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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Molly Brown's Junior Days, by Nell Speed,
+Illustrated by Charles L. Wrenn
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Molly Brown's Junior Days
+
+
+Author: Nell Speed
+
+
+
+Release Date: July 12, 2011  [eBook #36717]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOLLY BROWN'S JUNIOR DAYS***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan, eagkw,
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 36717-h.htm or 36717-h.zip:
+      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/36717/36717-h/36717-h.htm)
+      or
+      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/36717/36717-h.zip)
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: DID I FRIGHTEN YOU? I AM SORRY.--_Page 35._]
+
+
+MOLLY BROWN'S JUNIOR DAYS
+
+by
+
+NELL SPEED
+
+Author of "Molly Brown's Freshman Days," "Molly
+Brown's Sophomore Days," etc., etc.
+
+With Four Half-Tone Illustrations by Charles L. Wrenn
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+New York
+Hurst & Company
+Publishers
+
+Copyright, 1912,
+by
+Hurst & Company
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+  CHAPTER                                                     PAGE
+
+      I.  DAUGHTERS OF WELLINGTON                                5
+
+     II.  MINERVA HIGGINS                                       18
+
+    III.  IN THE CLOISTERS                                      32
+
+     IV.  A LITERARY EVENING                                    44
+
+      V.  VARIOUS HAPPENINGS                                    57
+
+     VI.  "THE BEST LAID SCHEMES"                               74
+
+    VII.  A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE                                  89
+
+   VIII.  COVERING THEIR TRACKS                                105
+
+     IX.  THE GRAVE DIGGERS                                    116
+
+      X.  A VISIT OF STATE                                     134
+
+     XI.  A SWOPPING PARTY AND A MOCK TRIAL                    147
+
+    XII.  ALARMS AND DISCOVERIES                               163
+
+   XIII.  "THE MOVING FINGER WRITES"                           175
+
+    XIV.  AN INVITATION AND AN APOLOGY                         187
+
+     XV.  A CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY THAT WAS NEVER TOLD          200
+
+    XVI.  MORE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS AND A COASTING PARTY OF TWO  212
+
+   XVII.  THE WAYFARERS                                        226
+
+  XVIII.  HEALING THE BLIND                                    246
+
+    XIX.  A WARNING                                            259
+
+     XX.  THE PARABLE OF THE SUN AND WIND                      272
+
+    XXI.  THE JUNIOR GAMBOL                                    289
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+  Did I frighten you? I am sorry                     _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                               PAGE
+  They set to work to dig a small grave for Judy's slipper      129
+
+  "And she's given me a pair of silk stockings," cried Molly    213
+
+  The next thing she knew she was buried deep in a snow drift,
+  and Judy was whizzing on alone                                224
+
+
+
+
+Molly Brown's Junior Days
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+DAUGHTERS OF WELLINGTON.
+
+
+No. 5 in the Quadrangle at Wellington College was in a condition of
+upheaval. Surprising things were happening there. The simultaneous
+arrival of six trunks, five express boxes and a piano had thrown the
+three orderly and not over-large rooms into a state of the wildest
+confusion.
+
+In the midst of this mountain of luggage and scattered boxes stood a
+small, lonely figure dressed in brown, gazing disconsolately about.
+
+"I feel as if I had been cast up by an earthquake with a lot of other
+miscellaneous things," she remarked hopelessly.
+
+It was Nance Oldham, back at college by an early train, and devoutly
+wishing she had waited for the four-ten when the others were expected.
+
+"This is too much to face alone," she continued. "If it had been at
+Queen's it never would have happened. Mrs. Markham wouldn't have allowed
+six trunks and a piano and five boxes to be piled into one room. And
+mine at the very bottom, too. If it wasn't a selfish act, I think I'd
+leave everything and go call on Mrs. McLean--but, no, that wouldn't do
+on the first day." Nance blushed. "But Andy's there to-day." She blushed
+again at this bold, outspoken thought. "I shall get the janitor to come
+up here and distribute these things," she added presently, with New
+England determination not even to peep at a picture of pleasure behind
+a granite wall of duty.
+
+The doors of No. 5 opened on a broad, high-ceiled corridor, the side
+walls of which were wainscoted halfway up with dark polished wood. On
+either side of this corridor ranged the apartments and single rooms of
+the Quadrangle, one row facing the campus, the other the courtyard. An
+occasional upholstered bench or high-backed chair stood between the
+frequent doors and gave a home-like touch to the long gallery. They had
+been the gift of a rich ex-graduate.
+
+Nance, closing the door of No. 5, paused and looked proudly down the
+polished vista of the hallway, which curved at the far end and continued
+its way on the other side of the Quadrangle.
+
+The sound of voices and laughter floated to her through the half open
+doors of the other rooms. With a smile of contentment, she sat down in
+one of the high-backed chairs.
+
+"Dear old Wellington," she said softly, "other girls love their homes,
+but I love you." Thus she apostrophized the classic shades of the
+university while her gaze lighted absently on a large laundry bag
+stuffed full standing just outside one of the doors. It was different
+from the usual Wellington laundry bag, being of a peculiar shape and of
+material covered with Japanese fans.
+
+"It's Otoyo's. Of course, she must have been here since Monday. I heard
+she had spent the summer down in the village."
+
+She hastened along the green path of carpet running down the middle of
+the corridor and paused at the room of the Japanese laundry bag.
+
+"Otoyo Sen," she called. "Why don't you come out and meet your friends?"
+
+The Japanese girl was seated on the floor gazing at a photograph. She
+rose quickly and flew to the door, thrusting the picture behind her.
+
+"Oh, I am so deeply happee to see you again, Mees Oldham," she
+exclaimed.
+
+"She has learned the use of adverbs," thought Nance, kissing Otoyo's
+round dark cheek.
+
+"You see I have been studying long time. I now speak the language with
+correctness. Do you not think so?" said Otoyo, apparently reading
+Nance's thoughts.
+
+"Perfectly," answered Nance. "But tell me the news. Is Queen's not to be
+rebuilt?"
+
+"No, no. Queen's is to remain flat on the ground. She will not be
+erected into another building."
+
+"And have you had a happy summer? Was it quite lonesome for you, poor
+child?"
+
+"No, no," protested Otoyo, still hiding the photograph behind her.
+"Those who remained at Wellington were most kind to little Japanese
+girl."
+
+"And who remained, Otoyo?"
+
+"Professor Green was here long time. I studied the English language
+under him. He is a great man. It is an honorable pleasure to learn from
+one so great."
+
+"He is, indeed. And who else? Any of the rest of the faculty?"
+
+"No, no. They had all departing gone."
+
+Nance smiled. There was still a relic of last year's English.
+
+"Mrs. McLean and her family remained at Wellington through the entire
+summer," went on Otoyo fluently.
+
+"And were they nice to you, Otoyo?"
+
+"Veree, exceedinglee."
+
+"Was Andy well?"
+
+"Quite, quite," replied the Japanese girl, backing off from Nance and
+slipping the photograph into a book.
+
+Not for many a day did Nance find out that it was a portrait of that
+youth himself, taken at the age of eight in Scotch kilties and a little
+black velvet hat with two streamers down the back.
+
+Suddenly Otoyo became very voluble. She changed the subject and talked
+in rapid, smooth English. Could she not see the new rooms of her
+friends? She understood everybody was coming down on the four-ten train.
+It would be very crowded. She had found a new laundress whom she could
+highly recommend.
+
+Nance looked at her curiously as they strolled back to the other rooms.
+Something was changed about the little Japanese girl. She seemed older
+and much less timid.
+
+It was Miss Sen who found the man to move the trunks, and who helped
+Nance unpack her things and lay them in half the chest of drawers; and
+it was Otoyo, also, who, with the skill of an artisan, removed all the
+nails from the express box tops so that they might be unpacked
+immediately by their owners. At lunch time she led Nance into the great
+dining hall of the Quadrangle where more than a hundred girls ate their
+meals three times a day. There was no attention she did not show to
+Nance, and all because her conscience was heavy within her on account of
+the one dishonorable act of her life. How could she know that among the
+scores of photographs taken of young Andy from his babyhood to his
+present age, Mrs. McLean would never miss one small, faded picture out
+of the pile thrust into a cabinet drawer?
+
+At last it came time to meet the four-ten, and Nance, looking spic and
+span in fresh white duck and white shoes and stockings, was rather
+surprised to find Otoyo also attired in a pretty white dress, her face
+shaded with a Leghorn hat trimmed with pink roses.
+
+"Why, Miss Sen," she exclaimed, "how did you learn so soon to dress
+yourself in this charming American style?"
+
+"At a garden party at Mrs. McLean's I learned a very many things," said
+Otoyo, "and by the purchasing agent I have obtained dresses of summer,
+of duckling, lining and musling; also this hat and two others very
+pretty."
+
+Nance laughed.
+
+"You mean duck, linen and muslin, child," she said.
+
+When the four-ten train to Wellington pulled into the station it seemed
+as if every student in the university must be crowded inside. They
+leaned from the windows and packed the doorways, overflowing onto the
+platforms.
+
+The air vibrated with high feminine shrieks of joy. Only the poor little
+freshies were silent in all this jubilation of reunions. Suddenly Nance,
+spying Molly Brown and Judy Kean, rushed to meet them, Otoyo following
+at her heels like a toy spaniel after a larger dog. There was a long
+triangular embrace.
+
+"Well, here we are, _and juniors_," was Judy's first comment. "Nance,
+you're looking fine as silk. No sign of travel on that snowy gown."
+
+"There oughtn't to be," said Nance. "I just put it on half an hour ago."
+
+"And look at our little Jap," cried Molly, hugging Otoyo. "Look at
+little Miss Sen, all dressed up in a beautiful linen."
+
+"Little Miss Sen has been learning a thing or two," said Nance. "She's
+been to parties, she's been studying English under a famous professor;
+she's been buying duckling, lining and musling dresses through a
+purchasing agent with very good taste, and she's got a photograph she
+looks at in private and hides away when any one comes into the room. Oh,
+you needn't think I didn't see you!"
+
+Otoyo blushed scarlet and hung her head.
+
+"Oh, thou crafty one," Judy was saying, when four of the old Queen's
+girls pounced on them with suit cases and satchels. "Why, here are the
+Gemini," Judy continued, embracing the Williams sisters. "Burned to a
+mahogany brown, too. Where did you get that tan? You look like a pair
+of--hum--Filipinos."
+
+"Don't be making invidious remarks, Judy," put in Katherine. "Learn to
+see the beautiful in all things, even complexions."
+
+In the meantime Margaret Wakefield, looking five years older than her
+real age because of her matured figure and self-possessed air, was
+shaking hands all around, making an appropriate remark with each
+greeting, like the politician she was; and Jessie Lynch was crying in
+heartbroken tones:
+
+"I left a box of candy and a bunch of violets and two new magazines on
+the train!"
+
+"Where's my little freshman?" Molly demanded of the other girls above
+the din and racket.
+
+"There she is," Judy pointed out. "But there is no hurry. Every bus is
+jammed full."
+
+The lonely freshman was standing pressed against the wall of the waiting
+room looking hopelessly on while the usual mob besieged Mr. Murphy,
+baggage master.
+
+"Why, the poor little thing," cried Molly, rushing to take the girl
+under her wing.
+
+"It's astonishing how one good deed starts another," thought Nance,
+looking about her for other stranded freshies; and both the Williamses
+were doing the same thing.
+
+There were several such lonely souls wandering about like lost spirits.
+They had been jostled and pushed this way and that in the crowd, and
+one little girl was on the point of shedding tears.
+
+"I can always tell a new girl by the wild light in her eye," observed
+Edith Williams, making for an unhappy looking young person who had given
+up in despair and was sitting on her suit case.
+
+At last they were all bundled into one of the larger buses from the
+livery stable. The older girls were thrilled with expectant joy while
+they watched eagerly for the first glimpse of the twin gray towers; the
+new girls, most of them, gazed sadly the other way, as if home lay
+behind them.
+
+"It isn't a case of 'abandon hope all ye who enter here,'" observed Judy
+to a dejected freshman who in five minutes had lost all interest in her
+college career. "Look at us blooming creatures and you'll see what it
+can do. There's no end to the fun of it and no end to the things you'll
+learn besides mere book knowledge."
+
+"I suppose so," said the girl, struggling to keep back her tears, "but
+it's a little lonesome at first."
+
+"Poor little souls," thought Molly, who had overheard with much pride
+Judy's eulogy of college, "how can we explain it to them? They'll just
+have to find it out themselves as we did before them."
+
+The truth is, our new juniors felt quite motherly and old.
+
+A hushed silence fell over the Queen's girls when the bus drove by the
+grass-grown plot where once had stood their college home.
+
+"If a dear friend had been buried there, we couldn't have felt more
+solemn," Molly wrote her sister that night.
+
+But the prestige felt in alighting finally at the great arched entrance
+to the Quadrangle drove away all sad thoughts, and when they hastened
+down the long polished corridor to their rooms, they could not quench
+the pride which rose in their breasts. It was the real thing at last.
+Queen's and O'Reilly's had been great fun, but this was college. They
+were the true daughters of Wellington now, and that night when the
+gates clicked together at ten, they would sleep for the first time
+behind her gray stone walls.
+
+At that moment the voices of a hundred-odd other daughters hummed
+through the halls, but it was all a part of the college atmosphere, as
+Judy said.
+
+Their bedrooms were not quite as large as the old Queen's rooms, but oh,
+the sitting room! They viewed it with pride. Each of the three had
+contributed something toward additional furniture. The piano was Judy's;
+the divan, Nance's; and the cushions, yet to be unpacked, Molly's. There
+was another contribution not made by any of the three. It was the
+beautiful Botticelli photograph left for Molly by Mary Stewart, who
+had gone to Europe for the winter.
+
+"How glad I am the walls are pale yellow and the woodwork white!"
+exclaimed Judy joyfully.
+
+"How glad I am there's plenty of room on these shelves for everybody's
+books," said Nance.
+
+"And how glad I am to be a junior and back at old Wellington," finished
+Molly, squeezing a hand of each friend.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+MINERVA HIGGINS.
+
+
+"There's only one thing worse than a faculty call-down and that's a Beta
+Phi freeze-out," remarked Judy Kean one Saturday afternoon a few weeks
+after the opening day of college.
+
+"Why do you bring up disagreeable subjects, Judy? Have you been getting
+a call-down?" asked Katherine Williams.
+
+"Not your old Aunty Judy," replied the other. "I'm far too wise for that
+after two years' experience, but I saw some one else get one of the most
+flattening, extinguishing, crushing call-downs ever received by an
+inmate of this asylum for young ladies. And they do tell me it was
+followed soon after by another one."
+
+"Do tell," exclaimed an interested chorus.
+
+"It was that fresh Miss Higgins from Ohio," continued Judy, with some
+enjoyment of the curiosity she was exciting. "You know she's always
+trying to attract the attention of the masses----"
+
+"We being the masses," interrupted Edith.
+
+"And stand in the limelight. She's bright, I hear, very bright, but she
+knows it."
+
+"I recognized her type almost immediately," said Katherine. "She's one
+of those brightest-girls-in-the-high-school-pride-of-the-town kind."
+
+"Exactly," answered Judy. "She has been regarded as a prodigy for so
+long that she doesn't understand the relative difference between a
+freshman and a senior. I honestly believe she thought everybody in
+Wellington knew all about her, and she wears as many gold medals on
+her chest as a field marshal on dress parade."
+
+"We saw the gold medals on Sunday," interposed Molly. "I think it's
+rather pathetic, myself. She is more to be pitied than scorned, because
+of course she doesn't know any better."
+
+"She'll have to live and learn, then," said Judy.
+
+"Get to the point of your story, Judy. Who extinguished her?" ejaculated
+Margaret Wakefield, impatient of such slipshod methods of narration.
+
+"How can I tell a tale when I'm interrupted by forty people at once?"
