Acting immediately on the decision to ask for a holiday, Betty and Norma went down to the office and preferred their request, which was cordially granted after an explanation of its purpose.

“All day to-morrow off!” shouted Betty, bursting in upon the six girls assembled to hear the result.

“We may go after breakfast and needn’t come back till four o’clock when Miss Anderson has called a dress rehearsal,” chimed in Norma.

Libbie and Louise were dispatched to notify the other girls and to give strict instructions to those who had boxes not to eat any more of the contents.

“Elsie Taylor had already eaten six eclairs when I requisitioned her box for the picnic,” said Constance Howard.  “It’s lucky we’re going tomorrow, or there wouldn’t be much left to eat.”

Betty and Bobby each had a box from Mrs. Littell, who sent packages of sensible goodies regularly to her girls in turn.

“I hope the sandwiches will keep fresh enough,” worried Betty.

But she might have saved her worry.

Just as she and Bobby were going to bed that night Norma and Alice came in, wrapped in their kimonos, each carrying a large box under her arm.

“What do you suppose?” asked Norma.  “Good old Aunt Nancy heard we were going after nuts for her cake and leaves for the hall, and she’s made us dozens of sandwiches.  She said she did it because Mrs. Eustice reserved one of the best seats for her at the play.  Anyway, we’ll be glad to have them, shan’t we?  And, oh yes, Aunt Nancy says she’ll make us a cake as big as ‘a black walnut tree’ and two kinds of ice cream!”

“And she brought the sandwiches up to Norma and Alice because she was determined they should have something for the picnic,” thought Betty after the girls had gone.  “Talk about tact!  Aunt Nancy has the real thing.”

The girls were all up early the next morning, and soon after breakfast they were on their way to the woods.  Many of those who were not of the nutting party went to Edentown, some took canoes and went paddling, others “puttered” around the school grounds, enjoying the beautiful autumn weather and the luxury of a holiday.

Ada Nansen and her friends had elected to go to Edentown, and passed the nutting party on the way.  Betty took one glance into the bus and then looked at Bobby.  That young person promptly giggled.

“Did you see what I saw?” she asked.

“Poor Ada!” said Betty.  “She does have troubles of her own!”

For of all the teachers, Miss Prettyman alone had been available as chaperone, and to go to town under Miss Prettyman’s eagle eye was anything but an exciting experience.  She was usually bent on “improving” the minds of her charges, and she improved them with serene disregard of the victims’ tastes and interests.  Betty and Bobby had seen her sitting bolt upright in the bus, reading a thin volume of essays while Ada scowled at the happy crowd tramping in the road.