CHAPTER XXII--FIRST PRIZE
"Billie, you're a wonder! Come on, let's go!" cried Laura, then clappedher hand over her mouth and turned a panicky red as she caught MissWalters' eye upon her.
But Miss Walters was looking through and beyond Laura, and her gaze camequickly back to Billie. Polly Haddon's eyes were fixed on the girl, too,with passionate intensity.
"Tell us what you mean, Billie," commanded Miss Walters. "Quickly!"
Billie, remembering suddenly that Miss Arbuckle was the only one of thefaculty who knew of her adventure with Teddy, was embarrassed for amoment. But she plunged bravely in and told them the whole story frombeginning to end, sparing no details.
Miss Walters was intensely interested, and when she had finished evenPolly Haddon looked encouraged. The latter wished to set forth at oncein search of the cave, but Miss Walters proposed a plan that appealed toeverybody, especially the hungry girls.
"Wait and have lunch with me in my rooms," she said to Mrs. Haddon. "Forit is almost lunch time now. Then we can start to hunt for the cave assoon as we have finished."
Mrs. Haddon looked tempted, but she shook her head.
"There are the children," she said. "And little Peter. There is no onewith them."
But Miss Arbuckle settled this objection by offering to go over and staywith the children and see that they were well taken care of during theirmother's absence.
"I was a governess and sort of children's nurse combined, at one time,you know," and she smiled graciously upon the mother. "And I assure youthat I know how to care for children."
Almost upon her words the lunch gong rang, and Miss Walters thereupondismissed the girls to the dining-hall.
"Remember, we will start directly after lunch," she said to them as theyfled.
"Billy, it's just like a story book or a movie!" cried Vi joyfully, asthey took their places at the table among the noisy, chattering girls.
"Are you certain you can find the cave again, Billie?" asked Laura, asshe attacked her heaped-up plate of good things ravenously.
Before Billie could answer Rose Belser leaned across the table and askedwith a drawl where they had been keeping themselves all morning.
"We've made a snowman," she chuckled. "But we needed Billie's artistictouch to make the face. I can't get the nose to look right."
Instinctively the girls glanced out the window and saw that it wassnowing. And they had never noticed it!
"Why, it's snowing, girls!" remarked Vi brilliantly. "It looks almostlike a blizzard."
"Are you just waking up?" asked Connie Danvers, a little crossly. Conniewas cross because it was the first time in her intimate friendship withthe girls that they had had a secret from her. "Now I know you'recrazy."
Billie guessed at Connie's grievance and, reaching over, she pressed thehand of her classmate under the table.
"We'll tell you all about everything to-night," she promised, andConnie's face brightened miraculously.
The snowstorm did indeed look like the beginning of a blizzard, and asthe girls went to get their wraps they worried not a little for fearthis new development might put an end to their adventure.
However, Miss Walters decided that they would try it, at least, and Mrs.Haddon was eagerly anxious to be off.
"We'll try anything once," whispered Laura to Billie, as they went outinto the already ankle-deep snow, the wind lashing bitingly againsttheir faces. "Thank goodness, we can die but once!"
"Die but once is right," said Billie grumpily. She was worried for fearshe would not be able to find the path leading to the cave.
It would have been hard enough if the ground had been clear, but withthe snow rapidly obliterating every landmark, it was well-nighimpossible.
"I wish Teddy were here," she said, half to herself, and her voice wasvery wistful.
"Don't you though!" echoed Laura, heartily. "It seems an age since we'veseen any of the boys."
"Say, Billie," broke in Vi, who was shivering in the bitter cold despiteher warm furs, "are you sure you are going right? It wouldn't be any funto be lost in these lonely woods with maybe a blizzard coming on."
At this observation Billie stopped and turned to Miss Walters and PollyHaddon, who were following close behind.
"I'm sorry," she said, looking up at Miss Walters appealingly. "If itweren't snowing I might be able to find the way, but as it is I'm afraidI would only get you all lost. I'm lost myself now."
"All right, honey. Don't look so distressed about it," said MissWalters, patting her kindly on the shoulder. "You would have to know theway pretty well to be able to find it in this storm. We shall have togive it up to-day, and try again as soon as we can."
"Yes, that will be best," said Polly Haddon, through chattering teeth.Her thin shawl formed scarcely any protection against the freezingweather. "Thank you all so much for bothering with my affairs. Now Imust get back to the children. Good-bye."