+exclaimed Judy. "Besides, I haven't the gift of language like you, old
+suffragette."
+
+Margaret laughed. She was entirely good-natured over the jibes of her
+friends about her passion for universal suffrage.
+
+"Well, the Beta Phi crowd of seniors," went on Judy, "were walking
+across the campus in a row. I don't suppose Miss Higgins had any way to
+know this soon in the game that they represented the triple extract of
+concentrated exclusiveness at Wellington. Anyhow, she knows it now. She
+came rushing up behind them and gave Rosomond a light, friendly slap on
+the back. If you could have seen Rosomond's face! But Miss Higgins was
+entirely dense. She began something about 'Hello, girls, have you heard
+the news about Prexy----' but she never got any further. Rosomond gave
+her the most freezing look I ever saw from a human eye."
+
+"What did she say?"
+
+"That was it. She never said anything. Nobody said anything. Eloise
+Blair carries tortoise-shell lorgnettes----"
+
+"She doesn't need them," broke in Nance.
+
+"She only does it to make herself more haughty."
+
+"Anyway, Eloise raised the lorgnettes."
+
+"Poor Miss Higgins," cried Molly.
+
+"There was perfect silence for about a minute. Then they all walked on,
+leaving little Higgins standing alone in the middle of the campus."
+
+"And where were you?" asked Margaret.
+
+"Oh, I was with the seniors," answered Judy, flushing slightly. "I had
+been over to Beta Phi to see Rosomond about something."
+
+It was impossible for Judy's friends not to make an amiable unspoken
+guess as to why she had visited the Beta Phi circle. It had been evident
+for some time that she was working to get into the "Shakespeareans," the
+most exclusive dramatic club in college. There was an awkward silence as
+this thought flashed through their minds. Molly felt embarrassed for her
+chum. After all, she was no worse than Margaret Wakefield, who had
+managed to get herself elected three years in succession as president
+of her class.
+
+"What was the other extinguisher Miss Higgins had, Judy?" asked Molly.
+
+"Oh, yes. That was even worse. It came from your particular friend,
+Professor Green. She interrupted him in the middle of a lecture with one
+of those unnecessary questions new girls ask to show how much they know.
+And then she said something about methods at Mill Town High School."
+
+"Really?" chorused the voices. "And what did he say?"
+
+"He looked very much bored and replied that they were not interested in
+Mill Town High School, and he would be obliged if she would pay
+attention to the lecture. It was a public rebuke, nothing more nor
+less."
+
+"The mean thing," exclaimed Molly.
+
+"Now, Molly," interposed Margaret, "you know very well that girls of
+that type ought to be taken down. They are never tolerated at college. A
+conceited boy at college is always thoroughly hazed until there's not a
+drop of conceit left, and it does him good. And since we can't haze, we
+simply have to extinguish a fresh freshie. Miss Higgins may develop into
+a very nice girl in a year or two, but at present she's the veriest
+little upstart----"
+
+"Do be careful," said Molly cautiously. "I've invited her this afternoon
+to drink tea----"
+
+"Molly Brown," they cried, pummeling her with sofa cushions and beating
+her with her own slippers.
+
+"Really, Molly, you must restrain your inviting habits," said Judy.
+
+"I'm sorry," apologized poor Molly.
+
+"Why did you do it, pray? You know perfectly well no one here wants
+her."
+
+"I know it, but I was sorry for her. She seemed so brash and lonesome at
+the same time. I thought it might help her some to mingle with a few
+fine, intelligent, well-bred girls like you----"
+
+"Here, here! Don't try to get out of it that way."
+
+"She appears to be very learned," continued Molly, turning her blue eyes
+innocently from one to the other. "I thought it would be nice to pit her
+against Margaret and Edith. She discusses deep subjects and uses big
+words I can only dimly guess the meaning of----" There was a tap at the
+door. "Now, be nice, please."
+
+"Come in," called Nance, in a tone of authority, and Minerva Higgins
+appeared in their midst.
+
+She had done honor to the occasion by putting on a taffeta silk of
+indigo blue, and by pinning on some of her most conspicuous gold medals
+acquired at intervals during her early education.
+
+Judy shook her head over the indigo blue.
+
+"Only certain minds could wear it," she thought.
+
+Molly rose, but before she could frame a cordial greeting, the new guest
+was saying:
+
+"How do you do, Molly? Awfully nice of you to ask me. You don't mind my
+calling you by your first name, do you? My name is Minerva but the
+girls at Mill Town High School called me 'Minnie.' I hope you'll do the
+same."
+
+"I shall be glad to," answered Molly, rather taken back by this sudden
+intimacy.
+
+After she had performed all necessary introductions, wicked Katherine
+Williams remarked:
+
+"Minnie is a very charming name, but I insist on calling you 'Minerva'
+after the Goddess of Wisdom. She never wore gold medals, but then it
+wasn't the fashion among the early Greeks."
+
+Minerva's face was the picture of complacency.
+
+"In Greece she would have been 'Athene,'" she observed.
+
+There was a loud clearing of throats and Judy, as usual, was seized with
+a violent fit of coughing.
+
+"Sit down here, Miss Higgins--I mean Minnie," said Molly hastily. "The
+tea will be ready in a minute."
+
+"You have been to college before, Minerva?" asked Edith Williams
+solemnly.
+
+Minerva looked somewhat surprised.
+
+"Oh, no. Not college. I am just out of High School. Mill Town High
+School is a very wonderful educational institution, you know. Perhaps
+you have heard of it. A diploma from there will admit a girl into any of
+the best colleges in the country. I could have gone to a private school.
+My father is professor of Greek at the Academy in Mill Town, but I
+preferred to take advantage of the high standards of the High School,
+which are even higher than those of the Academy."
+
+"I suppose your father's taste in Greek caused him to name you Minerva,"
+observed Judy.
+
+"But Minerva isn't Greek, Julia," admonished Katherine.
+
+Again Molly interceded. It was cruel to make fun of the poor girl,
+although there was no denying that Minerva had a high opinion of
+herself.
+
+"Have a sandwich," she said soothingly.
+
+There was a long interval of silence while Minerva crunched her
+sandwich.
+
+"Your life at Mill Town High School must have been one grand triumphal
+progress, judging from your medals, Miss Higgins," said Edith Williams
+finally.
+
+Minerva glanced proudly down at the awards of merit.
+
+"There are a good many of them," she observed, with a smile that was
+almost more than they could stand. "And there are more of them still.
+I've won one or two medals each year ever since I started to school. But
+I don't like to wear them all at once."
+
+"That's very modest of you."
+
+"Are you going to specialize on any subjects, Miss Higgins?" asked
+Margaret Wakefield, really meaning to be kind and lead the girl away
+from topics which made her appear ridiculous.
+
+"Biology, I think. But I am interested in Comparative Philology, too,
+and after I skim through a little Greek and Latin, I intend to take up
+some of the ancient languages, Sanskrit and Hebrew."
+
+Was it possible that Minerva was making game of them? They regarded her
+suspiciously, but she seemed sublimely unconscious.
+
+"Why not study also the ancient tongue of the Basques?" asked Edith,
+quite gravely.
+
+"That would be interesting," replied Minerva, "but I want to get through
+this little college course first."
+
+Molly batted her heavenly eyes and suddenly burst out laughing.
+
+"Excuse me," she said. "I didn't mean to be rude, but the course at
+Wellington doesn't seem so small to us. We have to study all the time
+and then just barely pull through. I've almost flunked twice in
+mathematics. I wish I could call it a little course."
+
+"Ah, well, we are not all Minervas," observed Margaret. "Some of us are
+just ordinary school girls learning the rudiments of education. We have
+not had the advantages of Mill Town High School, and if any of us have
+won gold medals we never show them."
+
+This measured rebuff, however, had no more effect on Minerva's
+impervious vanity than a cup of water dashed against a granite boulder.
+She was already up, wandering about the room, boldly examining the
+girls' belongings, ostentatiously reading the titles of books aloud.
+
+"Plays by Molière. Oh, yes, I read them in the original two years ago.
+They're easy. 'Green's Short History of the English People,' very
+interesting book. 'The Broad Highway.' I never read fiction. Only
+biography and history----"
+
+Edith Williams, stretched at her ease on the divan, gave an inaudible
+groan and turned her face to the wall.
+
+Molly glanced helplessly about her.
+
+"'The Primavera,' that's by Botticelli," went on the girl, infatuated by
+her own intelligence. "Good artist, but I don't care for the old masters
+as a general thing. They are always out of drawing."
+
+Katherine rolled her eyes up into her head until only the whites could
+be seen, which gave her the horrible aspect of a corpse.
+
+There was a long and eloquent silence. Presently Minerva took her
+departure, and Molly, hospitable to the last gasp, saw her to the door
+and invited her to come again.
+
+With the door safely locked and Minerva out of earshot, there was a
+general collapse. Nobody laughed, but the room was filled with painful
+sounds, moans and groans. Judy pretended to faint on top of Edith, and
+Molly sat in a remote corner of the room.
+
+Somehow, they felt beaten, vanquished.
+
+"I am sore all over with repressed emotions," cried Judy. "I couldn't
+stand another séance like that."
+
+"Does she know as much as she claims?" asked Nance.
+
+"Of course not," exclaimed Margaret irritably. "If she really knew she
+wouldn't claim anything. It's only ignorant people who boast of
+knowledge. I suppose she has been looked up to for so long that she
+regards herself as a fountain of wisdom."
+
+"She must be taken down," said Edith firmly. "This mustn't be allowed to
+go on at Wellington."
+
+"But hazing isn't allowed," put in Molly.
+
+"Not by hazing, goosie. By some homely little practical joke that will
+show herself to herself as others see her."
+
+"All right," consented Molly. She felt indeed that something should be
+done to save poor Minerva Higgins from eternal ridicule.
+
+"If anybody has suggestions to make," here announced Margaret Wakefield,
+self-constituted chairman of all committees, impromptu or otherwise,
+"they may be stated in writing or announced by word of mouth to-morrow
+night in our rooms at a fudge party."
+
+"Accepted," they cried in one breath.
+
+In the meantime, Minerva Higgins was writing home to her mother that she
+had been, if not the guest of honor, almost that, at a junior tea, and
+had found the girls rather interesting though poor talkers. In fact, it
+was necessary to do almost all the talking herself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+IN THE CLOISTERS.
+
+
+Life in the Quadrangle hummed busily on. The girls found themselves in
+the very heart of college affairs. As a matter of fact the old Queen's
+circle had been somewhat restricted, having narrowed down to less than a
+dozen; whereas now, they associated with many times that number and were
+invited to a bewildering succession of teas and fudge parties.
+
+Also they were nearer to the library, the gymnasium, the classrooms and
+the cloisters. Here, during the warm, hazy days of Indian summer Molly
+loved to walk. It was not such a popular place as she had imagined with
+the Quadrangle girls, and often she was quite alone in the arcade,
+bordered now with hydrangeas turning a delicate pink under the autumn
+suns.
+
+One afternoon, a few days after Margaret's fudge party to discuss the
+question of Minerva Higgins, Molly sought a few quiet moments in the
+cloistered walk. It was a half hour before closing-up time, but she
+would not miss the six strokes of the tower clock again, as she had on
+her first day at college two years before.
+
+She usually confined her walks to the far side of the arcade, keeping
+well away from the side of the cloisters on which the studies of some of
+the faculty opened. That afternoon she carried her volume of Rossetti
+with her, and pacing slowly up and down, she read in a low musical voice
+to herself:
+
+    "'The blessed damozel leaned out
+      From the gold bar of Heaven;
+      Her eyes were deeper than the depth
+      Of waters stilled at even;
+      She had three lilies in her hand,
+      And the stars in her hair were seven.'"
+
+Waves of rhythm ran through Molly's head, and when she reached the end
+of the walk she turned mechanically and went the other way without
+pausing in her reading.
+
+Many girls studied in this way in the cloisters and it was not an
+unusual sight, but Molly made a picture not soon to be forgotten by any
+one who might chance to wander in the arcade at that hour. She was still
+spare and undeveloped, but the grace that was to come revealed itself in
+the girlish lines of her figure. Her eyes seemed never more serenely,
+deeply blue than now, and her hair, disordered from the tam o'shanter
+she had pulled off and tossed onto a stone bench, made a fluffy auburn
+frame about her face. Molly was by no means beautiful from the
+standpoint of perfection. Her eyebrows and lashes should have been
+darker; her chin was too pointed and her mouth a shade too large. But
+few people took the trouble to pick out flaws in her face or figure.
+Those who loved her thought her beautiful, and the few who did not could
+not deny her charm.
+
+Presently she sat down on a bench, continuing to declaim the poem out
+aloud, making a gesture occasionally with her unoccupied hand. After
+reading a verse, she closed her eyes and repeated it to herself. Opening
+her eyes between verses, she encountered the amused gaze of Professor
+Edwin Green who, having seen her in the distance, had cut across the
+grassy court and now stood as still as a statue leaning against a stone
+pillar.
+
+"Oh," exclaimed Molly, with a nervous start.
+
+"Did I frighten you? I am sorry. I should have walked more heavily. It's
+unkind to steal up on people who are reading poetry aloud."
+
+"I was learning the--something by heart," she said, blushing a little as
+if she had been detected in a guilty act. After all, it was the
+professor who had introduced her to that poem and given her the book
+last Christmas, but that, of course, was not the reason why she was so
+fond of the poem she was studying.
+
+"How do you like the Quadrangle?" he asked. "Are you comfortable and
+happy?"
+
+Molly clasped her hands in the excess of her enthusiasm.
+
+"I was never so happy in all my life," she cried. "It is perfect. Our
+rooms are beautiful, and a sitting room, too. Think of that, with yellow
+walls and a piano!"
+
+The professor looked vastly pleased. For an instant his face was lighted
+by a beaming, radiant smile. Then he thrust his hands into his pockets
+and pressed his lips together in a thin line of determination.
+
+"I feel as if I were one of the workers inside the hive now," Molly
+continued.
+
+"And all the difficulties about tuition have been settled?" he asked.
+"Forgive my mentioning it, but I felt an interest on account of my close
+relationship to the Blounts."
+
+"Oh, yes. The money from the two acres of orchard settled that. You see,
+whoever bought it, whether it was an old man or a company--for some
+reason the name is still a secret with the agent--paid cash. They rarely
+do, mother says, and the money is usually spent in driblets before you
+realize it. Mr. Richard Blount expects to settle with his father's
+creditors in a few months. My sisters are working. They say they enjoy
+it, but they are both engaged to be married," she added, smiling.
+
+"Did the orchard yield a good crop this year?" asked the professor
+irrelevantly.
+
+"Oh, splendid. The apples were packed in barrels and sent away. Several
+of them were sent to mother as a present. Very nice of the owner, wasn't
+it?"
+
+"Very," replied the professor, fingering something in his pocket
+absently.
+
+"The owner of the orchard has it kept in fine condition. The trees have
+been trimmed and the ground cleared. Mother says she's ashamed of her
+own shiftlessness whenever she looks at it. The grass was as smooth as
+velvet all summer until the drought came and dried it brown. I used to
+go there summer mornings and lie in a hammock and read. I didn't think
+any one would care. There's no harm in attaching a hammock to two trees.
+Mother says I don't seem to remember that we are no longer the owners of
+the orchard. I have played in it and lived in it so much of my life
+that I've got the habit, I suppose."
+
+The professor cleared his throat.
+
+"You said the ground sloped slightly, did you not?"
+
+"Yes, just a gradual slope to a little brook at the bottom of the hill.
+The water seems to cool the air in summer. It never goes dry and there
+is a little basin in one place we used to call 'the birds' bath tub.'
+Such birds you never imagined! They are attracted by the apples, I
+suppose. But there are hundreds of them. They sing from morning to
+night."
+
+"You paint a very attractive picture, Miss Brown. It must have been hard
+to give up this charming property."
