"Oh, shut up," said Louis. (He had just started a thrilling new game of
jumping from a high wall.) "I'll tell you when it's time to go home. Now
are you ready? Hurry up, Paula, get the ladder. There it is, under the
cherry-tree!" Paula obediently ran and returned with the required ladder,
and helped Louis put it in position, saying at the same time, "But Louis,
you know well that Teresa told us that we must be in at nine o'clock."

"Oh, yes, I heard it," said Louis ill-humoredly.

"Well, then we must go!"

"Oh, not yet, five minutes more or less won't make any difference."

"No, five minutes won't make any great difference, of course," said Paula
slowly, "and it certainly is lovely here, but Teresa ordered us in at nine
o'clock. I'll run and ask her if we cannot stay another fifteen minutes."

"Certainly not," sneered Louis. "Teresa would never give permission. Now,
hurry up, you're first on the wall, Paula."

"No, I'm not going to stay. Teresa will be angry."

"No, no, never fear. Besides, she'll never know. I think she's out."

"Well, she'll know when she returns. She'll ask us what time we came in."

"Oh, you needn't worry about that," and Louis took out his watch. "I can
fix that matter easily." We both looked over his shoulder at the watch,
which by this time clearly pointed to five minutes after the hour.
Suddenly, we saw the hands of the watch begin to turn backwards. "Now,"