"Here, children, is the building where the kangaroos live. Who knows where kangaroos come from?" "Australia!" clanged the shrill chorus. "That's right. And what other animals come from Australia?" "I know, Miss Burton!" cried Frances, a dark-haired nine-year-old with a pair of glittering eyes that stared like a pair of critics from a small heart-shaped face. "I've been here before. Wallabies and wombats!" "Very good, Frances." Frances smirked at the approbation. "I've been to the zoo lots of times," she said to the girl next to her. "My father takes me." "I wish my father would take me too," replied the other little girl, with an air of wistfulness. "Why don't you ask him to?" Before the other little girl could answer, Frances paused, cocked her head slightly, and demanded, "Who are you? You aren't in our class." "I'm in Miss Hassel's class." "Miss Hassel? Who is she? Is she in our school?" "I don't know," said the other little girl uncertainly. "I go to P. S. 77--" "Oh, Miss Burton," screamed Frances. "Here's a girl who isn't in our class! She got lost from her own class!" * * * * * "Really?" Miss Burton seemed rather pleased at the idea that some other teacher had been so careless as to lose one of her charges. "What's your name, child?" "I'm Carolyn." "Carolyn what?" "Carolyn Manto. Please, Miss Burton, I had to go to the bathroom, and then when I came out--" "Yes, yes, I know." A shrill cry came from another section of her class. "Oh, Miss Burton, here's another one who's lost!" The other little girl was pushed forward. "Now, who are _you_?" Miss Burton asked. "I'm Doris Palit. I went with Carolyn to the bathroom--" * * * * * Miss Burton made a sound of annoyance. Imagine losing _two_ children and not noticing it right away. The other teacher must be frantic by now, and serve her right for being so careless. "All right, you may stay with us until we find a policeman--" She interrupted herself. "Frances, what are you giggling at now?" "It's Carolyn. She's making faces just like you!" "Really, Carolyn, that isn't at all nice!" Carolyn's face altered itself in a hurry, so as to lose any resemblance to Miss Burton's. "I'm sorry, Miss Burton, I didn't really mean to do anything wrong." "Well, I'd like to know how you were brought up, if you don't know that it's wrong to mimic people to their faces. A big girl like you, too. How old are you, Carolyn?" Carolyn shrank, she hoped imperceptibly, by an inch. "I'm two--" An outburst of shrill laughter. "She's two years old, she's two years old!" "I was going to say, I'm _to_welve. Almost, anyway." "Eleven years old," said Miss Burton. "Old enough to know better." "I'm sorry, Miss Burton. And honest, Miss Burton, I didn't mean anything, but I'm studying to be an actress, and I imitate people, like the actors you see on television--"