CHAPTER 7The school had a disorganized air about it, as if all of the pupils were arriving against their will, and were hoping that something would happen to set them free before the noon bell sounded. The lower corridors were crowded with late-arriving youngsters who seemed in no hurry to get to the upstairs classrooms, and if Manning had been a teacher he was quite sure they would have turned to glare at him as he accompanied Carlson toward the rear staircase.
“Most of those kids would prefer to be almost anywhere else,” he said as they ascended the stairs. “At least, that’s the impression I got. Most kids feel that way at times, but not always. What I guess I mean is—they feel that way at different times and seldom stage a mass rebellion.”
Carlson replied, “I don’t think it’s an accid
