It was Nicola's idea, to begin with, as might have been expected. Somehow all the wickedest ideas originated in the devious mind which lurked behind that angelic exterior.
Primula Mary, still stinging from the sharp rebuke and swingeing punishment she'd received from her form mistress, was happy to go along with it, and Anne's usual pacifist instinct had been routed by the injustice (as she saw it) to her best friend. Isolt went along, as she so often did, and Tibbie was the only one to protest.
"I don't see what good it will do," she pointed out. "It's over and done with, as far as Miss Robertson is concerned. We can't exactly tell her the true reason Prim was out of bounds, at least, not without sneaking."
"Exactly," said Nick in dulcet tones. "Bobbie was just doing her job, which is why I'm not suggesting we punish her."
"It's that horrid new girl," added Anne. "She can't say she didn't know she was wrong, because we've all told her a dozen times that it's against the rules to go into Redchurch alone. It wouldn't be so bad if she was doing it for a good reason, but just to buy sweeties...! And then, to run away and hide when Bobbie showed up, leaving Prim to get caught - that was just mean!"
"Next time she goes out on the quiet," observed Isolt, "I say we leave her to it. If she gets into a row, that's her lookout, not ours."
"Oh, yes, we should do that. But it seems a little tame, not to pay her out ourselves." Nick, sitting on the window sill with the sunlight on her golden hair, looked not unlike a pre-Raphaelite angel. But every person in Springdale, staff and pupils alike, knew what kind of deviltry lurked behind those limpid, ingenuous blue eyes. "But you don't have to be part of it, Tibs," she went on kindly. "You can always plead ignorance, if we get found out."
Anne gave her an admonitory glance, feeling that was a little too much.
"I've told you before," replied Tibbie, with exaggerated patience, "whatever you all get up to, we're all in it together. I've said my piece. If you still want to go ahead with it, and if you get caught, I'm in it as well."
"I wish you didn't have so much common sense, Tibbie," sighed Primula. "It takes all the fun out of being bad. And you know, once we've decided, there's no turning back."
Tibbie just shrugged her shoulders, folded her arms, and fell silent. It was left to Isolt to break the silence: "Well, then, Nick, what did you have in mind?"
Nick's lips curved into a slow smile. "I thought we might go fishing. We know what kind of bait to use, so let's see if we can hook ourselves a greedy little sneak."