+
+"But you see we haven't given it up exactly. It's there right against
+us. We can still look at it and even walk under the trees. No one minds.
+And see what I have for it! Nothing could ever take the place of
+college--not even an apple orchard."
+
+A sharp voice broke in on this pleasant conversation.
+
+"Cousin Edwin, I've been looking for you everywhere."
+
+Judith Blount appeared hastening down the walk.
+
+The professor watched the advancing figure calmly.
+
+"Well, now you have found me, what do you want?" he asked.
+
+Molly detected a slight note of annoyance in his voice. She had a notion
+that Judith was one of the trials of his life.
+
+"I have rewritten the short story you criticized for me last week, and I
+want you to look it over again."
+
+He took the roll of paper without a word and thrust it into his coat
+pocket.
+
+Molly rose.
+
+"I must be going," she said. "It must be nearly six o'clock."
+
+Judith promptly sat down on the bench facing her cousin, who still
+leaned against the stone pillar.
+
+"Don't you think it's a little chilly to be lingering here, Judith?" he
+remarked politely, as he joined Molly.
+
+"It wasn't too chilly for you a moment ago," answered Judith hotly.
+
+But she rose and walked on the other side of the professor.
+
+"How do you like your rooms?" he asked presently.
+
+"I hate them," she replied, with such fierce resentment that Molly was
+sure that Judith was glad to have something on which to vent her angry
+mood. "Thank heavens, this is my last year. I detest Wellington. I have
+never been happy here. It's brought shame and misfortune on me. It's a
+horrid old place."
+
+"Oh, Judith," protested Molly, unable to endure this libel on her
+beloved college.
+
+"My dear child, you can't blame Wellington for your misfortunes,"
+interposed the professor, who himself cherished a deep affection for
+the two gray towers.
+
+"It is hard to live in the village instead of at college," said Molly,
+feeling suddenly very sorry for the unhappy Judith.
+
+But Judith was in no state to be sympathized with. All day she had been
+nursing a grievance. One of her friends in prosperity at the Beta Phi
+House had turned a cold shoulder on her that morning; and Judith was so
+enraged by the slight that her feelings were like an open sore.
+
+She turned on Molly angrily.
+
+"You ought to know," she said. "You had to do it long enough."
+
+"Judith, Judith," remonstrated the professor. "Can't you understand that
+you gain nothing, and always lose something, by giving way like this?
+Denouncing and hating make the object you are working for recede. You'll
+never get it that way."
+
+"How do you know what I'm working for?" she demanded, more quietly.
+
+"We are all of us working for the same thing," he answered. "Happiness.
+None of us proposes to get it in the same way, but all of us propose to
+reach the same goal. What would give me happiness no doubt would never
+satisfy you."
+
+"You don't know that, either. What would give you happiness?" Judith
+asked, with some curiosity.
+
+The professor paused a moment, then he said calmly:
+
+"A little home of my own in a shady quiet place with plenty of old
+trees, where I could work in peace. I have always fancied an old
+orchard. There might be a brook at one end----"
+
+Molly smiled.
+
+"He's thinking of my orchard," she thought.
+
+"There must be hundreds of birds in my orchard," went on the professor,
+"and the grass must always be thick and green, except perhaps when the
+drought comes and it can't help itself----"
+
+The six o'clock bell boomed out.
+
+"Have an apple," he said, taking two red apples from his pocket and
+giving one to each of the girls.
+
+Then he opened the small oak door and stood politely aside while they
+passed out.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+A LITERARY EVENING.
+
+
+The entertainment designed to bring Miss Minerva Higgins to a true
+understanding of her position as a freshman took place one Friday
+evening in the rooms of Margaret and Jessie. It was called on the
+invitation "A Literary Evening," and was to be in the nature of a spread
+and fudge affair. There had been two rehearsals beforehand, and the
+girls were now prepared to enjoy themselves thoroughly.
+
+Molly was loath to take part in the literary evening.
+
+"I can't bear to see anybody humiliated even when she ought to be," she
+said, but she consented to come and to give a recitation.
+
+Several study tables had been united for the supper, the cracks
+concealed by Japanese towelling contributed by Otoyo. There was no Mrs.
+Murphy in the Quadrangle from whom to borrow tablecloths. All the chairs
+from the other rooms were brought in to seat the company, who appeared
+grave and subdued. Most of the girls were dressed to resemble famous
+poets and authors. Judy was Byron; Margaret Wakefield, George Eliot;
+Nance, Charlotte Bronté; Edith Williams, Edgar Allan Poe; and Molly was
+Shelley. Shakespeare, Voltaire and Charles Dickens were in the company,
+and "The Duchess," impersonated by Jessie Lynch.
+
+The unfortunate Minerva was a little disconcerted at first when she
+found herself the only girl at the feast in her own character.
+
+"Why didn't you tell me, so that I could have come in costume, too?" she
+asked Margaret.
+
+"But you had your medals," was Margaret's enigmatic answer.
+
+Minerva looked puzzled. Then her gaze fell to the shining breastplate of
+silver and gold trophies. She had worn them all this evening. The
+temptation had been too great. The medals gleamed like so many solemn
+eyes. She wondered if the others could read what was inscribed on them,
+or if it would be necessary to call attention to the most choice ones:
+"THE HIGHEST GENERAL AVERAGE FOR FOUR YEARS"; "REGULAR ATTENDANCE";
+"MATHEMATICS"; "THE BEST HISTORICAL ESSAY"; "ENGLISH AND COMPOSITION."
+
+Edith opened the evening by delivering a speech in Latin which was
+really one of Virgil's eclogues mixed up with whatever she could recall
+of Livy and Horace, and filled out occasionally with Latin prose
+composition. It was so excruciatingly funny that Judy sputtered in her
+tea and was well kicked on her shins under the table.
+
+Minerva, however, appeared to be profoundly impressed, and the company
+murmured subdued approvals when, at last, the speaker took breath and
+sat down, gazing solemnly around her with dark, melancholy eyes very
+much blacked around the lids.
+
+Margaret then delivered a learned discourse on "Poise of Body and Poise
+of Mind," which was skillfully expressed in such deep and intricate
+language that nobody could understand what she was talking about.
+
+"Very, very interesting, indeed," observed Edith.
+
+"Remarkable; wonderful; so clearly put," came from the others.
+
+Minerva rubbed her eyes and frowned.
+
+Nance recited "The Raven," translated into very bad French. This was
+almost more than their gravity could endure, and when she ended each
+verse with "_Dit le corbeau: jamais plus,_" many of the girls stooped
+under the table for lost handkerchiefs and Japanese napkins.
+
+But it was not until Judy had sung a lullaby in Sanskrit--so
+called--that Minerva became at all suspicious. Even then it was the
+wrong kind of suspicion. She thought that perhaps she should have
+laughed, and the others had politely refrained because she hadn't.
+
+After a great deal of learned talk, Molly stood on a soap box and
+recited "Curfew Shall Not Ring To-night."
+
+This was the crowning joy of that famous evening, but still Minerva
+appeared seriously impressed.
+
+"I recited that once at Mill Town High School," she remarked.
+
+"Can't you give us something to-night?" asked Molly kindly, feeling that
+in some way the unfortunate Minerva ought to be allowed to join in.
+
+"I don't know that I ought to give another poem by the same man," she
+replied, "except that Miss Oldham gave 'The Raven' in French."
+
+"Don't tell us you know 'The Bells'?" demanded Edith Williams, in a
+trembling whisper.
+
+"Oh, yes. I've given it at lots of school entertainments."
+
+"We had better turn down the lights," said Margaret. "The room should be
+in darkness except the side light where Miss Higgins will stand. That
+will be the spot light."
+
+This was a fortunate arrangement because, while Minerva recited "The
+Bells," with all proper gestures, intonations and echoes, according to
+Cleveland's recitation book, the girls silently collapsed. When she had
+finished, they were reduced to that exhausted state that arrives after a
+supreme effort not to laugh.
+
+At last the entertainment came to an end. Minerva departed with some of
+the others, while those who lived close by remained to chat for a few
+minutes.
+
+"I give up," exclaimed Margaret Wakefield. "Minerva is beyond teaching.
+She must remain forever the smartest girl in Mill Town High School."
+
+"The only pity of it is that it was all wasted on one humorless person.
+We really furnished her with a most delightful entertainment and she
+never even guessed it," declared Nance.
+
+"I'm glad she didn't," remarked Molly. "It was cruel, I think. Suppose
+she had caught on? Do you think it would have helped her? And we would
+have been uncomfortable."
+
+"Suppose she did understand and pretended not to. The joke would have
+been decidedly on us," put in Katherine.
+
+Later events of that evening would seem to bear out this suggestion,
+although just how deeply, if at all, Minerva was implicated in what
+followed no one could possibly tell. It was a question long afterwards
+in dispute whether one person had managed the sequel to the Literary
+Evening, or whether there had been a confederate. Certainly it seemed
+that every imp in Bedlam had been set free to do mischief, and if
+Minerva, as arch-imp, was looking for revenge, she found it.
+
+"I don't like to appear inhospitable, girls, but it's five minutes of
+ten and I think you'd better chase along," said Margaret Wakefield.
+
+But when Judy laid hold of the knob and tried to open the door, it would
+not budge.
+
+"It won't open," she exclaimed. "What's to be done?"
+
+What was to be done? They pulled and jerked and endeavored to pry it
+open with a silver shoe horn and a pair of scissors, and at last Jessie,
+as the smallest, was chosen to climb over the transom and go for help.
+It was five minutes past ten, and they prudently turned out the lights.
+
+"Let me get at that knob just once before we work the transom scheme,"
+ejaculated Margaret, who was very strong and athletic.
+
+"People always think they can open tin cans and doors and pull stoppers
+when other people can't," observed Judy sarcastically.
+
+Margaret treated this remark with contemptuous indifference. Seizing the
+knob with both hands, she turned it and, putting her knee to the jamb,
+pulled with all her force. The arch fiend on the other side must have
+turned the key at this critical moment, for the door flew open and the
+president tumbled back as if she had been shot from a catapult, knocking
+a number of surprised poets and authors into a tumbled heap. They were
+all considerably bruised and battered, and Margaret bit her tongue; a
+severe punishment for one whose oratory was the pride of the class.
+
+"Hush," whispered Jessie, who alone had escaped the tumble, "here comes
+the house matron."
+
+Softly she closed the door, and the girls waited until the danger was
+over. Then Margaret hastened to examine the keyhole.
+
+"There's no key in it," she whispered, speaking with difficulty, because
+her tongue was bleeding from the marks of two teeth.
+
+Whoever played the trick must have unlocked the door, jerked the key out
+and fled the instant the matron appeared at the end of the corridor.
+There was no time to discuss the mystery, however. She would be coming
+back in two minutes. Again they waited in silence until they heard the
+swish of her dress as she went past the door, now left open a crack in
+order that Judy, lying flat on her stomach on the floor, and enjoying
+herself immensely, might be on the lookout.
+
+"Come on," she hissed, as the large, rotund figure of Mrs. Pelham was
+lost in the darkness, and out they scuttled like a lot of mice loosed
+from the trap.
+
+But the evening's adventures were not over.
+
+As Judy, in advance of Molly and Nance, pushed open their door, already
+ajar, a small pail of water, placed on the top of the door by the
+arch-imp, whoever she was, fell on Judy's head and deluged her. It
+contained hardly a quart of water, but it might have been a gallon for
+the wreck it made of Judy's clothes and the room.
+
+"Oh, but I'll get even with somebody," exclaimed that enraged young
+woman.
+
+They turned on the green-shaded student's lamp and drew the blinds, the
+night watchman being very vigilant at the dormitories, and began
+silently mopping up the floor with towels.
+
+Judy removed her wet clothes, and unbound her long hair, light in color
+and fine as silk in quality.
+
+"I can't go to bed," she announced, "until I find out what's happened to
+the Gemini," and without another word she crept into the corridor.
+
+"Nance," whispered Molly, when they were alone, "if Minerva Higgins did
+this, she's about the boldest freshman alive to-day. But, after all, we
+can't exactly blame her, considering what we did to her."
+
+"She is taking great chances," replied Nance, who had a thorough respect
+for college etiquette and class caste. "Every pert freshman must be
+prepared for a call-down; and if she doesn't take it like a lamb, she'll
+just have to expect a freeze-out. It's much better for her in the end.
+If Minerva were allowed to keep this up for four years, she would be
+entirely insufferable. She's almost that now."
+
+"Don't you think she could find it out without such severe methods?"
+
+"Severe methods, indeed," answered Nance indignantly. "Do you call it
+severe to be asked to sup with the brightest girls in Wellington?
+Margaret's speech alone was worth all the humiliation Minerva might have
+felt; but she didn't feel any. Do you consider that rough, crude jokes
+like this are going to be tolerated?"
+
+"But we don't know that Minerva played them, yet," pleaded Molly. "I do
+admit, though, that it must have been a very ordinary person who could
+think of them. Margaret might have been badly hurt if she hadn't fallen
+on top of the rest of us."
+
+Presently Judy came stalking into their bedroom.
+
+"It's just as I expected," she announced. "The Williamses' bed was full
+of carpet tacks and Mabel Hinton fell over a cord stretched across her
+door and sprained her wrist. She has it bound with arnica now."
+
+"I don't see how Minerva could have had time to do all those things,"
+broke in Molly.
+
+There are some rare and very just natures--and Molly's was one of
+them--which will not be convinced by circumstantial evidence alone.
+
+"She would have had plenty of time," argued Judy. "It would hardly have
+taken five minutes provided she had planned it all out beforehand.
+Besides, it's easy for you to talk, Molly. You didn't bite your tongue,
+or sprain your wrist, or get a ducking; or undress in the dark and get
+into a bedful of tacks. You escaped."
+
+"Disgusting!" came Nance's muffled voice from the covers.
+
+"It is horrid," admitted Molly. "Whoever did it----"
+
+"Minerva!" broke in Judy.
+
+"--must have a very mistaken idea of college and the sorts of amusement
+that are customary."
+
+So the argument ended for the night.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+VARIOUS HAPPENINGS.
+
+
+Guilty or innocent, Minerva Higgins displayed an inscrutable face next
+day, and the juniors, lacking all necessary evidence, were obliged to
+admit themselves outwitted; but they let it be known that jokes of that
+class were distinctly foreign to Wellington notions, and woe be to the
+author of them if her identity was ever disclosed.
+
+In the meantime, Molly was busy with many things. As usual she was very
+hard up for clothes, and was concocting a scheme in her mind for saving
+up money enough to buy a new dress for the Junior Prom. in February. She
+bought a china pig in the village, large enough to hold a good deal of
+small change, and from time to time dropped silver through the slit in
+his back.
+
+"He's a safe bank," she observed to her friends, "because the only way
+you can get money out of him is to smash him."
+
+The pig came to assume a real personality in the circle. For some
+unknown reason he had been christened "Martin Luther." The girls used to
+shake him and guess the amount of money he contained. Sometimes they
+wrote jingles about him, and Judy invented a dialogue between Martin
+Luther and herself which was so amusing that its fame spread abroad and
+she was invited to give it many times at spreads and fudge parties.
+
+The scheme that had been working in Molly's mind for some weeks at last
+sprung into life as an idea, and seizing a pencil and paper one day she
+sketched out her notion of the plot of a short story. It was not what
+she herself really cared for, but what she considered might please the
+editor who was to buy it as a complete story, and the public who would
+read it. There were mystery and love, beauty and riches in Molly's first
+attempt. Then she began to write. But it was slow work. The ideas would
+not flow as they did for letters home and for class themes. She found
+great difficulty in expressing herself. Her conversations were stilted
+and the plot would not hang together.
+
+"I never thought it would be so hard," she said to herself when she had
+finished the tale and copied it out on legal cap paper. "And now for the
+boldest act of my life."
+
+With a triumphant flourish of the pen, she rolled up the manuscript and
+marched across the courtyard to the office of Professor Green.
