Miss Williams waited a moment or two for some one to speak. Then she asked:
"Has any one of the scholars been in the storeroom this morning?"
"Yes, Bob Bouncer," said a quick voice. Bob knew that it was Jed Burr who had spoken. He flushed a little, and rose to his feet.
"I was in the storeroom, but it was only for a second, Miss Williams," he said.
"Then you broke the bottle of ink?"
"No, ma'am, I didn't," said Bob.
"You must tell the truth. Bob," said Miss Williams. "If you broke it by accident, it could not be helped."
"I didn't break it at all. I wasn't near the table. I wasn't over a foot inside the room, Miss Williams."
There was a sniff and a sneer. The word "stuff" was heard all over the room. Miss Williams looked very sharply at Bob. Then she touched the bell, with the words:
"School is dismissed. Bob, you may remain."
Bob looked pretty glum as the other scholars trooped out. Jed Burr chuckled as he passed him. Little Minnie Grey was in tears. Frank was angry, and he hurried out after Jed to give him a piece of his mind.
Miss Williams sat down at her desk and paid no attention to the lonely scholar left in the room. She knew Bob to be a good boy, but she knew, too, that he was proud and stubborn, and never liked to be censured before the whole school. She hoped that silence and thought would lead Bob to confess, if he had really spilled the ink.
Bob heard the boys in the distance shouting and playing. It made him more gloomy than ever to think how they were planning for the football game that afternoon, and he was shut out from it.
