Page:The book of Betty Barber (IA bookofbettybarbe00andr).pdf/111

 “I don’t know what is to be done,” said Thirteen-fourteenths, sitting down in the desk and staring at all the little pieces of paper.

“It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good,” whispered Tare to Tret, “if they haven’t got copies of the sums, they can’t put them right; they will have to rest now.”

But Ellessdee did not seem to think so. He was gathering together the little pieces which he had torn up, and was trying to make them fit one another.

As he stooped a small box tumbled out of his jacket on to the floor, rolled to the Fraction’s desk, and stopped in front of his feet.

Thirteen-fourteenths picked it up.

“My box,” he said, “I must have knocked it down.”

“My box,” said Ellessdee, “I found it.”

Thirteen-fourteenths looked down at Ellessdee, who was getting very red in the face, and was about to place the box on the desk in front of him, when he saw one there already. He examined the boxes carefully. They were exactly alike, small and round, each with “One shilling a box” printed on the label.

“Come here,” he said to Ellessdee. “Look there,” and he pointed to the boxes. “What does it mean?”

“Two of them,” said Ellessdee.

“Two of them,” shouted Repeater.

“One is mine,” said Thirteen-fourteenths, “and one is Ellessdee’s.”

“Exactly so,” said Ellessdee.

“I found mine near the tree beneath which I had hidden the book,”’ said Thirteen-fourteenths.

“Read stone for tree, and I say ‘Exactly so’ once more,” said Ellessdee.

“One shilling a box,” said Thirteen-fourteenths. ‘Someone must have dropped both boxes.”

“If,” began Sois, and there was at once silence in the hall. “If one man drops one box and takes one book, how many boxes 91