+
+"Come in," he called, quite gruffly, in answer to her knock. But when
+she entered, he rose politely and offered her a seat. Sitting down again
+in his revolving desk chair, he looked at her very hard.
+
+"I know you will think I have the most colossal nerve," she began, "when
+you hear why I have called; but I really need advice and you've been so
+kind--so interested, always."
+
+"What is it this time?" he interrupted kindly. "More money troubles?"
+
+"No, not exactly. Although, of course, I am always anxious to earn
+money. Who isn't? But I have a writing bee in my head. I've had it ever
+since last winter, although I confined myself mostly to verse----"
+
+Molly paused and blushed. She felt ashamed to discuss her poor rhymes
+with this learned man nearly a dozen years older than she was.
+
+"There's no money in poetry," she went on, "and I thought I would switch
+off to prose. I have written a short story and--I hope you won't be
+angry--I've brought it over for you to look at. I knew you looked over
+some of Judith's stories."
+
+"Of course I shan't be angry, child. I'm glad to help you, although I am
+not a fiction writer and therefore might hardly be thought competent to
+judge. Let's see what you have." He held out his hand for the
+manuscript. "On second thought," he continued, "suppose you read it
+aloud to me. Girls' handwriting is generally much alike--hard to make
+out."
+
+Molly, trembling with stage fright, her face crimson, began to read.
+The professor, resting his chin on his interlocked fingers, turned his
+whimsical brown eyes full upon her and never shifted his gaze once
+during the entire reading, which lasted some twenty-five minutes. When
+she had finished, Molly dropped the papers in her lap and waited.
+
+"Well, what do you think of it? Please don't mince matters. Tell me the
+truth."
+
+The professor came back to life with a start. She knew at once that he
+had not heard a word.
+
+"Oh, er--I beg your pardon," he said. "Very good. Very good, indeed.
+Suppose you leave the manuscript with me. I'll look it over again
+to-night."
+
+She rose to go. After all she had no right to complain, since she had
+asked this favor of a very busy man; but she did wish he had paid
+attention.
+
+"Wait a moment, Miss Brown, there was something I wanted to say. What
+was it now?" He rubbed his head, and then thrust his hands into his
+pockets. "Oh, yes. This is what I wanted to say--have an apple?" A flat
+Japanese basket on the table was filled with apples. "Excuse my not
+passing the basket, but they roll over. Take several. Help yourself."
+
+He made Molly take three, one for Nance, one for Judy and one for
+herself. Then he saw her to the outer door, bowing silently, all the
+time like a man in a dream.
+
+The next morning the manuscript was returned to Molly by the professor
+after the class in Literature. It was folded into a big envelope and
+contained a note. The note had no beginning and was signed "E. G." This
+is what it said:
+
+  "Since you wish my true opinion of this story, I will tell you
+  frankly that it is decidedly amateurish. The style is heavy and
+  labored and the plot mawkishly sentimental and mock heroic.
+
+  "Try to think up some simple story and write it out in simple
+  language. Do not employ words that you are not in the habit of
+  using. Be natural and express yourself as you would if you were
+  writing a letter to your mother. Write about real people and real
+  happenings; not about impossibly beautiful and rich goddesses and
+  superbly handsome, fearless gods. Such people do not really exist,
+  you know, and you are supposed to be painting a word picture of
+  life.
+
+  "You have talent, but you must be willing to work very hard. Good
+  writing does not come in a day any more than good piano playing or
+  painting. I would add: be yourself--unaffected--sincere--and your
+  style will be perfect."
+
+Molly wept a little over this frank expression of criticism, although
+there did seem to be an implied compliment in the last line. She reread
+the story and blushed for her commonplaceness. Surely there never had
+been written anything so inane and silly.
+
+For a long time she sat gazing at the white peak of Fujiyama on the
+Japanese scroll.
+
+"Simple and natural, indeed," she exclaimed. "It's much harder than the
+other way. Unaffected and sincere! That's not easy, either." She sighed
+and tore the story into little bits, casting it into the waste-paper
+basket. "That's the best place for you," she continued, apostrophizing
+her first attempt at fiction. "Nobody would ever have laughed or cried
+over you. Nobody would even have noticed you. My trouble is that I try
+too hard. I am always straining my mind for words and ideas. Now, when I
+write letters, how do I do? I let go. I never worry. Can a story be
+written in that way?"
+
+"How now, Mistress Molly," called Judy, bursting into the room. "Why are
+you lingering here in the house when all the world's afield? Get thee up
+and go hence with me unto the green woods where we are to have tea,
+probably for the last time before the winter's call."
+
+"Who's 'we'?" asked Molly.
+
+"Why, the usual crowd, and a few others from Beta Phi House."
+
+"But you'll never have enough teacups to go around, child," objected
+Molly.
+
+"Oh, yes, we shall. There are two other tea baskets coming from Beta
+Phi. There will be plenty and some over besides. Rosomond Chase and
+Millicent Porter were so taken with my basket last year that they
+each bought one. Of course Millicent's is much finer than mine or
+Rosomond's."
+
+"I dare say. But I don't think I want to go, Judy."
+
+The truth was Molly never felt in sympathy with those two Beta Phi
+girls, who represented an element in college she did not like. They
+dressed a great deal, for one thing, especially Millicent Porter, the
+girl who had sub-let Judith Blount's apartment the year before.
+
+"Now, Molly, I think you're unkind," burst out Judy. She never could
+endure even small disappointments. "They are awfully nice girls and they
+want to know you better. They said they did."
+
+"Well, why don't they come and see me? That's easy."
+
+Judy did not reply. She was pulling down all the clothes in the closet
+in a search for Molly's tam and sweater. She was in one of her queer,
+excited moods. Could it be that Judy thought the sparkling coterie from
+Queen's was being honored by these two rich young persons from Beta
+Phi? Molly rejected the suspicion almost as soon as it entered her mind.
+No, it was simply that poor old Judy was obsessed with a desire to get
+into the "Shakespeareans," and by courting the most influential members
+she thought she could make it.
+
+Molly pulled her slender length from the depths of the Morris chair
+where she had been lolling.
+
+"Very well," she said resignedly. "I was meditating on my ambitions when
+you broke in on me. You are a very demoralizing young person, Judy."
+
+Judy laughed. She made a charming picture in her scarlet tam and
+sweater.
+
+"Come along," she cried, "and ambitions be hanged." She seized her tea
+basket under one arm and a box of ginger snaps under the other.
+
+"Why, Judy, I am really shocked at you," exclaimed Molly. "I think I'll
+have to give you another shaking up before long. You're getting lax and
+lazy."
+
+"Nothing of the sort. I only want to enjoy life while the weather is
+good. It's lots easier to think of ambitions on rainy days."
+
+The other girls were waiting on the campus: the Williamses, Margaret and
+Jessie, Nance and presently the two Beta Phi girls. Rosomond Chase was a
+plump, rather heavy blonde type, always dressed to perfection and bright
+enough when she felt inclined to exert her mind. Millicent Porter was
+quite the opposite in appearance; small, wiry, with a prominent,
+sharp-featured face; prominent nose, prominent teeth and rather bulging
+eyes. She talked a great deal in a highly pompous tone, and her voice
+always slurred over from one statement to another as if to ward off
+interruption. She seemed much amused at this little escapade in the
+woods, quite Bohemian and informal.
+
+The Queen's girls could hardly explain why she appeared so patronizing.
+It was her manner more than what she said; although Margaret insisted
+that it was because she monopolized the conversation.
+
+"We didn't go to listen to a monologue," Margaret thundered later when
+they were discussing the tea party. "We came to hear ourselves talk."
+
+What surprised Molly was the attention that the young person of
+unlimited wealth bestowed upon her.
+
+"Come and sit beside me, Miss Brown, and tell me about Kentucky," she
+ordered.
+
+"I am afraid I haven't the gift of language," replied Molly, without
+budging from her seat on a log. "Ask Margaret Wakefield. She's the only
+conversationalist in the crowd."
+
+"I suppose Mahomet must go to the mountain, then," observed Miss Porter,
+and she moved graciously over to the log, where she regaled Molly with a
+great deal of wordy talk.
+
+"If she's going to do all the conversing, it might as well be on
+something interesting," thought Molly, and she started Millicent on the
+topic of silver work. This young woman, rich beyond calculation, had an
+unusual talent which had not been neglected. She worked in silver.
+
+"Her natural medium," Edith had observed when she heard of it.
+
+She could beat out chains and necklaces, rings of antique patterns,
+beautiful platters with enameled centers with all the skill of a real
+silversmith.
+
+Molly listened with polite interest to Millicent's lengthy description
+of her art. There was often an unconscious flattery in the sympathetic
+attention Molly gave to other people's talk. It had the effect of
+loosening tongues and brought forth confidences and heart secrets. She
+was a good listener and the repository of many a hidden thought.
+
+"I am only going to college, you know, to please papa," Millicent was
+saying. "He thinks I should be finished off like a piece of statuary or
+a new house. I would much rather do things with my hands. I can't see
+how I am to be benefited by all these classics. In the sort of life I
+shall lead they won't do me any good. Society people never quote Latin
+and Greek or make learned references to early Roman history and things
+of that sort. It isn't considered good form. Modern novels are the only
+things people read nowadays, but papa is determined. Now, with silver
+work, it's quite different. I love it. I love to make beautiful things.
+I have just finished a grape-vine chain. The workmanship is exquisite.
+My sitting room is my studio, you know, and I work there when I am not
+busy with stupid books. You seem interested. Do you know anything about
+silver work?"
+
+Molly admitted her ignorance on the subject, but Millicent did not pause
+to listen. Her voice slurred over from the question to her next
+outburst.
+
+"I like beautiful rich colors. I intend to design all the costumes for
+the next Shakespearean performance. If I had been born in a different
+sphere in life, I should have divided my time between silver work and
+costuming. I can draw, too, but it's more designing than anything else."
+
+Then Millicent, encouraged by Molly's sympathetic blue eyes, lowered her
+voice and plunged into confidences.
+
+"The truth is," she said, "we were not so--er--well-to-do two
+generations ago. My great-grandfather was an Italian silversmith. Isn't
+it interesting? He was really an artist in his way, and made wonderful
+vessels for the church, crucifixes, and things like that. I tell mamma I
+believe her grandfather's soul has entered into my body. But that isn't
+all. Now, if I tell you this, will you promise never to breathe it? It's
+really a family secret, but it accounts for my love of rich, beautiful
+things. I can sew, you know. I adore to embroider. If I had to, I could
+easily make all my own clothes----"
+
+"But that's nothing to be ashamed of," broke in Molly.
+
+"No, no. That isn't the secret. The secret is where I got the taste for
+such things. You promise not to mention this?"
+
+"I promise," replied Molly gravely, repressing the smile that for an
+instant hovered on her lips.
+
+"The silversmith grandfather had a brother who was a merchant. He had a
+shop in Florence where he sold all sorts of beautiful fabrics, velvets
+and brocades and lots of antique things."
+
+"No doubt it was an antique shop," thought Molly.
+
+"Mamma remembers it well, and the shop is still there to-day, but it's
+in other hands."
+
+Molly felt much amusement at this explanation of heredity. It would not
+be difficult to add a few lines to Millicent's small, thin face and
+place it on the shoulders of the old silversmith or of his brother, the
+dealer in antiques. How would they feel if they could hear this
+granddaughter conversing about society and the classics?
+
+"But I have rattled on. Here I have told you two family secrets. But of
+course they will go no farther. You know more about me than any girl in
+Wellington. Won't you come over to dinner with me Saturday evening and
+see my studio?"
+
+"I am so sorry," said Molly, "but I have an engagement,"--to try to
+write a sincere, natural, simple short story, she added, in her mind.
+
+"Oh, dear, what a nuisance! Can you come Sunday? They have horrid early
+dinners Sunday, but no matter."
+
+Molly was obliged to accept, anxious as she was to keep out of the Beta
+Phi crowd.
+
+"By the way, do you act?" asked Millicent abruptly.
+
+"A little," answered Molly, and that ended the tea party.
+
+In the evening Judy was slightly cold to Molly. It was almost
+imperceptible, so subtle was the change, and Molly herself was hardly
+aware of it until her friend, stretched on the couch reading, suddenly
+closed her book with a snap and remarked:
+
+"Considering you dislike the Beta Phi girls, you certainly managed to
+monopolize one of them."
+
+"Judy!" remonstrated Nance, shocked at this unaccountable exhibition of
+temperament.
+
+Molly said nothing whatever, and presently she slipped off to bed.
+
+"We've all got our faults," she kept saying to herself, but she was
+bitterly hurt, nevertheless.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+"THE BEST LAID SCHEMES."
+
+
+Judy did have her failings, the faults of an only child spoiled by
+indulgent parents. But they were only on the surface, impulsive flashes
+of irritability that never failed to be followed by deep, poignant
+regret when the tempest had passed.
+
+The next morning Molly was wakened by the fragrance of violets, and,
+opening her eyes, she looked straight into the heart of a big bunch of
+those flowers lying on her chest.
+
+"Goodness, I feel like a corpse," she exclaimed.
+
+Scrawled on a card pinned to the purple tissue ribbon around the stems
+of the violets was the following inscription:
+
+  "For dearest Molly from her devoted and loving Judy."
+
+"The poor child must have got up early this morning and gone down to the
+village for them," she said to Nance. "And she does hate getting up
+early, too."
+
+Thus the coldness between the two girls came to a temporary end. Molly
+did not go to the Beta Phi House to dinner on Sunday. Millicent sent
+word that she was ill with a headache and would like to postpone the
+visit. Some of the Shakespeareans came to the apartment of the three
+girls to call one evening, but they were Judy's friends, invited by her
+to drop in and have fudge, and Molly and Nance kept quiet and remained
+in the background. If Judy was working to get into the Shakespeareans,
+she should have the field to herself. The three visitors, seniors all of
+them, left early, but in some mysterious way the news of their call
+spread through the Quadrangle.
+
+"Which of you is boning for the 'Shakespeareans'?" Minerva Higgins
+demanded of Nance next day.
+
+This irrepressible young person had already acquired a smattering of
+college slang and college gossip. But still she had not learned the
+difference between a freshman and a junior.
+
+Nance drew herself up haughtily.
+
+"Miss Higgins," she said, "there are some things at Wellington that are
+never discussed."
+
+"_Excuse me_," said Minerva, making an elaborate bow.
+
+But Nance did not even notice the bow. She had gone on her way like an
+injured dignitary.
+
+The air was certainly full of rumors, however. Everybody, even the
+faculty, wondered upon whose shoulders the Shakespeareans' highly
+coveted honors would fall. The new members of this distinguished body
+were always chosen after the junior play, preparations for which were
+now under way. There had been first a stormy meeting of the class. It
+was quite natural for President Wakefield to want all her particular
+friends to form the committee to choose a play and select the actors,
+and it was equally human of the Caroline Brinton forces to resent the
+old clique rule. But Margaret was a mighty leader and would brook no
+interference. So the Queen's girls were the ruling spirits of the
+entertainment. Judy was chairman of the committee, and was to have the
+principal part in the play, it being tacitly understood that she wanted
+to show the Shakespeareans what she could do.
+
+It was like the scholarly group to give a wide berth to the modern
+comedies and melodramas usually selected by juniors for this
+performance, and to settle on "Twelfth Night."
+
+"We can never do it," Caroline Brinton had announced in great vexation.
+"We haven't time and we have no coach."
+
+But she had been calmly overruled and "Twelfth Night" it was to be, with
+daily rehearsals except on Saturdays, when there were two.
+
+Molly was cast for the part of Maria, the maid. And she was glad,
+chiefly because the costume was easy. Judy was to play Viola, Edith
+Williams, Malvolio, and the other parts were variously distributed,
+Margaret being Sir Toby Belch.
