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 me, please? I want—" "Aw, I was ahead of him—"

The Widow Deane beamed and made her way to the rear of the counter, greeting the boys by name. She was fond of all boys, but those of Hillman's School she looked on as peculiarly her own, and she knew the names of nearly every one of them and, to a remarkable extent, their taste in the matter of pastry and beverages. "I couldn't imagine what had happened," she was explaining to Cas Bennett as she filled his order for two apple turnovers. "All of a sudden everything became so still in here! What was it?"

Cas grinned. "Oh, just some of Nod Turner's foolishness," he replied evasively. "He and Thurston were—were talking."

They were still talking, for that matter, although their fickle audience no longer heeded. The interruption had quite spoiled Elk's great scene, and after lowering his arm he had not raised t again. Even he realized that you couldn't start anything when Mrs. Deane was present. But he was still angry and was explaining to Laurie none too elegantly that vengeance was merely postponed and not canceled. Ned,