CHAPTER XII

AT THE CIRCUS

Although a cold wind was blowing, the four little Blossoms stayed till
Bobby had read aloud every word on the poster.

"It's next Wednesday," he announced. "I guess they'll let us out of
school for the parade. Oh, here are some