+
+When a college girl reaches her junior year her mind is well trained to
+concentrate and memorize. Two years before, perhaps only Edith Williams,
+whose memory was abnormal, would have trusted herself to memorize a
+Shakespearean part. But the girls were amazed now at their own powers.
+Miss Pryor, teacher of elocution, was present at many of the rehearsals,
+criticizing and suggesting, and hers was the only outside assistance the
+juniors had in their ambitious production.
+
+It was probably through her that the accounts of their ability were
+noised abroad, and on the night of the play there was a great rush for
+seats. The president herself was there and many of the faculty.
+Professor Green had a front balcony seat looking straight down on the
+stage.
+
+"Goodness, but I'm scared!" exclaimed Molly, peeping through the hole in
+the curtain at the large assembly.
+
+"Heaven help us all," groaned Nance, dressed as an attendant of the
+Duke.
+
+"Don't talk like that," Judy admonished them. "We must make it go off
+all right. Molly, don't you forget and be too solemn. Your part calls
+for much merriment, as the notes in the book said."
+
+"Don't you be so dictatorial," said Nance, under her breath, hoping
+instantly that Judy, in a high state of nerves and excitement, had not
+heard her.
+
+When the seniors began thumping on the floor with their heels and the
+sophomores commenced clapping, Molly's mind became a vacuum. Not even
+the first line of her part could she recall.
+
+At last the curtain went up and the play began. She had no idea how Judy
+had conducted herself. A girl near her said:
+
+"She certainly had an awful case of stage fright, but she'll be all
+right in the next act."
+
+The words had no meaning to Molly, and she sat like a frozen image in
+the wings until Nance touched her on the shoulder and whispered:
+
+"Hurry up."
+
+Then she stepped into the glare of the footlights. Her blood ceased
+entirely to circulate. Her hands became numb. Icy fingers seemed to
+clutch her throat, and when she opened her mouth to speak, no voice
+came. She remembered making a fervent, speechless prayer.
+
+In an instant her blood began to flow normally. She felt a wave of
+crimson surge into her cheeks, and she heard her own voice speaking to
+Margaret, stuffed out with sofa cushions to resemble Sir Toby Belch.
+
+When the scene was over there was a great clapping of hands. It sounded
+to Molly like a sudden rainstorm in summer. And, like a summer shower,
+it was refreshing to the young actors in the great comedy.
+
+"Good work, Molly," Margaret whispered. "I think we carried that off
+pretty well. If only Judy doesn't get scared again the thing will go all
+right."
+
+"Did Judy have stage fright?" demanded Molly, in surprise.
+
+"You mean to say you didn't know? She almost ruined the scene."
+
+"Poor old Judy," thought Molly, "and just when she wanted to do her
+best, too."
+
+Judy did improve considerably as the play progressed, but even a
+friendly audience has an unrelenting way of retaining first impressions;
+or perhaps it was that poor Judy, sensitive and high strung, imagined
+the audience was cold to her and so allowed her spirit to be quenched.
+There were no cries for "Viola" from the people in front, and there were
+many for Malvolio, Sir Toby and Maria.
+
+Again and again these three actors came forth and bowed their
+acknowledgment. During the intermission several of the freshmen ushers
+carried down bouquets of flowers. Jessie received two from admirers who
+appeared to keep a running account at the florist's in the village. A
+splendid basket of red roses and a bunch of violets were handed over the
+footlights for Molly, and when she was summoned from the wings to appear
+and receive these floral offerings she flushed crimson and remarked to
+the usher:
+
+"There must be some mistake. They couldn't be for me."
+
+A ripple of laughter went over the entire house. There was another burst
+of applause which again brought Miss Molly Brown of Kentucky into
+prominence through no fault of her own.
+
+The card on the magnificent basket of roses made known to her the fact
+that Miss Millicent Porter had thus honored her. The card on the violets
+merely said: "From a crusty old critic who believes in your success."
+
+"I thought Millicent Porter had a big crush on you," observed Margaret
+later in the green room. "There's no doubt about it now after this noble
+tribute."
+
+"Nonsense," said Molly. "It's because she has so much money and likes to
+spend it."
+
+"On herself, yes, buying clothes and big lumps of silver to play with;
+but not on you, Molly, dear, unless she had been greatly taken with your
+charms."
+
+Molly had seen a few college crushes and considered them absurd, a kind
+of idol worship by a young girl for an older one; but because she had
+been so closely with her own small circle, she had escaped a crush so
+far.
+
+"I'll never believe it," she said. "I'm much too humble a person to be
+admired by such a grand young lady. She sent the roses because she had
+to recall her invitation to dinner."
+
+"Only time will prove it, Miss Molly," answered Margaret.
+
+The play ended with a grand storm of applause and college yells. Not in
+their wildest dreams had the juniors hoped for such success.
+
+"It's difficult to tell who was the best, they were all so excellent,"
+the president was reported to have said.
+
+Finally, to satisfy the persistent multitude, each actor marched slowly
+in front of the curtain, and each was received with more or less
+enthusiasm.
+
+"Rah-rah-rah; rah-rah-rah; Wellington--Wellington--Margaret Wakefield,"
+they yelled; or "What's the matter with Molly Brown? She's all right.
+Molly--Molly--Molly Brown."
+
+In the intoxicating excitement of this fifteen minutes nobody realized
+that Judy had withdrawn from the group of actors and hidden herself away
+somewhere behind the scenery. There was some speculation in the audience
+as to why Viola had not filed across the stage with the others, but
+since Judy's really devoted friends were all behind the scenes, there
+was no one to bring her out unless she chose to show herself with the
+others.
+
+"Wasn't it simply grand?" cried Jessie, the last to taste the sweets of
+popularity. The hall was still ringing with:
+
+"Jessie--Jessie--she's all right!" when she bowed herself behind the
+curtain and joined her classmates in the green room. Then there came
+cries of:
+
+"Speech! Speech! Wakefield! Wakefield!"
+
+Margaret, as composed as a May morning, stepped to the front of the
+platform and gave one of her most appropriate addresses to the joy of
+the audience and the intense amusement of the faculty.
+
+"Think of that child, only eighteen, and making such a speech! They are
+certainly a remarkable group of girls. So much individuality among
+them," said Miss Walker to Miss Pomeroy, at her side.
+
+"And rare charm in some of the individuals," added Miss Pomeroy. "The
+little Brown girl, for instance, who, by the way, is as tall as I am,
+but so thin that she seems small, has magnetism that will carry her
+through many a difficulty in life. They tell me she is almost adored by
+her friends."
+
+In the meantime the juniors, entirely unconscious of these compliments
+from high places, and perhaps it was quite as well they were, had just
+missed Judy from their midst.
+
+"Didn't she go before the curtain with the rest of us?" some one asked.
+
+"But how strange, when she had the leading part."
+
+"I thought I heard them give her the yell."
+
+"Judy, Judy," called Molly.
+
+"Here I am," answered a muffled voice from behind the scenery.
+
+Presently Judy appeared, showing a face so white and tragic that her
+friends were shocked. With a tactful instinct most of the girls
+hurriedly gathered their things together and disappeared, leaving only
+the intimates in the green room.
+
+"Why, Judy, dearest, why did you hide yourself, and you the leading lady
+of the company?" exclaimed Molly reproachfully, when all outsiders had
+departed.
+
+"Don't flatter me, Molly," Judy answered, in a hard, strained voice.
+
+"But you were," said Molly, "and you acted beautifully."
+
+"I ruined the play," said Judy angrily. "I ruined the entire business,
+and you made me do it."
+
+"Oh, Judy," cried Molly, "you are talking wildly. What do you mean?"
+
+"You did. You upset me completely when you said: 'don't be so
+dictatorial.' I never heard you make a speech like that before. And
+just as I was about to go on, too. It was cruel. It was unkind. If it
+had come from any one else but you----"
+
+"Here--here," broke in Margaret. "Really, Judy, you're losing your
+temper."
+
+"She never said it, anyhow," cried Nance. "I said it myself."
+
+"She did say it, Nance. You're just trying to screen her," replied Judy,
+who had worked herself into a nervous rage.
+
+"Is this going to be a free fight?" asked Edith, who always enjoyed
+battles.
+
+Molly was gathering up her things.
+
+"Not as far as I am concerned," she answered, in a trembling voice.
+
+As she went out she looked sorrowfully back at Judy, but not another
+word did she say.
+
+"Aren't you ashamed of yourself, Judy Kean?" cried Nance. "You're
+jealous and that's the whole of it," and she flung herself out of the
+door after Molly. The others quickly followed. Certainly sympathy was
+against Judy.
+
+And what of poor Judy left all alone in the gymnasium?
+
+Torn with anger, remorse, jealousy and disappointment, she threw herself
+face downward on the empty stage.
+
+Presently the janitor came in and switched off the lights.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE.
+
+
+Molly and Nance had little to say to each other that night as they
+undressed for bed. Nance was still filled with hot indignation over
+Judy's "falling-off" as she called it, and Molly had no heart for
+conversation. The door to Judy's bedroom at the other end of the sitting
+room was closed and they were not surprised when she did not call "good
+night" as was her custom. Nobody looked in on them. It was late and the
+Quadrangle was soon perfectly still.
+
+Under the sheets, her head buried in the pillows, Molly cried a long
+time, softly and quietly, like a steady downpour of rain. It seemed
+somehow that her beloved friend, Judy, had died, and that she was
+grieving for her. At last, worn out, she fell asleep. It was a very
+heavy sleep. She felt as if her arms were tied and she was sinking down
+into space and, as is always the case with dreams of falling, she waked
+with a nervous leap as if her body had hit the bed and rebounded. As she
+fell she had dreamed that she heard a voice calling. Never mind what it
+said; already the word, whatever it was, was a mere pin point in her
+memory. It had flashed through her mind like a shooting star across the
+sky. It was brilliantly illuminating for the instant. Molly was sure
+that it meant a great deal. It was an important word, and it had an
+urgent significance. For the tenth of a second her mind had been wide
+awake, and now it was quite dark again.
+
+Molly leaped out of bed and began pulling on her clothes.
+
+"Why am I dressing?" she thought. "It is because I must--_hurry!_"
+
+"Hurry," that was the word. It came back to her now, quietly and
+significantly.
+
+Nance wakened and sat up in bed.
+
+"What is it?" she asked.
+
+"I don't know. I must hurry. Don't stop me," answered Molly.
+
+Nance looked at her curiously.
+
+"You've had a nightmare, Molly," she said.
+
+Molly glanced up vaguely as Nance switched on the light.
+
+"Have I? I don't know, but I must make haste, or I'll be too late."
+
+"Too late for what?"
+
+"I don't know yet."
+
+"Wake up, Molly. You're asleep. Nothing is going to happen. You are
+here, in your own room."
+
+"Yes, yes. I understand, but I must hurry. Don't stop me, Nance. You may
+come if you like, but don't stop me."
+
+Nance had often heard that it was dangerous to awaken sleepwalkers too
+suddenly, and she believed now as she saw Molly slipping on her skirt
+and sweater that she was certainly asleep.
+
+"Dearest Molly," she insisted. "This is college. You are in your own
+room. It's a quarter to twelve. Don't go out of the room."
+
+Molly took no notice. Nance turned on another light and slipped across
+to Judy's room. She must have help, and Judy was the nearest person.
+
+"Judy's not in her room," she exclaimed suddenly, in a scared voice.
+
+Molly gave a slight shudder.
+
+"It's Judy who needs me," she said. "I was trying to remember. I
+couldn't make it out at first. Put on your things, Nance. Don't delay.
+Put out the light. We must hurry."
+
+Nance got into a few clothes as fast as she could. She slipped on tennis
+shoes and an ulster and presently the two girls were standing in the
+corridor.
+
+"Where are we going, Molly?" asked Nance, now under the spell of the
+other's conviction.
+
+"This way," answered Molly, looking indeed like a sleepwalker as she
+glided down the hall to the main steps.
+
+If the girls had glanced back they would have noticed a figure creep
+softly after them.
+
+"But the gate is locked," objected Nance.
+
+"I know, but we'll find another way. Come on."
+
+Down the steps they hastened noiselessly. At the bottom, instead of
+going straight ahead, Molly turned to the left and led the way to a
+sitting room for visitors on the ground floor of the tower. The windows
+of the Tower Room, as it was known, looked out on the campus. They were
+small, deep-silled, and closed with iron-bound wooden shutters like the
+doors into the cloisters. Mounting a bench, Molly opened the inside
+glass casement of one of the windows and drew back the bolt which
+secured the shutter. Then she hoisted herself onto the sill, crawled
+through the window, and holding by both hands dropped to the ground.
+Nance, of a more practical temperament, wondered how they would ever get
+back into the Tower Room; but blind, unquestioning faith is an
+infinitely stronger staff to lean upon than uneasy speculation, as Nance
+was one day to find out.
+
+"When the night watchman makes his rounds, will he see the window open
+in the tower?" she thought. "And if he does, what will he do? Give the
+alarm at once or try to find out our names and report us? If he reports
+us, what then? We may be expelled, or suspended or punished in some
+awful way."
+
+So Nance's thoughts busily shaped out these tragic events as she
+followed Molly out of the window and dropped to the gravel walk below.
+The tower clock struck twelve while the two girls flitted across the
+campus. It was a strange adventure, Nance pondered, and one she would
+never have undertaken, or even considered, alone. But then her instincts
+were not like Molly's. The inner voice which spoke to her sometimes was
+usually the sharp, reproving voice of a Puritan conscience. It spoke to
+her now, but she turned a deaf ear to it for once.
+
+It told her how absurd she would appear to other people in this
+dangerous midnight escapade; what risks she was running. Judy, of
+course, had spent the night with one of the other girls, it said. It
+troubled her mind with whispers of doubts and fears; it ridiculed and
+abused her, but not once did it weaken her determination to follow
+Molly wherever she intended to go. And presently, when Molly quickened
+her footsteps into a run, Nance kept right at her elbow like a noonday
+shadow, foreshortened and broadened.
+
+Molly turned in the direction of the lake. Nance's heart gave a violent
+thump. She had believed all along that they were taking a short cut
+across to the gymnasium, instead of following the gravel walk.
+
+"Molly, you don't think----" she began breathlessly.
+
+"Don't talk now. Hurry," was Molly's brief reply.
+
+Across a corner of the golf course they flew, and before Nance could
+take breath for another dash through a fringe of pine trees she caught
+sight of the waters, as black as ink. She clutched Molly's arm.
+
+"Did you hear anything?" she asked, in a frightened whisper.
+
+They waited a moment, straining their ears in the darkness.
+
+From the middle of the lake came the sound of a canoe paddle dipping
+into the water.
+
+Molly breathed a sigh of relief.
+
+"It's all right," she said, and they hastened down to the platform of
+the boathouse.
+
+In another moment they had launched a small rowboat and were out on the
+lake.
+
+"Will Judy Kean never learn sense?" Nance thought impatiently. "She's
+just like a prairie fire. It only takes a spark to set her going and
+then she burns up everything in sight."
+
+Nance had never been able to understand why Judy could not hold her
+passionate, excitable temperament more in control. She, herself, had
+learned self-denial at an early age. But that was because she had a
+selfish mother.
+
+"How did you ever guess she would be here, Molly?" she asked, as the
+prow of the boat cut softly through the waters of the lake with a
+musical ripple.
+
+Nance was rowing, and Molly, who had never learned to handle oars, was
+sitting facing her.
+
+"I don't know. I can't explain it. I dreamed that some one said
+'hurry,' and the lake seemed to be the place to come to."
+
+Some two hundred feet beyond they now made out the silhouette of a
+canoe. Judy--of course it was Judy; already they recognized the outline
+of her slender figure--kneeling in the bottom of the boat, had stopped
+paddling. She held up her head like a startled animal when it scents
+danger. It occurred to Nance, watching her over her shoulder as they
+drew nearer, that there was really something wild and untamed in Judy's
+nature. She remembered that, the first morning they had met her at
+Queen's, Judy had laughingly announced that she had been born at sea on
+a stormy night. But it was no joking matter, Nance was thinking, and she
+fervently wished that Judy would learn to quell her troubled moods.
