fabulous horses,"
joined in Nicki. Even she sounded excited.
"That sounds fantastic," said Christie. "I
hope Connie asks me to go."
"He said he would," Phoebe assured her.
Just then the bell in the belfry on top of the steep slate
roof of St. Margaret's started chiming, and all the girls in the schoolyard
moved toward the entrance. The gray stone building looked like a miniature
castle, and Christie thought the solemn gonging of the bell fit it perfectly.
"Neat car you came to school in today," said Becca
Stewart as Christie took her seat in science class later that morning.
"I didn't know your family had a chauffeur," said
Denise Hume.
Christie sighed. It seemed as if everyone had seen her come
in the limousine. She was sorry she had let her father drop her off.
"We don't," she answered, putting her backpack on
her desk. "It's no big deal, really. The car belongs to my father's
company, and Finchley works for them. They use it to take businesspeople around
when they come into town. When it's not busy, he takes company people to and
from the airport. My dad was going on a trip, so they just dropped me off."
Christie hoped this would be the last time she would have to explain it.
"That's neat, anyway," said Becca. "It won't
hurt your image to come to school in a limousine."
Christie shrugged and smiled. Right now she was more worried
about what Miss Finney would think about her science project. She had worked
hard on it the night before.
Christie looked at Miss Finney as she was taking roll. The
teacher's hair was streaked with gray, and she wore black, plastic-rimmed
glasses. Her mouth, with its turned-down corners, made her look as if she never
laughed.
Christie had been in Miss Finney's class for just a few
weeks and hadn't done anything to make her angry, but she couldn't help feeling
as if the teacher didn't like her. First Christie thought it was her
imagination, but Miss Finney hardly ever called on her. When Christie raised
her hand to ask a question, sometimes the teacher ignored her.
Suddenly Miss Finney turned her stern eyes on Christie.
Christie looked away quickly.
"All right, class, bring your experiments to the front
of the room and place them on the table," said the teacher.
Carefully Christie took the glass jar out of her backpack
and looked at the stalk of celery floating in it. She had written her name on a
piece of tape on the side of the jar, as she was supposed to. Good, she
thought. My celery's still red.
The experiment was supposed to demonstrate how plants suck
up water and nutrients into their stalks and leaves. Following the instructions
Miss Finney had given them, Christie had filled a jar with water, then stirred
in food coloring. Next she cut off the bottom of the celery stalk and put the
stalk in the water. Christie thought the way the celery changed from pale green
to red was interesting, but it was really pretty simple. She didn't see how she
could have done anything wrong.
Following Becca, Christie put her experiment on the table
with the others. She looked quickly at the row of jars. The celery in each of
them was a deep shade of red, just as hers was.
The class waited quietly as Miss Finney picked up the jars
one by one, shook them, and wrote down a grade both on the tape with the
student's name and in her grade book. When she got to Christie's, the teacher
barely looked at it before writing a grade on it.
"You may pick up your experiments at the end of class,"
Miss Finney announced when she was finished.
The rest of the hour was a lecture on how plants and animals
use water and food. Christie listened carefully, took lots of notes, and tried
to show the teacher she was interested.
Sarah Pike, who was Miss Finney's pet, raised her hand
almost every five minutes to ask questions about things the teacher had just
said. Becca rolled her eyes at Christie each time Sarah did it.
When the bell rang, Miss Finney ignored it, as she usually
did, and continued talking. As the
joined in Nicki. Even she sounded excited.
"That sounds fantastic," said Christie. "I
hope Connie asks me to go."
"He said he would," Phoebe assured her.
Just then the bell in the belfry on top of the steep slate
roof of St. Margaret's started chiming, and all the girls in the schoolyard
moved toward the entrance. The gray stone building looked like a miniature
castle, and Christie thought the solemn gonging of the bell fit it perfectly.
"Neat car you came to school in today," said Becca
Stewart as Christie took her seat in science class later that morning.
"I didn't know your family had a chauffeur," said
Denise Hume.
Christie sighed. It seemed as if everyone had seen her come
in the limousine. She was sorry she had let her father drop her off.
"We don't," she answered, putting her backpack on
her desk. "It's no big deal, really. The car belongs to my father's
company, and Finchley works for them. They use it to take businesspeople around
when they come into town. When it's not busy, he takes company people to and
from the airport. My dad was going on a trip, so they just dropped me off."
Christie hoped this would be the last time she would have to explain it.
"That's neat, anyway," said Becca. "It won't
hurt your image to come to school in a limousine."
Christie shrugged and smiled. Right now she was more worried
about what Miss Finney would think about her science project. She had worked
hard on it the night before.
Christie looked at Miss Finney as she was taking roll. The
teacher's hair was streaked with gray, and she wore black, plastic-rimmed
glasses. Her mouth, with its turned-down corners, made her look as if she never
laughed.
Christie had been in Miss Finney's class for just a few
weeks and hadn't done anything to make her angry, but she couldn't help feeling
as if the teacher didn't like her. First Christie thought it was her
imagination, but Miss Finney hardly ever called on her. When Christie raised
her hand to ask a question, sometimes the teacher ignored her.
Suddenly Miss Finney turned her stern eyes on Christie.
Christie looked away quickly.
"All right, class, bring your experiments to the front
of the room and place them on the table," said the teacher.
Carefully Christie took the glass jar out of her backpack
and looked at the stalk of celery floating in it. She had written her name on a
piece of tape on the side of the jar, as she was supposed to. Good, she
thought. My celery's still red.
The experiment was supposed to demonstrate how plants suck
up water and nutrients into their stalks and leaves. Following the instructions
Miss Finney had given them, Christie had filled a jar with water, then stirred
in food coloring. Next she cut off the bottom of the celery stalk and put the
stalk in the water. Christie thought the way the celery changed from pale green
to red was interesting, but it was really pretty simple. She didn't see how she
could have done anything wrong.
Following Becca, Christie put her experiment on the table
with the others. She looked quickly at the row of jars. The celery in each of
them was a deep shade of red, just as hers was.
The class waited quietly as Miss Finney picked up the jars
one by one, shook them, and wrote down a grade both on the tape with the
student's name and in her grade book. When she got to Christie's, the teacher
barely looked at it before writing a grade on it.
"You may pick up your experiments at the end of class,"
Miss Finney announced when she was finished.
The rest of the hour was a lecture on how plants and animals
use water and food. Christie listened carefully, took lots of notes, and tried
to show the teacher she was interested.
Sarah Pike, who was Miss Finney's pet, raised her hand
almost every five minutes to ask questions about things the teacher had just
said. Becca rolled her eyes at Christie each time Sarah did it.
When the bell rang, Miss Finney ignored it, as she usually
did, and continued talking. As the
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