, the boys were waiting and wondering why she did not join them.
They could just see something at the open window, but the shadow cast
by the orchard wall made it indistinguishable. Miss Finlayson shot one
glance outwards, that took in the row of figures at the top of the wall,
and the row of bicycles at the bottom of it; then she waited passively
for Barbara to make up her mind. But this was precisely what the child
could not do.

'Wouldn't you--wouldn't you _mind_?' she stammered at last.

'Would it matter to you if I did?' asked Miss Finlayson.

Babs stood still, in a miserable state of indecision, with one foot still
on the window-seat, and the other placed on the ledge outside. She was
beginning to feel exhausted by the excitement she had gone through, and
she gave a weary yawn that turned into a shiver. Miss Finlayson promptly
put an end to the situation by lifting her back into the hall. Directly
she did so, a series of thuds in the neighbourhood of the wall, followed
by the crunch of footsteps along the gravel path, sounded from without,
and the tops of five heads suddenly appeared at the open window.

'If you please,' said a voice, pleadingly, 'it is our fault that the Babe
is trying to escape. You won't rag her for it, will you?'

[Illustration: 'Five heads suddenly appeared at the open window']

'She never knew we were coming, till we came,' added another voice. 'We
made up the plan because we heard she was jolly unhappy.'

'We couldn't possibly let her be unhappy another minute, or else we might
have waited till Auntie Anna came back,' chimed in a third.

Then followed a disappointed cry in Robin's shrill tones. 'But _isn't_
she going to escape, after all?'

Miss Finlayson waited till they had finished speaking, and her large clear
eyes were brimming over with fun.

'Of course she is going to escape, if she wants to,' answered the
head-mistress; 'but at present she seems to be in some doubt about
the matter. Supposing you come in and wait by the fire, while she
thinks it over. You might help her, perhaps, to make up her mind. Will
you climb through the window, or shall I unbolt the front door?'

Naturally, a rescue party five strong could not do anything so tame
as to walk through a front door; so although the window was four or
five feet from the ground, Robin was hoisted up first by Peter's strong
arms, and then they all scrambled after him, one by one, till the little
procession was ready to fo