+
+The next instant the two boats touched prows. The little canoe, the most
+delicate and sensitive craft that there is, quivered violently with the
+shock of the collision and sprang back. As it bounded forward again,
+Molly held out her hand. Instinctively Judy grasped it, and the two
+boats drew alongside each other.
+
+"Crawl into our boat, Judy, dearest," said Molly. "It will be easier to
+pull the canoe to shore if it's empty."
+
+Judy prepared silently to obey. But a canoe is not a thing to be
+reckoned with at critical moments. Just as Judy raised her foot to step
+into the other boat, the treacherous little craft shot from under her,
+and over she toppled, headforemost into the waters. Fortunately, she was
+an excellent swimmer, and the star diver of the gymnasium pool. But the
+lake was not deep, and when she came up, sputtering and puffing, she
+found herself standing in water that was only shoulder high.
+
+Nance often thought, in looking back on this painful episode, that
+nothing they could have said to Judy would have brought her so
+completely to her senses as this cold ducking. Certainly, if Judy had
+actually planned to jump into the lake, her wishes were most ludicrously
+carried out, and the struggle she now made to climb back into the boat
+showed that she was not anxious to stay any longer than she could help
+in the icy bath. It was a sight for laughter more than for tears,
+sensible Nance pondered with a slight feeling of contempt--that of Judy,
+struggling and kicking to draw herself into the boat. Indeed, she almost
+managed to upset them, too; but she did tumble in somehow, shivering and
+wet but extremely contrite.
+
+"How did you know I was out here?" was the first question she put, when,
+having seized the rope on the prow of the canoe, they headed for shore.
+
+"I didn't know. I only guessed," answered Molly.
+
+"She was up and dressed before she even knew you were not in your room,"
+announced Nance.
+
+"I was a fool," exclaimed Judy, "and I know now what good friends you
+are to have come for me. I don't know exactly what I intended to do out
+here," she went on brokenly. "I felt ashamed to face any one, even mamma
+and papa. I might----" she broke off, shivering. Rivulets of water were
+pouring from her wet clothing into the bottom of the boat. She still
+wore the costume she had worn in the last scene of the play.
+
+"I'll give you my ulster as soon as we land, Judy," said Nance, rowing
+with long rapid strokes which sent the boat skimming over the water.
+
+"I'm just a low-down worthless dog," went on Judy, taking no notice of
+Nance's interruption. "There's no good trying to apologize, Molly. Words
+don't mean anything. But when the chance comes--and the chance always
+does come if you want it--I'll be able to show you how sorry I am for
+what I did, and how much I really love you."
+
+"You showed me what a real friend you were last winter, Judy," broke in
+Molly, "when you gave up your room at Queen's for my sake. I wasn't
+angry about what happened at the gym. I was hurt of course because I'm a
+sensitive plant, but I knew it would be all right in the end because we
+are too close to each other now to let a few hasty words come between
+us. But here we are at the boat landing."
+
+Having tied the two boats in the boat house, which was never kept
+locked, they hurried back to college. Nance insisted upon Judy's putting
+on her ulster.
+
+"You know I'm never cold," she said.
+
+"You girls will just kill me with kindness," exclaimed Judy humbly.
+
+But Nance did not even hear this abject speech. The question of how they
+were to get back into the Quadrangle was occupying her mind.
+
+"We're taking an awful risk," she observed to Molly, in a low voice.
+"There is no other way but the window, I suppose."
+
+"I can't think of any other way," answered Molly, "unless we ring the
+bell over the gate and alarm the entire dormitory."
+
+"Suppose the night watchman has closed the window? What then?" demanded
+Nance.
+
+"Why, we'll just have to find some other way, then," answered her
+optimistic friend.
+
+But the window in the Tower Room was wide open, just as they had left
+it.
+
+The doubting Nance still had another theory.
+
+"Suppose the night watchman has left it open on purpose to catch us when
+we come back?" she suggested.
+
+"I do wish you would stop hunting up troubles, Nance," ejaculated Molly
+irritably. "I never found supposing did any good, anyhow."
+
+Nance, thus rebuked, said nothing more.
+
+Molly, boosted by the other girls, pulled herself onto the window sill
+and climbed into the room. She looked about her cautiously. But Nance's
+fears were groundless so far. The room was perfectly empty.
+
+"Let down a chair," whispered Judy.
+
+There were no small chairs about, however, and she was obliged to choose
+a bench.
+
+"How are we to get it back again?" she asked, after Nance had clambered
+in, and Judy, halfway through, paused to consider this question.
+
+"Hurry, the watchman," hissed Nance, on the lookout at the door. "He's
+coming down the side corridor."
+
+The next instant Judy had leaped into the room, and the three girls were
+tearing along the hall and up the steps, Judy leaving a trail of water
+behind her. The watchman had seen them. They could hear the beat of his
+steps on the cement floor as he ran. The fugitives reached the upper
+corridor just as he arrived at the first landing on the stairs.
+
+"Kick off your pumps, Judy, and pick up your skirts. He'll trace us by
+the wet trail if you don't."
+
+Another dash and they were in their sitting room, the door locked behind
+them. Oh, blessed relief!
+
+Judy, in her stocking feet, was holding up her skirts with both hands.
+Nance had seized one of the slippers and she thought that Molly had the
+other.
+
+But the final excitement of that eventful night was veiled in mystery.
+
+As they had burst into their sitting room, some one ran swiftly across
+the room, through the passage into Judy's room and into the corridor.
+They dared not follow and run the risk of meeting the night watchman,
+probably standing at that moment at the end of the corridor trying to
+trace that path of water, which, thanks be to Nance's prudence, ended
+there and was lost on the green strip of carpet.
+
+Below in the Tower Room the windows of the casement flapped back and
+forth in the wind which was rising steadily, and on the path below stood
+that telltale bench.
+
+"Anyhow," said Molly, "there's only one person who knows we were out
+to-night and, whoever she is, she can't tell without giving herself
+away."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+COVERING THEIR TRACKS.
+
+
+When the dressing bell rang next morning, three heavy-eyed and extremely
+weary young women felt obliged to pull themselves together and appear at
+the breakfast table. Judy had caught cold, and to disguise this
+condition had plastered pink powder on her nose, and now held her breath
+almost to suffocation to avoid coughing in public.
+
+"Have you heard the news?" demanded Jessie, hurrying in late and sitting
+next to Nance.
+
+"Why, no. What is it?" asked Nance calmly.
+
+Molly felt the color rising in her cheeks, and Judy buried her snuffles
+in a long letter from her mother.
+
+"There's the greatest tale going around the Quadrangle! Everybody is
+talking about it," continued Jessie. "One of the chambermaids started
+it, I think, because she told it to me just now."
+
+"What is it?" asked Edith Williams impatiently.
+
+"Some of the Quadrangle girls were out last night gallivanting. They
+climbed through the Tower Room window, left a bench outside and the
+window open. I suppose the watchman frightened them before they could
+hide all traces."
+
+"That sounds like a wild freak," commented Katherine. "What do you
+suppose they were doing?"
+
+"They might have been doing lots of things," replied Jessie
+mysteriously. "The maid said the watchman thought they had been driving
+or motoring with some Exmoor boys."
+
+"Whew!" ejaculated a sophomore. "I'm sorry for them if they are found
+out. I happen to know Prexy's feelings about escapades like that."
+
+"Why? Were you ever caught?"
+
+"No, of course not. Don't you see me sitting here at the table? But my
+older sister was in the class with a girl who was caught. She was a
+campus girl."
+
+"What happened to her?" demanded Judy, forgetting her cold in the
+interest of the story.
+
+"Bounced," answered the sophomore briefly.
+
+The Williamses and Jessie looked at Judy with mixed feelings of
+surprise; not because they noticed her cold or regarded it with any
+suspicion, but because, when they had parted company with her the night
+before she had been in the throes of a jealous rage and had spoken most
+insultingly to her best friend. Their glances shifted to Molly. The two
+girls were seated side by side. Judy was leaning affectionately against
+Molly's shoulder while they looked together at a picture post card sent
+by Mary Stewart from France.
+
+"All bets are off," whispered Edith to her sister. "They have made it
+up. Molly is an angel of forgiveness. We were wrong for once."
+
+"And Margaret was correct."
+
+"A pound of Mexican kisses and two pounds of mixed chocolates," said
+Margaret in Edith's other ear. "I've won my bet, I hope you'll take
+notice."
+
+"We were just taking notice," answered Edith.
+
+"But there's some more of the story," piped out Jessie again. "Don't you
+want to hear the most exciting part?"
+
+"Heavens, yes. Did they catch them?" asked several voices.
+
+"No, no, but one of the girls was wet," announced Jessie impressively.
+"She left a trail of water after her all the way up the steps."
+
+"I should think they could have traced her by that," said Margaret.
+
+"They could have if she had kept on trailing, but she must have
+remembered and held up her skirt, for it stopped right there."
+
+"Wise lady," put in Katherine.
+
+"She must have been canoeing and not driving, then," observed Margaret.
+"Else why the significant fact of wet clothes?"
+
+"Nice night to go canoeing in, cold and dark. Strange notion of
+pleasure," remarked Edith.
+
+"Well, there's more still to come," announced Jessie, when they had
+finished commenting on this remarkable escapade.
+
+"For heaven's sake, Jessie, you're like a serial story of adventure--a
+thriller in every chapter. What now?"
+
+"Well," said Jessie, "you may well prepare for a thriller this time. The
+watchman found something."
+
+"What? What?" they cried, and Nance, Judy and Molly joined in the chorus
+with as much excitement as any of the others.
+
+"He found a slipper."
+
+Judy made an enormous effort to keep her hand from trembling, as she
+raised her coffee cup to her dry, feverish lips. Molly, as usual under
+excitement, changed from white to red and red to white. Nance alone
+seemed perfectly calm.
+
+"I don't see how they can prove anything by that," she observed. "There
+are probably fifty girls or even a hundred who wear the same size shoes
+here. Molly is the only girl I know of who wears a peculiar size, six
+and a half triple A."
+
+"Well, 'one thing is certain and the rest is lies,' as old Omar
+remarked," said Margaret, rising from the table, "and that is, all
+juniors can prove an alibi last night. No junior would ever go
+gallivanting on the night of the junior play."
+
+"Hardly," answered Nance, who had risen to the occasion with fine spirit
+and tact. Molly's face resumed its normal color and Judy looked
+relieved.
+
+"The thing they will have to do," said Edith, "is to find the other
+slipper. And if the owner of that slipper takes my advice she'll drop it
+down the deepest well in Wellington County."
+
+Molly and Nance and Judy hurried through breakfast and rushed back to
+their apartment. They locked all the doors carefully and gathered in
+Judy's room.
+
+"We have nearly fifteen minutes before chapel," said Nance, speaking
+rapidly. "Judy, are your things dry? Get them quickly. They may search
+our rooms. Miss Walker is pretty determined once she's roused, I hear."
+
+Judy gathered up the stiff, rough-dry garments that had been hanging on
+the heater all night, while Molly found tossed in a corner the mate to
+the fatal slipper. Judy held up Viola's dress of old rose velvet.
+
+"It's ruined," she exclaimed, "and that's another complication.
+Suppose----"
+
+"Don't suppose," interrupted Molly hastily, snatching the dress away
+from her. "Hurry, Nance, where shall we put them?"
+
+For a temporary safe hiding place they chose the interior of the upright
+piano. Then they hastily made their beds, set their dressing tables to
+rights and dashed off to chapel just as the matron appeared on an
+ostensible tour of inspection.
+
+It was possible that she was not being very vigilant with the juniors,
+however, that particular morning, knowing that they were one and all
+engaged in producing a very important play the night before. At any
+rate, she only glanced casually around, saw nothing incriminating and
+departed to the next room.
+
+The president looked grave and worried at chapel, but, contrary to
+expectations, she had nothing to say after the prayer.
+
+"It's a bad sign," observed a student. "When Prexy doesn't say anything,
+she means business."
+
+Except for a few moments at lunch, the three girls did not meet in
+private consultation again until late in the afternoon. There was a busy
+sign on their study door. Molly smiled knowingly to herself, and gave
+the masonic tap.
+
+"It's a good idea," she thought, "and will keep out inquisitive people
+until we decide what to do."
+
+She found Judy stretched on the sofa, feverish and coughing, while Nance
+was dosing her with a large dose of quinine and an additional dose of
+sweet spirits of niter.
+
+"You're going to kill me, Nance," Judy was grumbling.
+
+"For heaven's sake, be quiet," scolded Nance. "You haven't any voice to
+waste. Molly, will you make her a hot lemonade? I think we had better
+get her to bed and cover her up with all the comforts so as to bring on
+a perspiration."
+
+"Only one?" inquired Judy.
+
+"Get up from there and go to bed," ordered Nance. "The inspection is
+over and there won't be any chance of another one to-day. You'll have to
+miss supper to-night. We'll say you have one of your sick headaches."
+
+Judy obediently got out of her things while Molly flew around making hot
+lemonade, and Nance hung a blanket over the heater and pulled down their
+three winter comforts off a shelf in the closet.
+
+Judy meekly allowed herself to be smothered under a mountain of covers,
+while she drank the lemonade with childish enjoyment.
+
+"You always make good ones, Molly, darling, because you put in enough
+sugar. I'll probably be melted into a fountain of perspiration like
+Undine, only she went away in tears," she complained presently.
+
+"That's the object of the treatment," answered Nance sternly. "Whatever
+is left of you after the melting process is over is quite well of the
+cold."
+
+Molly could have laughed if she had not been thinking of something else
+very hard.
+
+The two girls sat down on the divan and began a subdued and earnest
+conversation.
+
+"What are we to do with these things, Molly? We can't leave them in
+the piano because the moment some one sits down to play we'll be
+discovered."
+
+"Murderers take up the planks in the floor and hide their bloodstained
+clothing underneath," observed Molly. "But we can't do that, of course."
+
+They took the bundle from its hiding place and looked over the garments.
+
+"I have an idea," announced Nance, who had many practical notions on the
+subject of clothes. "Suppose we take the dress to the cleaner's in the
+village and have it steamed."
+
+"Why can't we steam it ourselves over the tea kettle?" demanded Molly.
+"We can and we'll do it right now and press it on the wrong side. If it
+hadn't been so much admired, it wouldn't matter so very much, but some
+one's sure to ask to see it or borrow it or something. How about the
+underclothes? Can't we smooth them out with a hot iron before they go to
+the laundry?"
+
+They set to work at once to heat water and irons, and presently were
+engaged in restoring the old rose velvet to a semblance of its former
+beauty.
+
+"What are we going to do about that slipper?" demanded Molly, pausing in
+her labors.
+
+"I've made up my mind to that," replied Nance. "We must bury it."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE GRAVE DIGGERS.
+
+
+Three times during the night Molly and Nance crept into Judy's room and
+looked at her anxiously. She seemed to be sleeping heavily, but she
+tossed about the bed with feverish restlessness, and her forehead was
+burning hot.
+
+Early in the morning the faithful friends were up again, tipping about
+like two wraiths of the dawn in their trailing dressing gowns.
+
+"I'll bathe her face and hands before she takes any tea," said Molly.
+"She's awake. I saw her open her eyes when I peeped in just now."
+
+Judy was awake and sitting bolt upright when they presently entered with
+the basin and towels. There was a strange look in her eyes. Molly
+remembered to have seen it before when Judy was in the grip of the
+wander thirst.
+
+"Here you are, Sweet Spirits of Niter," she cried, in a hoarse, excited
+voice. "Knowst thou the land of Sweet Spirits of Niter?" she began
+singing. "Knowst thou the Sweet Spirits? They are tall, slender, gray
+ladies done in long curving lines, like that." She illustrated her ideas
+of these strange beings by sketching a picture on an imaginary canvas.
