Free Leppard, Lois Gladys - [Mandie 04] by Mandie, the Forbidden Attic (v1.0) [html] Page A

they were not all in the same classroom at church. Therefore, Mandie and Celia did not see April until they filed into the pews across the aisle from Mr. Chadwick’s boys.
    April sat at the end of the pew directly across from Tommy. She tried her best to attract his attention, but Tommy didn’t seem to notice her. He looked straight ahead.
    Celia poked Mandie and motioned for her to look. Mandie smiled as she and her friend sat down in the pew directly behind April.
    During the entire service April kept looking at Tommy. When the audience stood to sing a hymn, she deliberately reached out and dropped her handkerchief in the aisle.
    When Tommy didn’t respond, she tried other tactics. Quickly replacing her hymn book in the rack, she leaned across the aisle and spoke loudly above the music. “Tommy, do you have an extra hymnal? We seem to be short one over here,” she said.
    All the girls held their breath and looked to see if Miss Prudence had heard. But the schoolmistress kept singing heartily.
    Without missing a note, Tommy handed April his hymnal and turned to share Robert’s.
    April took the book but did not sing a word. She just stood there holding the open hymnal and watching Tommy. At the end of the song, as everyone sat down, April leaned across the aisle and handed Tommy the hymn book.
    “Here, would you put this back where it belongs?” she said loudly.
    Everyone nearby turned to look, including Miss Prudence. She frowned at April, then turned her attention to the pastor’s sermon.
    When the service was over, Miss Prudence guided April out of the church. “This way, April, with the other girls,” she said.
    The boys left by the other aisle, but April had to go with Miss Prudence. After shaking hands with the pastor at the door, the girls began their short walk back to the school.
    Celia nudged Mandie. “Imagine carrying on like that in church,” she said softly so no one else could hear.
    “I suppose it’s her last chance, for a while at least. I heard Miss Prudence tell her that her mother would be here to get her after the noon meal,” Mandie said.
    “Hallelujah!” Celia laughed.
    “Celia, didn’t the Sunday school lesson do you any good at all?” Mandie scolded.
    “We’ll discuss that later.”
    Mandie sighed. “I guess we’ll have plenty of time. Remember, we have to stay in our room except for meals and classes.”
    “Oh, well, at least that’s better than being suspended like April,” Celia replied.
    Reaching the school, the girls hurried to their room to leave their bonnets, gloves, purses, and Bibles. They wouldhave to move quickly to get to the dining table on time.
    As Mandie and Celia entered their room, Mandie immediately sensed something wrong. Looking about, she discovered that her pink chiffon dress was missing. She had hung it on the hook next to Celia’s lavender dress the night before.
    “Oh, no! Not again!” she exclaimed.
    Celia understood immediately. “April!” she accused.
    “I’m not sure, but April is going home today. We’ll see what happens while she’s gone,” Mandie said. “Come on. We don’t want to be late to the table. We’re in enough trouble already.”
    In the dining room, a tall, arrogant-looking woman stood behind the chair next to Miss Prudence.
    The schoolmistress rang her little silver bell. “Young ladies, this is Mrs. Snow, April’s mother. April will be going home today, and we are not sure when she will return.”
    There was no doubt that April went home that afternoon. So when they heard the noises in the attic that evening, they knew it couldn’t possibly be April.
    Immediately after supper, Mandie and Celia went straight to their room. The sun still shone brightly, and the two girls sat on the window seat, silently watching the other girls stroll around the lawn below.
    The noise was barely discernible at first. Gradually it grew louder. The girls looked at each other. A moment later, the noise stopped.
    “It can’t be April