Before they had fairly realized she was going, she was gone, and thegirls and Miss Walters turned back to the Hall.
"Bother the old snow," said Laura crossly. "I always liked it before,but now I hate it."
They were all glad when the warmth of Three Towers Hall closed in aboutthem again. Miss Walters said a few words to them about saying nothingof this affair to any one. Then she dismissed them to the dormitorywhile she herself hurried off to do a little work that she had neglectedall day. For around examination time, Miss Walters was not always free,even on Sunday.
Some of the girls had seen Billie and Laura and Vi come in with MissWalters, and they demanded to know what "all the excitement was about."And the fact that the girls would not talk made their classmates all themore curious.
Connie was the only one to whom they would tell the story, for they knewthat they could trust her as they trusted themselves.
"And it's still snowing," mourned Billie, as she cleared a space on themisted window and looked out at the snow-covered world. "It looks as ifwe shouldn't get out of here for weeks!"
Billie's gloomy prophecy was fulfilled. The storm developed into one ofthe worst blizzards that part of the country had ever known, and foralmost two weeks the occupants of Three Towers were practicallyhouse-bound.
It was good that the school boasted a well-stocked larder. Otherwise thegirls might actually have gone hungry. And they wondered a great dealabout Polly Haddon and her little brood.
"Suppose she hasn't enough in the house to eat?" worried Vi. "Why, theymay starve!"
"Maybe she used the gold pieces we left her to stock up when she saw theblizzard coming on," suggested Billie, and the suggestion comforted thema great deal.
The day was approaching when those competing for the composition prizewere to hand in their essays. Billie and Laura and Connie and RoseBelser and the half dozen other girls who had entered the lists werewriting like mad--and biting their pens to bits--in an effort to gettheir essays in on time.
And in the heart of each was the fervent hope that she would be thewinner. Only Amanda had no need to hope. She was sure! The prize washers!
She had carried out her intention of copying her essay straight from thelittle musty book. So sure was she that her ruse would not be detectedthat she had not bothered to alter a word. And while the others worked,she smiled.
At last came the day when the finished essays were to be handed in, andall day long Miss Walters was closeted in her office with Miss Race andone or two of the other teachers, reading and tabulating the manuscriptsas they came to her.
So busy had Billie been in rewriting a phrase here, changing a wordthere, that she handed in her essay the very last of all--just a scanthalf hour before the time was up. But she was happy, because she knewthat she had given her best effort.
"I imagine we shall enjoy reading this," Miss Walters remarked to herassociates, tapping Billie's manuscript with a thoughtful finger."Billie Bradley has real literary talent."
The result of the contest was to be announced the next morning in theauditorium an
d the prizes to be awarded to the winners.
When the longed-for, yet dreaded, moment arrived, the girls filed intothe auditorium, the contestants near the front, and almost the entireschool occupying the seats behind them.
Billie's heart was hammering so loudly that she glanced about her to seeif anybody else seemed to notice it. But the majority of the girls werebabbling away too excitedly to hear anything but themselves.
Billie was surprised to see that even the girls who were expecting tohear their fate within the next few moments were talking--chatteringaway excitedly, to be sure--but still talking. As for herself, she wassure she could not have uttered a word just then if her life haddepended upon it. She did want that prize so dreadfully!
"Cheer up, Billie," whispered Vi, slipping a loyal hand into hers."You're not afraid of missing the prize, are you? Why, you couldn't missit if you tried."
Billie did not say anything, but she gripped Vi's hand hard. And she wasstill holding on to it when Miss Walters ascended the platform and adeep hush spread over the room.
"As you all know," came the clear, sweet voice of the head of ThreeTowers Hall, "I have come here this morning to announce the winners ofthe composition prize.
"I and my associates have had difficulty in choosing the winning essays,for the reason that they are all so excellent. We are only sorry that wehave not a prize to attach to each."
A buzz broke out in the audience, but when Miss Walters raised her handit instantly died down again.
"And now," she said, "not to keep you any longer in suspense, we willannounce the winners."
Billie's grip on Vi's hand tightened till it hurt.
Then into the tense silence Miss Walters threw the bomb of herannouncement.
"The first prize goes to Amanda Peabody," she said. "Will she pleasestep up upon the platform?"