+"They lean against slim trees. They have soft musical voices and speak
+gently because they are sweet. You see? And the Land of Niter, what of
+it? It is a land of gray mists, always in twilight, and the Sweet
+Spirits who live in it are shadows. It is a sad land, but it is still
+and quiet and there are cool fountains everywhere. Sweet spirit, wouldst
+give me to drink of thy cup?"
+
+Molly and Nance laughed. They knew that Judy was delirious, but it was
+impossible not to laugh over her strange, poetic illusion regarding
+sweet spirits of niter. Setting down the basin and towel, they retreated
+to the next room.
+
+"We'd better make her a cup of beef tea as quickly as we can," said
+Nance. "That will quench her thirst and nourish her at the same time.
+Good heavens, Molly, what shall we do if she begins to talk about the
+slipper and the lake?"
+
+"I don't know," replied Molly, lighting the alcohol lamp, while Nance
+found the jar of beef extract. "I wish you hadn't given her so much
+physic, Nance." Molly had a deep-rooted objection to medicine, while
+Nance, on the other hand, was a firm believer in old-fashioned remedies.
+"Her stomach was in no condition for all that stuff. It was utterly
+upset. Her gastric juices had been lashed into a storm and hadn't had
+time to subside."
+
+Nance smiled at Molly's ignorance.
+
+"You are getting the emotions and the stomach mixed, Molly, dear."
+
+Now, Molly had her own ideas on this subject, but it was vain to argue
+with her friend, the actual proprietor of a real medicine chest marked
+"Household Remedies," which contained more than a dozen phials of
+physics.
+
+Judy was, in fact, paying the penalty for her mental storm when on the
+night of the play she had run through the whole scale of emotions,
+beginning with stage fright and an awful fear and passing into
+mortification, disappointment, rage, remorse and finally sorrow, or it
+might be called self-pity, which inspired her to launch a canoe and
+paddle into the middle of the lake at midnight. It will never be known
+how near she came to jumping into the lake. It is difficult to reckon
+with an unrestrained, hypersensitive nature like hers, always up in the
+heights or down in the depths; sometimes capable of splendid acts of
+generosity and unselfishness, but capable also of inflicting cruel
+punishments for imagined offences.
+
+Nance was for more medicine.
+
+"Suppose I give her a big dose of castor oil, Molly," she suggested,
+while she stirred the tea. "She had better take it before she drinks
+this."
+
+"Goodness, Nance, you'll kill her," exclaimed Molly, horrified. "Don't
+you see that it is entirely a mental thing with Judy? What she needs is
+absolute quiet, and the quinine has probably excited her and made her
+delirious. She doesn't need things to stimulate her. She's almost
+effervescent in her normal condition, anyhow."
+
+"Castor oil isn't a stimulant, child."
+
+"Perhaps not, but she'd better not be upset any more," and in the end
+Molly had her way.
+
+Returning in a few moments to bathe Judy's face, she found the sick girl
+half out of bed.
+
+"Get back into bed, Judy," she said firmly. "You're to have a nice quiet
+day in here and no one to bother you."
+
+"But the slipper. I'm looking for the other slipper," began Judy,
+weeping. "Oh, dear, I must find the slipper. Nance, Molly, the slipper,
+have you seen the slipper, the old oaken slipper, the iron-bound slipper
+that hangs in the well. If it's in the well now, drop it to the bottom.
+I hope it's a deep well, the deepest well in Well County."
+
+It was unkind to laugh, but Molly could not keep her countenance.
+
+"I might have known," she thought, "that Judy could be more delirious
+than anybody in the world."
+
+Judy submitted to having her face bathed and drank the beef tea without
+a murmur. She appeared greatly refreshed and quieted and said a few
+rational words about having had bad dreams.
+
+It was Sunday morning, frosty and bright. The bell of the Catholic
+Church in the village called devotees to early mass. It rang out
+joyfully and persuasively, reiterating its message to unbelievers. It
+was a cheerful sound and, in spite of Judy's troubles, they felt
+comforted. The steam heat began its pleasant matins in the pipes. The
+kettle on the alcohol stove hummed busily. Molly began to make
+preparations for breakfast. Although she was not self-indulgent,
+discomfort was never an acceptable state to her.
+
+"Get your bath, Nance," she ordered, "and then you can come back and
+make the toast while I take mine."
+
+Nance departed for the bathrooms with soap and towels, while Molly
+busied herself spreading a lunch cloth on one of the study tables and
+placing a blue china bowl full of oranges in the center. Then she
+carefully extracted four eggs from a paper bag in a box on the outer
+window ledge; cut four thin, even slices of bread to be inserted in
+Judy's patent electric toaster, and at intervals poured boiling water
+through the dripper into the coffee pot.
+
+"If I were at home this morning," she said, "I would be eating hot
+waffles and kidney hash."
+
+Suddenly she looked up. Judy was standing in the doorway.
+
+"Molly," she said, "I want my slipper."
+
+Molly took her hand and gently led her back to bed.
+
+"Judy, would you like a cup of delicious, strong, hot coffee?" she
+asked, endeavoring to divert Judy's quinine-charged senses.
+
+"Very much, but the slipper----" Judy began to whimper like a child.
+
+Molly hurried into the next room, found one of Nance's slippers and
+gravely handed it to Judy, who grasped it carefully with both hands as
+if it were something very precious and brittle.
+
+"When I gave her your slipper, Nance, I felt something like the old
+witch who had kidnapped the Queen's infant and put a changeling in its
+place," Molly observed later, in telling about this incident to Nance.
+"But there is nothing to do but humor her, I suppose, until the
+influence of the quinine wears off."
+
+"Where has she got it now?" asked Nance, ignoring Molly's allusions to
+quinine.
+
+"What? The changeling slipper? Under her pillow."
+
+Nance laughed.
+
+"I'm thinking, Molly," she remarked, "that to-day would be an excellent
+time to get rid of that other slipper. I don't feel as if I could sleep
+comfortably another night in these rooms with the guilty thing around.
+Until we dig a hole and bury it deep, we shall never have any peace of
+mind."
+
+Molly was carefully peeling the shell from the end of an egg.
+
+"Do you think we could leave her alone this afternoon?" she asked. "How
+long does quinine continue its ravages?"
+
+"Oh, not long," answered Nance, in a most matter of fact voice. "She's
+such a sensitive subject, that is the trouble. Quinine doesn't usually
+make people take on so. I never met any one so excitable and high strung
+as Judy. She gets her nerves tuned up to such a high pitch sometimes
+that I wonder they don't snap in two."
+
+"Nance, don't you think we ought to confess the whole thing to Miss
+Walker?"
+
+"Do you think Judy would ever forgive us if we did?"
+
+Molly sighed.
+
+"I'm afraid not," she said. "Confessing would involve so much. We
+would have to go back so far to the original cause, those wretched
+Shakespeareans. It would be pretty hard on poor old Judy. But the
+slipper, Nance--it's such a ridiculous thing, our hiding that slipper.
+Where shall we hide it?"
+
+"We must dig a grave and bury it," said Nance, "and we must do it this
+afternoon and get the thing off our minds. Then all evidence will be
+destroyed and there will be no possible way of finding out about Judy."
+
+"You have forgotten about the visitor to our room in the night."
+
+"Yes," admitted Nance, "there is that visitor. Who was she? What did she
+want? You haven't missed anything, have you?"
+
+"No," replied Molly. "I have nothing valuable enough to steal except old
+Martin Luther, and he's quite safe."
+
+She reached for the china pig on the bookshelves and shook him
+carefully. His interior gave out a musical jingle.
+
+Clothed and fed and comforted, the two girls leaned back in their Morris
+chairs, with extra cups of coffee resting on the chair arms, to consider
+the question of Judy's slipper. At last they came to a mutual agreement.
+
+Otoyo, the safest, discreetest and least inquisitive of their friends,
+was to be taken partly into their confidence and left to look after Judy
+while they went on their mysterious errand. Otoyo, who had the racial
+peculiarity of the Japanese of never being surprised at anything,
+accepted this position of trust without a comment. Few students took
+Sunday morning walks at Wellington, and therefore morning was the safest
+time for the expedition. Judy, reënforced with a soft-boiled egg and a
+cup of coffee, appeared perfectly rational and quiet. She surrendered
+the slipper without a murmur, and turning over on her side dropped off
+to sleep. A Not-at-Home sign was hung on the door and Otoyo was
+cautioned not to let any one into Judy's room. She was to say to all
+callers that Judy had a headache and was asleep.
+
+Dressed for a tramp, with Judy's slipper in one of the deep pockets of
+Nance's ulster, and a knife, fork and table spoon for digging purposes
+in the other, the two girls presently left Otoyo on the floor immersed
+in study. They had scarcely closed the door when Judy called from the
+next room:
+
+"Bring me that slipper, Otoyo."
+
+And the little Japanese, with a puzzled look on her face, obeyed.
+
+As they hastened down the corridor, hoping devoutly not to meet intimate
+friends, Molly and Nance were stopped by the irrepressible Minerva
+Higgins.
+
+"Isn't this a stroke of luck?" she exclaimed. "You are going for a walk
+and so am I. I was just on the lookout for somebody. Girls here are so
+industrious Sunday mornings, I can never get any one to go walking until
+afternoon."
+
+Molly was silent. At that moment she yearned for the courage of Nance,
+who with a word could scatter Minerva's cheeky assurance like chaff
+before the wind.
+
+"It's lack of character, I suppose," she thought disconsolately. "But I
+couldn't crush a fly, much less that presumptuous little freshman."
+
+She stood back, therefore, and let Nance have a clear field for the
+struggle.
+
+"You are very kind to offer us your company, Miss Higgins, but we must
+beg to be excused to-day," said Nance calmly.
+
+"I call that a nice, Sunday-morning, Christian spirit," cried Minerva,
+with an angry flash in her small, pig-like eyes.
+
+"No, no, Minerva," put in Molly gently. "You must not think that way
+about it. Nance and I have some important business to discuss, that's
+all. You mustn't imagine it's unkind when older girls turn you down
+sometimes. You know it isn't customary here for a freshman to invite
+herself to join an older girl. I believe it isn't customary in any
+college. Don't be angry, please."
+
+Hidden under layers of vanity, selfishness and stupid assurance, was
+Minerva's better self which Molly hoped to reach, and some day she would
+break through the crust, but not this morning.
+
+"Don't tell me anything about upper-class girls--conceited snobs! I know
+all about them," exclaimed Minerva angrily, as she marched down the
+corridor in a high state of rage.
+
+"Don't bother about her. She's a hopeless case, just as Margaret said,"
+remarked Nance.
+
+Once off the campus, they followed the path along the lake and turned
+their faces toward Round Head as being the spot most apt to be
+deserted at that hour in the morning. It was not long before they were
+climbing the steep hill.
+
+"Where shall we lay it to rest, poor weary little _sole_?" asked Nance,
+laughing.
+
+"Let's dig the grave on the Exmoor side," answered Molly. "Behind one of
+those big rocks is a good spot. We'll be hidden from sight and the
+ground is softer there."
+
+[Illustration: THEY SET TO WORK TO DIG A SMALL GRAVE FOR JUDY'S
+SLIPPER.--_Page 129._]
+
+Talking and giggling, because after all they were entirely innocent of
+any wrongdoing, they set to work to dig a small grave for Judy's
+slipper.
+
+"When the earth casts up its dead on the Day of Judgment, Nance, do you
+suppose this slipper will seek its mate?"
+
+"I hope it won't seek it any sooner," answered Nance dryly.
+
+At last the grave was ready. They laid the slipper in the hole,
+carefully covered it with earth, and concealed all evidences of recent
+disturbance with bits of grass and splinters of rock.
+
+Then Molly, leaning against the side of the boulder and clasping her
+hands, remarked:
+
+"Let this be its epitaph:
+
+    "'Under the wide and starry sky
+      Dig the grave and let me lie;
+      Glad did I live and gladly die,
+      And I laid me down with a will.
+
+    "'This be the verse you 'grave for me:
+      Here he lies where he longed to be;
+      Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
+      And the hunter home from the hill.'"
+
+Scarcely had the last words died on her lips when Nance gave a low,
+horrified exclamation. Molly glanced up quickly. Just above them in the
+shadow of another big rock stood Professor Green in his old gray suit.
+So still was he that he might have been a part of the geological
+formation of the hill, planted there centuries ago. Molly felt the hot
+blood mount to her face. How long had he been there? How much had he
+seen? What did he think? Forcing its way through all these wild
+speculations came another thought: there was a brown coffee stain on one
+of his trouser legs. She tried to speak, but the words refused to come,
+and before she could get herself in hand, the professor coldly lifted
+his hat and walked away.
+
+In his glance she read DISAPPOINTMENT as plainly as if it had been
+written across his brow in letters of fire.
+
+"Oh, Nance," she cried, and burst into tears.
+
+"He won't tell, even if he has seen," Nance reassured her. "Don't mind,
+Molly, dear. Come along. I'm not afraid."
+
+"It's not that! It's not that!" sobbed Molly. But then, of course, Nance
+wouldn't understand what it really was, because she hardly understood it
+herself. He believed, of course, that she had gone rowing with some
+Exmoor boys after ten o'clock. He had heard the story of the slipper.
+Everybody had heard it. It was the talk of college. For a moment Molly
+felt a wave of resentment against Judy. Then her anger shifted to
+Professor Green.
+
+"At least he might have given us a chance to explain," she exclaimed, as
+she followed Nance along the lake path back to the campus.
+
+As soon as they entered the room, a little while later, they saw by
+Otoyo's face that something had happened.
+
+"What is it?" they demanded uneasily.
+
+"Oh," ejaculated Otoyo, raising both hands with an eloquent gesture, "it
+was that terrible Mees Heegins. You had but scarcely departing gone when
+there came to the door a rap-rap-rap--so. I thought it was you
+returning, and when I open, she push her way in, so."
+
+Otoyo gave an imitation of Minerva forcing her way into the sitting
+room.
+
+"She say: 'I wish to see Mees Kean on a particular business.' I say:
+'Mees Kean has a sickness to her head.' She say: 'Move away, little
+yellow peril. Don't interfere with me. I wish to inquire after her
+health.' Then she make great endeavors to remove me from the door."
+
+"And what did you do, Otoyo?" they asked anxiously.
+
+Otoyo's face took on an expression half humorous and half deprecating.
+
+"It will not make you angry with little Japanese girl?"
+
+"No, of course not, child."
+
+"I employ jiu jitsu."
+
+The girls both laughed, and Otoyo, relieved, joined in the merriment.
+
+"She receive no bruises, but she receive a shock, because it arrive so
+suddenlee, you see? So she quietlee walk away and say no more."
+
+"You adorable little Japanese girl," cried Molly, embracing her.
+
+Nance opened the door and peeped into Judy's room.
+
+She was sleeping quietly, the slipper clasped in both hands.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+A VISIT OF STATE.
+
+
+Judy still slept the sleep of the exhausted. Her tired forces craved a
+long rest after the storm that had lashed and beaten them. The girls
+crept about the room softly and spoke in low voices, and when they went
+down to the early dinner locked the door and took the key with them.
+Later, fearing callers, again they hung out a Busy sign and settled
+themselves comfortably for a peaceful afternoon. Nance, armed with a
+dictionary and notebook, was translating "Les Misérables," a penitential
+task she had set for herself for two hours every Sunday.
+
+Molly was also engaged in a penitential task. She was endeavoring to
+compose a story on simple and natural lines. It was very difficult. Her
+mind at this moment seemed to be an avenue for bands of roving and
+irrelevant thoughts and refused to concentrate on the work at hand. She
+made several beginnings, as: "One blustering, windy day in March a
+lonely little figure----" With a contemptuous stroke of her pencil, she
+drew a line through the words and wrote underneath: "It was a calm,
+beautiful morning in May----"
+
+Twirling her pencil, she paused to consider this statement.
