they nudged one another and giggled. Joan was holding the door for Miss Ranger to come in, and did not see what everyone was laughing at. Soon Elizabeth noticed that the class was giggling at her, and she grew red.
“What are you all laughing at?” she demanded angrily. “Is my hair untidy? Have I a smudge on my nose?”
“No, Elizabeth,” answered everyone in a chorus.
Then Miss Ranger came in, and the class settled down to work. They worked hard until Break, when the school had fifteen minutes play out-of-doors, and could have biscuits and milk if they wished.
Harry looked to see if the paper was still on Elizabeth’s back. It was! He ran round to all his friends, pointing it out. All the boys kept behind Elizabeth, reading the paper and giggling.
“She’s the Bold Bad Girl,” they whispered. “Look at the notice!”
Every time that poor Elizabeth turned round she found somebody behind her, giggling. She grew so furious that she called out she would slap anyone who giggled behind her again.
Joan came out at that moment, and Elizabeth called to her. “Joan! What’s the matter with everyone to-day? They keep going behind my back and giggling. I hate it!”
Joan knew more of the ways of children than Elizabeth did. She guessed at once that someone had pinned a notice to Elizabeth’s back.
“Turn round,” she said. Elizabeth turned round, and Joan saw the notice: “I’M THE BOLD BAD GIRL! BEWARE! I BARK! I BITE! I HATE EVERYBODY!”
Joan couldn’t help giggling herself.
“Oh, Elizabeth!” she said. “Do look what you’ve been going round with all morning! It’s too funny! No wonder everyone laughed.”
She unpinned the paper and showed it to Elizabeth. The little girl, who was not used to being teased, went red with rage. She tore the paper into half and faced the laughing children.
“Who pinned that on me?” she asked.
“I didn’t, Bold Bad Girl!” shouted someone. Everybody laughed.
Elizabeth stamped her foot.
“Look out!” cried John. “She barks! She bites! She’ll show her teeth next!”
“I suppose the person who pinned that on me doesn’t dare to own up!” shouted Elizabeth.
“Oh yes, I dare!” grinned Harry, nearby. “I pinned it on you, my dear girl-in return for the wet sponge!”
“Don’t call me your dear girl!” cried Elizabeth in a rage. “You’re a hateful boy, and a cheat, cheat, cheat! How dare you pin a notice on me like that! Take that!”
The furious little girl slapped Harry hard in the face. The boy stepped back in surprise.
“Stop that,” commanded Nora, coming up at that minute. “Elizabeth! That sort of behavior won’t do. Apologize to Harry. He’s too much of a gentleman to slap you back, as you deserve.”
“I won’t apologize,” cried Elizabeth. “Nora, I want you to report Harry at the next Meeting-and if you don’t I shall!”
“Come with me,” said Nora to Elizabeth. She saw that Elizabeth was really upset, and needed to be quieted. “You can tell me about it in the playroom. There’s nobody there.”
Holding the torn bits of paper in her hand Elizabeth followed Nora, trembling with anger. Nora made her sit down and tell her what had happened. Elizabeth pieced the bits of paper together and Nora read what Harry had written. She stopped herself smiling, but she really thought it was very funny.
“And why did Harry play this trick on you?” asked Nora.
“Just because I played a trick on him!” said Elizabeth. “I put a wet sponge on the music-room door and it fell down on his head!”
“And why shouldn’t Harry play a trick on you, then, if you play tricks on him?” asked Nora. “You know, you wet his coat, and he was late for his class because he had to change it. If you weren’t quite so silly, Elizabeth, you would see that the joke he played on you was quite as funny as the one you played on him. After all, you know that we call you the Bold Bad Girl!”
“You’re not to,” said
“What are you all laughing at?” she demanded angrily. “Is my hair untidy? Have I a smudge on my nose?”
“No, Elizabeth,” answered everyone in a chorus.
Then Miss Ranger came in, and the class settled down to work. They worked hard until Break, when the school had fifteen minutes play out-of-doors, and could have biscuits and milk if they wished.
Harry looked to see if the paper was still on Elizabeth’s back. It was! He ran round to all his friends, pointing it out. All the boys kept behind Elizabeth, reading the paper and giggling.
“She’s the Bold Bad Girl,” they whispered. “Look at the notice!”
Every time that poor Elizabeth turned round she found somebody behind her, giggling. She grew so furious that she called out she would slap anyone who giggled behind her again.
Joan came out at that moment, and Elizabeth called to her. “Joan! What’s the matter with everyone to-day? They keep going behind my back and giggling. I hate it!”
Joan knew more of the ways of children than Elizabeth did. She guessed at once that someone had pinned a notice to Elizabeth’s back.
“Turn round,” she said. Elizabeth turned round, and Joan saw the notice: “I’M THE BOLD BAD GIRL! BEWARE! I BARK! I BITE! I HATE EVERYBODY!”
Joan couldn’t help giggling herself.
“Oh, Elizabeth!” she said. “Do look what you’ve been going round with all morning! It’s too funny! No wonder everyone laughed.”
She unpinned the paper and showed it to Elizabeth. The little girl, who was not used to being teased, went red with rage. She tore the paper into half and faced the laughing children.
“Who pinned that on me?” she asked.
“I didn’t, Bold Bad Girl!” shouted someone. Everybody laughed.
Elizabeth stamped her foot.
“Look out!” cried John. “She barks! She bites! She’ll show her teeth next!”
“I suppose the person who pinned that on me doesn’t dare to own up!” shouted Elizabeth.
“Oh yes, I dare!” grinned Harry, nearby. “I pinned it on you, my dear girl-in return for the wet sponge!”
“Don’t call me your dear girl!” cried Elizabeth in a rage. “You’re a hateful boy, and a cheat, cheat, cheat! How dare you pin a notice on me like that! Take that!”
The furious little girl slapped Harry hard in the face. The boy stepped back in surprise.
“Stop that,” commanded Nora, coming up at that minute. “Elizabeth! That sort of behavior won’t do. Apologize to Harry. He’s too much of a gentleman to slap you back, as you deserve.”
“I won’t apologize,” cried Elizabeth. “Nora, I want you to report Harry at the next Meeting-and if you don’t I shall!”
“Come with me,” said Nora to Elizabeth. She saw that Elizabeth was really upset, and needed to be quieted. “You can tell me about it in the playroom. There’s nobody there.”
Holding the torn bits of paper in her hand Elizabeth followed Nora, trembling with anger. Nora made her sit down and tell her what had happened. Elizabeth pieced the bits of paper together and Nora read what Harry had written. She stopped herself smiling, but she really thought it was very funny.
“And why did Harry play this trick on you?” asked Nora.
“Just because I played a trick on him!” said Elizabeth. “I put a wet sponge on the music-room door and it fell down on his head!”
“And why shouldn’t Harry play a trick on you, then, if you play tricks on him?” asked Nora. “You know, you wet his coat, and he was late for his class because he had to change it. If you weren’t quite so silly, Elizabeth, you would see that the joke he played on you was quite as funny as the one you played on him. After all, you know that we call you the Bold Bad Girl!”
“You’re not to,” said
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