CHAPTER XII--THE ACCUSATION
Nick Budd, plunging on in the snow ahead of the young folks, hardly onceturned his head to look back. Evidently he had made this trip often andwas used to wading through snow half-way to his waist, for he went soswiftly that Teddy was winded and Billie pretty nearly worn out whenthey at last reached the road.
Oh, but what a relief it was to step out on its hard, crusty firmnessafter the yielding depth of the snow in the field!
Then Nick Budd turned and addressed them for the first time since theyhad left the cave behind them.
"This here is the road thet leads to Three Towers," he told them,evidently in a sullen mood again. "Jest foller straight and ye'll gitthar." And before either Teddy or Billie had a chance to thank him heturned back without another word and started to retrace his stepsthrough the heavy snow, leaving the two standing in the middle of theroad staring after him.
Then Billie turned wonderingly to the boy.
"Teddy, isn't he the queerest thing?" she breathed.
Teddy nodded.
"He sure is," he said, soberly, adding slowly: "I'm just wondering whatmade him so afraid that we were going to put him in prison. He wasscared almost to death until we told him why we had come."
"But he's a simpleton," Billie pointed out. "Poor thing, I don't supposeyou could count on anything he says or does. People who aren't 'allthere' have moods, don't they?"
"Is that why you act so funny sometimes?" asked Teddy with a grin, andBillie pouted most becomingly.
"I think you're horrid," she said, while Teddy's grin became stillwider. "Come on, let's get back. I'm freezing to death. Don't standthere grinning like an ape," she commanded, with an impatient stamp ofher foot. "You look silly."
"Like Nick Budd?" asked Teddy good-naturedly, and Billie had to smile."Look here," he added, jerking the sled toward him and motioning toBillie to sit on it. "We can get back much more quickly if you let mepull you. Get aboard, Miss Billie, and I'll give you a regularsleighride."
"Oh fine!" cried Billie, as she settled herself comfortably on the bigsled. "Only I'm 'fraid its rather a long pull, Teddy. You may gettired."
"Just watch me!" cried the boy, and galloped off at a great rate, thesled, with Billie clinging wildly to it, bumping and swaying over thehard and rough road.
Meantime the other boys and girls had been considerably alarmed byTeddy's and Billie's abrupt disappearance. At first they had supposedthat the two were simply playing a trick on them and would appear whenthey got good and ready.
But as time passed and nothing happened they became worried, and evenbegan to talk about a search party.
"Though how they could have got lost, I don't know," Laura had said toan agitated group. "They certainly know their way about here wellenough."
"Perhaps they got lost on purpose," said a nasal voice, and Billie'schums turned indignantly to face the speaker. It was Amanda, of course,and beside her, so close as to have earned her the title of Amanda's"Shadow," stood her friend and crony, Eliza Dilks.
Laura was about to retort furiously when Billie's brother Chet pushedher aside and faced Amanda.
"If you were a boy, I'd know what to do to you for saying a thing likethat," cried the boy, such fury in his face that Amanda was frightened."But since you're a girl I'll just tell you to lay off that line oftalk. Billie Bradley is my sister." As Chet said the last words proudlythere was many a girl present who would have been glad to own a brotheras loyal as Chet Bradley.
As Amanda muttered something to herself and turned away angrily the boysand girls returned to the discussion of Billie's and Teddy's mysteriousabsence.
"I think," suggested Paul Martinson, his face looking extremely worried,"that we had better search through the woods thoroughly in case they arelost. Something must have happened to them to keep them away this long."
He had no sooner made the suggestion than it was carried into effect,and the girls and boys scattered through the woods in search of the twowho had disappeared.
They returned in a little while, however, dispirited and more anxiousthan ever. There was an attempt to go on with the fun in the hope thatTeddy and Billie would return in a little while to laugh at their fears,but it was no use. The fun lagged, and finally the girls broke up theparty altogether by declaring their intention of going back to theschool.
