The morning exercises were held. The children sang a hymn and then took part in the beautiful ceremony of saluting the flag. Then the different classes, including the one Flossie and Freddie were in, marched from the assembly room and the day’s lessons began.
It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, after the cold April rain—a perfect May day, so Nan thought, as she looked from the schoolroom window.
And this—thinking of a May day—made her remember the little baby at home.
Hardly aware of what she was doing, Nan turned to Nellie and whispered:
“Oh, I’ve got the greatest news for you! You’ll never guess what we have at our house!”
“A new piano!” guessed Nellie, in a whisper.
“No! It’s a _baby_!” and Nan whispered so shrilly that the teacher heard her and looked up in surprise.
“Nan Bobbsey! were you whispering?” asked Miss Riker.
“Ye—yes—yes’m—I—I was!” faltered Nan, realizing, too late, what she had done.
“What were you saying?” Miss Riker asked, not unkindly. “Was it about the lesson, Nan?”
“No’m. It was about—about the new baby at our house!”
“Oh, a new baby! That’s lovely!” and Miss Riker smiled. “But you shouldn’t whisper about it in school, Nan. When did the baby come?”
“Last night—in the rain. It was left on our doorstep in a basket—and I heard it cry. I thought it was a kitten—and it was a baby!”
There was a gasp of surprise from all the pupils in the room.
“Nan Bobbsey!” exclaimed Miss Riker, rather sternly, “are you making up a fairy story?”
“Oh, no!” exclaimed Nan. “It’s all true!” And she was allowed to tell the class what had happened. It was so unusual that Miss Riker forgot all about lessons, for which the boys and girls were very glad. And so the story of the abandoned baby was known all over the school at recess.
“Say, this is a fine thing!” exclaimed Bert Bobbsey, walking up to his sister Nan when recess was almost over.
“What’s a fine thing?” Nan wanted to know.
“Why, everybody knows about the baby at our house! I told Flossie and Freddie not to tell, and you let it out right in class!”
“I couldn’t! I whispered about it to Nellie and teacher heard me whisper and she asked me and I had to tell. I didn’t know I shouldn’t!”
“Gosh! That’s just like a girl—telling everything! What do you know about that!” and Bert turned to Danny Rugg.