here, she's eating!"

"Shut the desk--hurry!"

When the girls came in, Joy and Gypsy were in their seats, looking over
the arithmetic lesson. Joy's book was upside down, and Gypsy was
intensely interested in the preface.

Miss Cardrew came in shortly after, and stood warming her fingers at the
stove, nodding and smiling at the girls. All was still so far in the
desk. Miss Cardrew went up and laid down her gloves and pushed back her
chair. Joy coughed under her breath, and Gypsy looked up out of the
corners of her eyes.

"Mr. Guernsey is not well to-day," began Miss Cardrew, standing by the
desk, "and we shall not be able to meet as usual in No. 1 for prayers.
It has been thought best that each department should attend devotions in
its own room. You can get out your Bibles."

Gypsy looked at Joy, and Joy looked at Gypsy.

Miss Cardrew sat down. It was very still. A muffled scratching sound
broke into the pause. Miss Cardrew looked up carelessly, as if to see
where it came from; it stopped.

"She'll open her desk now," whispered Joy, stooping to pick up a book.

"See here, Joy, I almost wish we hadn't----"

"We will read the fourteenth chapter of John," spoke up Miss Cardrew,
with her Bible in her hand. No, she hadn't opened her desk. The Bible
lay upon the outside of it.

"Oh, if that biscuit'll only last till she gets through praying!"

"Hush-sh! She's looking this way."

Miss Cardrew began to read. She had read just four verses, when--

"Miaow!"

Gypsy and Joy were trying very hard to find the place. Miss Cardrew
looked up and around the room. It was quite still. She read two verses
more.

"Mi-aow! mi-aow-aow!"

Miss Cardrew looked up again, round the room, over the platform, under
the desk, everywhere but _in_ it.

"Girls, did any of you make that sound?"

Nobody had. Miss Cardrew began to read again. All at once Joy pulled
Gypsy's sleeve.

"Just look there!"

"Where?"

"Trickling down the outside of the desk!"

"You don't suppose she's upset the----"

"Ink-bottle--yes."

Miss Cardrew was in the tenth verse, and the room was very still. Right
into the stillness there broke again a distinct, prolonged, dolorous--

"Mi-aow-_aow_!"

And this time Miss Cardrew laid down her Bible and lifted the
desk-cover.

It is reported in school to this day that Miss Cardrew jumped.

Out flew the kitten, like popped corn from a shovel, glared over the
desk in the nightcap and black apron, leaped d