"Billie may be at the Hall now for all we know," Connie said hopefully,as they started back along the road. "She may have been cold orsomething and asked Teddy to take her home."
"Humph," sniffed Laura, "that sounds a lot like Billie."
Nevertheless they did hope that, foolish as it sounded, Billie hadreturned to the Hall before them. But when they reached there and foundno sign of either her or Teddy they were puzzled and more worried thanever.
The boys had gone on toward the Academy, and there was not one of themwho was not disturbed in his mind. Teddy was as popular at the Academyas Billie was at the Hall, and, besides, Billie was a general favoritewith all the lads.
"I'll wait a little while after I get back," Chet told them as theytramped back silently, their sleds skidding along behind them, "and thenI'll call up the Hall. If Billie isn't back by then we'll have to notifythe police--or something."
And at the Hall her classmates had decided to wait a little while alsobefore they reported Billie's disappearance to Miss Walters.
Probably nothing serious had happened, they argued, and if Miss Walterswere notified Billie might have a lot of explaining to do that otherwiseshe would be saved.
But as the minutes sped by and still no sign of Billie, they fidgetedand squirmed and could set their minds to nothing.
Then suddenly Connie Danvers rushed into the dormitory, her eyes blazingwith wrath.
"What do you suppose?" she cried, while the girls gathered round her. "Imet Caroline Brant in the hall just now and she said that Amanda and the'Shadow' were spreading the report that Billie and Teddy ran away onpurpose."
"Oh, the sneak! The wretched little sneak!" cried Laura, making a dashfor the door. But she stopped suddenly and ran back to Connie. "Has shegone to Miss Walters with that report?" she asked, her hands working asthough she longed to get hold of Amanda.
"I don't think so," replied Connie. "She hasn't had time yet--Laura!where are you going?" for Laura had started for the door again.
"To find Amanda, of course," Laura cried over her shoulder, as she flungout of the room. "I'll see that she doesn't get to Miss Walters withthat report."
"She has the right idea, girls," said Vi excitedly. "We mustn't letAmanda say such things about Billie. Why, if Miss Walters heard it, itwould be dreadful."
"Come on then," said Connie, adding recklessly: "We'll see that Amandadoesn't squeal if we have to gag her."
They found Amanda and her "Shadow" haranguing a group of the youngergirls at the end of the hall on the first floor. Billie's champions,coming upon the group suddenly, overheard the last of Amanda's speech.
"Of course her friends say that she didn't do it on purpose," the girlwas saying. "But I know she did, and I'm going straight to Miss Waltersand tell her about it."
Laura started toward the sneak, but she drew back so suddenly as nearlyto lose her balance and had to be steadied by the girls behind her.
For a familiar figure, hidden until that moment by the shadows about thegreat entrance door, suddenly swung into the light and faced Amanda.
"Now, what you have said behind my back," rang out a clear voice, "youcan tell me to my face!"
"It's Billie," gasped Laura, in joyful relief. "Say, but she looks goodto me."
"Come on. I have a notion she may need a little help," said Connie, asshe made her way to Billie's side, causing the freshmen who had beenAmanda's audience to scatter in panic. Laura and Vi and several othersfollowed, but Billie did not seem to notice them.
Her eyes were still upon Amanda. The latter, taken by surprise, at firstlooked about her for some means of escape. Then, seeing that she wascornered, she st
raightened up defiantly and the usual sneer overspreadher mean features.
"Oh, all right," she said. "I'm not afraid to tell the truth if _youare_. Did you and Teddy Jordon have a good time when you ran awayto-day?"
"It's false!" cried Billie furiously. "And I'll make you take it back!"
"What's this? What's this?" interrupted a cool voice behind them, andBillie turned with tears of rage in her eyes to face Miss Arbuckle.
"Miss Arbuckle," she pleaded tensely, "make her take it back--what shesaid about me. It isn't true! Oh, it isn't true!"