“My word,” said Tom, “I must be in it!”

“But you can’t, Tom.  You are a boy.  That would be the final straw.  If the ladies of the school and those awful governors were to come along and to see a boy in the midst of forty girls, I do believe we’d all be put in prison.  You must clear out, Thomas; make up your mind to that as soon as ever you have handed over the things to Aunt Church.”

“You wait and see,” said Tom.  “You may suppose you are a favorite with Aunt Church, but you are nothing at all to me; I can just twist her round my fingers.  It’s a fine time I mean to have.  I won’t worry you at all when you are having your commotion in the yard.  For the matter of that, I’ll creep into the pig-sty with Brownie, and we can look over the doorway.”

“Oh, Tom, you are certain to be discovered.  And you’ll just pinch that pig and make him squeal like anything.”

Tom laughed.

“I mean to have my fun,” he said; “and don’t you suppose for a moment I’m going to funk a lot of stupid, silly girls.  How much do you think I’m going to eat, miss?”

“I’m sure you are going to be horribly greedy.  But perhaps when you see Miss O’Hara and Miss O’Flynn you’ll take a fit of shyness.  It’s to be hoped you will.”

“Shyness!” cried Tom.  “What’s that?”

“It’s what you ought to have, Tom, and it’s to be hoped you will have it when the time comes.”

“Looks like it!” cried Tom, rubbing his hands in a meaning way.  “Never frightened of anybody in the whole course of my life.  Mean to have a lark with your pretty Miss Kathleen; mean to get a sov. or two out of that charming Miss O’Flynn; mean to coax Aunty Church to give me that microscope when she moves across the sea to Ireland.  Tell you, Susy, I’m up to a lark, and the best of the supper goes down my throat.  Now you know, and there’s no use worriting, for what can’t be cured must be endured.  Tom Hopkins is part and parcel of this ’ere feast, and the sooner you make up your mind to endure me the better.”

Susy felt slightly alarmed, but she knew from experience that Tom’s bark was worse than his bite; and she trusted to Aunt Church desiring him in a peremptory manner to go when the time approached, and to Tom’s being forced to obey her.

They arrived in good time at their destination, and Mrs. Church received them figuratively with open arms.  And now began the real fuss and the real preparation.  Tom took a brush and kicked up, as Aunt Church expressed it, no end of a shindy.  The little sitting-room was a cloud of dust.  The table, the chairs, and the little sideboard were pushed about; everything seemed to be at a loss until Susy peremptorily took the duster out of Tom’s hand and reduced chaos to order.  Then the tea was unpacked.  A very white cloth from Mrs. Hopkins’s most precious store was produced; real silver spoons—­from the same source—­made their appearance; a few cups and saucers of good old china were added.  The table looked, as Tom expressed it, “very genteel.”  Then the provisions were placed upon the board.