+
+"No, no, that won't do," she thought. "It's entirely too commonplace."
+She glanced absently over at the book Nance was reading. "Victor Hugo
+would probably have put it this way: 'It was the fifteenth of May, 17--.
+A young girl was hurrying along the Rue----. She paused at the house,
+No. 11.' Oh, dear," pondered Molly, "one has to tell something very
+important to write in that way. It's like sending a telegram. Just as
+much as possible expressed in the fewest possible words. Can the
+professor mean that? Would he mind if I asked him and then at the same
+time, perhaps----" Again the wandering thoughts broke off. "It's rather
+hard he should have misunderstood about this morning. Is there no way I
+can explain without involving Judy? Oh, dear! Oh, dear! How complicated
+life is, and what a complicated nature is Judy's."
+
+There were two quick raps on the door. Molly and Nance exchanged
+frightened glances. It was not the masonic tap of their friends, and no
+one else would have knocked on a door which advertised a Busy sign.
+There was, in fact, a note of authority in the double rap. Some instinct
+prevented Nance from calling out "Come in," a matter later for
+self-congratulation. She rose and opened the door and President Walker
+entered. If Miss Walker had ever paid a visit to a student before, the
+girls had not heard of it. It was, so far as they knew, an entirely
+unprecedented happening and quite sufficient to make innocent people
+look guilty and set hearts to pumping blood at double-quick time.
+
+"I saw your Busy sign," said Miss Walker, glancing from one startled
+face to the other, "but I shall not keep you long. What a pretty room,"
+she added, looking about her approvingly.
+
+"Thank heavens, it's straight," thought Nance, groaning mentally.
+
+"Won't you sit down, Miss Walker?" asked Molly, pushing forward one of
+the easy chairs.
+
+The President sat down. There was a plate of "cloudbursts" on the table.
+Would it be disrespectful to offer the President some of this delectable
+candy? Nance considered it would be, decidedly so. But Molly, a slave to
+the laws of hospitality, took what might be called a leap in the dark
+and silently held the plate in front of the President. If this turned
+out to be a visit of state it was rather a risky thing to do. But Miss
+Walker helped herself to one piece and then demanded another.
+
+"Delicious," she said. "Did you make it, Miss Brown?"
+
+"Yes, Miss Walker."
+
+It had been purely a stroke of luck with Molly, who had no way to know
+that Miss Walker had a sweet tooth.
+
+"I must have that recipe. What makes it so light?"
+
+"The whites of eggs beaten very stiff, and the rest of it is just melted
+brown sugar. It's very easy," added Molly, forming a resolution to make
+the President a plate of "cloudbursts" without loss of time.
+
+"Who is the third girl who shares this apartment with you?" asked Miss
+Walker, unexpectedly coming back to business.
+
+"Julia Kean."
+
+"And where is she to-day?"
+
+Nance hesitated.
+
+"She is sick in bed to-day, Miss Walker."
+
+"Ahem! Cold, I suppose?"
+
+"It's more excitement than anything else," put in Molly. "The junior
+play----"
+
+"Oh, yes. She was 'Viola,' of course," said the President.
+
+"You see she had a bad attack of stage fright," continued Molly, "and
+Judy is so excitable and sensitive. She exaggerated what happened and it
+made her ill."
+
+"And what did happen? She forgot her lines, as I recall. But that often
+occurs. Even professionals have been known to forget their parts. Ellen
+Terry is quite notorious for her bad memory, but she is a great actress,
+nevertheless."
+
+The girls were silent. They wondered what in the world Miss Walker was
+driving at.
+
+"And then what happened next?"
+
+They looked at her blankly.
+
+"What happened next?" repeated Molly.
+
+"Yes. I want you to begin and tell me the whole thing from beginning to
+end."
+
+Molly rested her chin on her hand and looked out of the window. This is
+what had been familiarly spoken of in college as being "on the grill."
+
+"What do you want us to tell, Miss Walker?" asked Nance with a
+surprising amount of courage in her tones.
+
+"I want to know," said the President sternly, "where you were between
+twelve and one o'clock on Friday night."
+
+"We were on the lake," announced Nance, with keen appreciation of the
+fact that when President Walker made a direct question she expected a
+direct answer and there was no getting around it.
+
+"Alone?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"You mean to tell me that you three girls went rowing on the lake alone
+at that hour? What escapade is this?"
+
+Her voice was so stern that it made Molly quake in her boots, but Nance
+was as heroic as an early Christian martyr.
+
+"It was not a mad escapade. We did it because we had to," she answered.
+
+"Why?"
+
+Nance paused. This was the crucial point. It looked as if Miss Walker
+must be told about Judy's folly, or themselves be disgraced.
+
+"They came for me," announced a hoarse voice from the door.
+
+It was such an unexpected interruption that all three women started
+nervously, but if Molly and Nance had been more observant they would
+have noticed the President stifle a smile which twitched the corners of
+her mouth.
+
+Judy, in a long red dressing-gown, her hair in great disorder and her
+eyes glittering feverishly, came trailing into the room. In one hand she
+grasped Nance's slipper and with the other she made a dramatic gesture,
+pointing to herself.
+
+"They came for me," she repeated. "I had been angry and said cruel,
+unjust things to Molly. Everybody went off and left me after the play. I
+was locked out and I was so unhappy, I wanted to be alone. Water always
+comforts me. You see, I was born at sea, and I took a canoe from the
+boat house and paddled into the middle of the lake. Then those two Sweet
+Spirits of Niter came for me, and the canoe upset and I--I dropped my
+slipper somewhere, 5-B is the number--I don't know who found it--here's
+its mate----" Judy waved the slipper over her head and laughed wildly.
+
+"The child's delirious," exclaimed Miss Walker, smiling in spite of
+herself.
+
+They persuaded Judy to get back into bed and the President sent Nance
+flying for the doctor. Presently, when Judy had dropped off to sleep
+again, Molly finished the story of that exciting evening.
+
+"But, my dear," said the President, slipping her arm around Molly's
+waist and drawing her down on the arm of the chair, "what prompted you
+to go to the lake and nowhere else?"
+
+"I can never explain really what it was," replied Molly. "I dreamed that
+someone said 'hurry.' I wasn't even thinking of Judy when I started to
+dress. You see, we thought she had gone to bed. I hadn't thought of the
+lake, either. It was just as if I was walking in my sleep, Nance said.
+Then we found Judy wasn't in her room, and I knew she needed me. I
+remember we ran all the way to the lake."
+
+"Strange, strange!" said Miss Walker.
+
+She drew Molly's face down to her own and kissed her. There were tears
+on the President's cheek and Molly looked the other way.
+
+"Sometimes, Molly," she said after a moment, "you remind me of my dear
+sister who died twenty years ago."
+
+It was a good while before Nance returned with Dr. McLean and in the
+interval of waiting Molly and Miss Walker talked of many things. Molly
+told her how they had buried the slipper on Round Head, and of how they
+had seen the Professor and been frightened. They talked of Judy's
+temperament and of what kind of mental training Judy should have to
+learn to control her wild spirits. From that the talk drifted to Molly's
+affairs, and then she asked the President to do her the honor of
+drinking a cup of tea in her humble apartment. The two women spent an
+intimate and delightful hour together, with Judy sound asleep in the
+next room, and no one to disturb them because of that blessed Busy sign.
+
+At last Dr. McLean came blustering in, and, seeing the President and
+Molly in close converse over their cups of tea, chuckled delightedly and
+observed:
+
+"They are all alike, the women folk--the talk lasts as long as the tea
+lasts, and there's always another cup in the pot."
+
+"Have a look at your patient, doctor," said Miss Walker, "and we'll save
+that extra cup in the pot for you."
+
+The doctor was not disturbed over Judy's delirium.
+
+"It's joost quinine and excitement that's made her go a bit daffy," he
+said. "Keep her quiet for a day or so. She'll be all right."
+
+Imagine their surprise, ten minutes later, when Margaret Wakefield
+and the Williamses, peeping into the room, found Molly and Nance
+entertaining the President of Wellington and Dr. McLean at tea. The news
+spread quickly along the corridor and when the distinguished guests
+presently departed almost every girl in the Quadrangle had made it her
+business to be lingering near the stairway or wandering in the hall.
+
+Only one person heard nothing of it, and that was Minerva Higgins, who,
+after Vespers, had taken a long walk. Nobody told her about it
+afterward, because she was not popular with the Quadrangle girls and
+had formed her associations with some freshmen in the village. When it
+was given out that evening that Miss Walker had come to see about Judy,
+who had been quite ill, the talk died down.
+
+Having dropped the heavy load of responsibility they had been carrying
+for two days, Molly and Nance felt foolishly gay. Molly made Miss Walker
+a box of cloudbursts before she went to bed, while Nance read aloud a
+thrilling and highly exciting detective story borrowed from Edith
+Williams, whose shelves held books for every mood.
+
+"By the way, Nance," observed Molly, when the story was finished, "how
+do you suppose Miss Walker found it all out?"
+
+"Why, Professor Green, of course," answered Nance in a matter of fact
+voice. "There was never any doubt in my mind from the first moment she
+came into the room."
+
+"What?" cried Molly, thunderstruck.
+
+"There was no other way. He saw us burying the slipper and I suppose he
+thought it his duty to inform on us."
+
+"He didn't feel it his duty to inform on Judith Blount when she cut the
+electric wires that night," broke in Molly.
+
+"Perhaps he didn't think that was as wrong as rowing on the lake with
+boys from Exmoor. Besides, she was his relative."
+
+Molly took off her slipper and held it up as if she were going to pitch
+it with all her force across the room. Then she dropped it gently on the
+floor.
+
+"I'm disappointed," she said.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+A SWOPPING PARTY AND A MOCK TRIAL.
+
+
+There was never any tedious convalescing for Judy; no tiresome
+transition from illness to health. As soon as she determined in her mind
+that she was well, she arose from her bed and walked, and neither
+friendly remonstrances nor doctor's orders could induce her to return.
+
+On Monday morning she appeared in the sitting room wearing a black dress
+with widow's bands of white muslin around the collar and cuffs. Molly
+and Nance were a little uneasy at first, thinking that the delirium
+still lingered, but Judy seemed entirely rational.
+
+"Why, Judy," exclaimed Molly, "are you a widow?"
+
+"I shall wear mourning for awhile," answered Judy solemnly, ignoring
+Molly's facetious question. "It is my only way of showing that I am a
+penitent. I can't wear sackcloth and ashes as they do in Oriental
+countries or flagellate my shoulders with a spiked whip like a mediæval
+monk; nor can I go on a pilgrimage to a sacred shrine. So I have decided
+to give up colors for awhile and wear black."
+
+Molly kissed her and said no more. She knew that Judy went into
+everything she did heart and soul even unto the outward and visible
+symbol of clothes, and if wearing black was her way of showing public
+repentance she felt only a great respect for her friend's sincerity of
+motive.
+
+"But what are we to tell people when they ask if you have gone into
+mourning, Judy, because they certainly will?" demanded Nance, taking a
+more practical and less romantic view of the situation.
+
+"Tell them I'm doing penance," answered Judy, and thus it got out around
+college that Judy was making public amends for her angry words to Molly,
+and there was a good deal of secret amusement, of which Judy was as
+serenely unconscious as a pious pilgrim journeying barefoot to a holy
+tomb.
+
+In the midst of these happenings there came a note one day from Mrs.
+McLean inviting the three young girls to the annual junior week-end
+house party at Exmoor. Their hosts were to be Andy McLean, George Green
+and Lawrence Upton and they were to stay at the Chapter House from
+Friday night until Sunday noon. It meant a round of gayeties from
+beginning to end, but to Molly it meant something almost out of reach.
+
+"Clothes!" she exclaimed tragically, "I must have clothes. I can't go to
+Exmoor looking like little orphan Annie."
+
+It was in vain that Judy and Nance offered to share their things with
+her. Molly obstinately refused to listen to them.
+
+"I won't need any colored clothes, anyhow," said Judy.
+
+"Yes, you will, Judy. You just must come out of those widow's weeds for
+the house party," Molly urged.
+
+"No," said Judy, "I've made a vow and until that vow is fulfilled I
+shall never wear colors. I've sent two dresses down to the Wellington
+Dye Works to be dyed black. Fortunately my suit is black already and so
+is my hat. Now, I have a proposition to make, Molly. I'm in need of
+funds more than clothes just now and I'll sell you my yellow gauze for
+the contents of Martin Luther. He must be pretty full by now."
+
+"He's plumb full," answered Molly proudly. "I hadn't realized how much I
+had put in until I tried to drop a quarter in this morning, and lo, and
+behold, he couldn't accommodate another cent."
+
+She held up the china pig and shook him.
+
+"How much should you think he'd hold altogether?" asked Judy. "I don't
+want to be getting the best of the bargain and perhaps Martin Luther is
+worth more than the dress."
+
+"No, no," protested Molly. "He could never be worth that much. I think
+he has about fifteen dollars in his tum-tum. I've put in all the money
+I earned from cloudbursts and about ten dollars, changed up small, for
+tutoring."
+
+Judy insisted on adding a blue silk blouse and a pair of yellow silk
+stockings to the collection to be sold.
+
+"I'll sell them to someone else if you won't buy them," she announced,
+"and if you need a dress, you might as well take this one off my hands."
+
+"Well," Molly finally agreed, "we'll break open Martin, and count the
+money and, if there's anything like a decent sum, I'll buy the dress.
+Let's make a party of it," she added brightly. "I'll cut the hickory-nut
+cake that came from home last night, and Nance can make fudge."
+
+It was like Molly's passion for entertaining to turn the breaking open
+of the china bank into a festival. Nance had once remarked it was one
+thing to have a convivial soul and quite another to have the ready
+provisions, and Molly never invited her friends to a bare board.
+
+"Try on the dress and let's see how you look in it, Molly dear," ordered
+Judy. "We'll open the bank to-night with due ceremony, but I want to
+see you in the yellow dress now."
+
+The two girls were about the same height and build. Molly was not so
+well developed across the chest as her friend and was more slender
+through the hips. But the dress fitted her to perfection.
+
+"Oh, you're a dream," cried Nance, when Molly presently appeared in the
+yellow dress.
+
+"Molly, you are adorable," exclaimed Judy. "You always look better in my
+clothes than I do."
+
+"They always fit me better than my own," said Molly, looking at herself
+in the mirror over the mantel. "I feel like a princess," she ejaculated,
+blushing at her own charming image. "Oh, Judy, I have no right to
+deprive you of this lovely gown. Your mother, I'm sure, would be very
+angry."
+
+"Mamma is never angry," said Judy. "That is why I am so impossible.
+Besides, I told you I needed the money. I have spent all my allowance
+and I won't get another cent for two weeks."
+
+Molly took off the dress and laid it carefully in the box, stuffing
+tissue paper under the folds to prevent premature wrinkles. Her eyes
+dwelt lingeringly on the pale yellow masses of chiffon and lace.
+
+It would certainly be the solution of her troubles, and oh, the feeling
+of comfort one has in a really beautiful dress! She put the top on the
+box and pushed it away from her.
+
+"I'll decide in the morning, Judy. I can't make up my mind quite yet. It
+seems like highway robbery to take the most beautiful dress you have and
+the most expensive, too, I am certain."
+
+"I tell you I never liked the color," cried Judy. "I'm determined to
+wear black. When I have on black I feel superior to all persons wearing
+colors. It gives me dignity. There is a richness about robes of sable
+hue. Some day I'm going to have a black velvet evening dress made quite
+plain with an immense train stretching all the way across the room. My
+only ornaments will be a great diamond star in my hair and a necklace of
+the same, and I shall carry a large fan made of black ostrich
+feathers."
+
+The girls laughed at this picture of magnificence and as Molly hurried
+away to invite the guests to the spread she heard Nance remark:
+
+"You'll look like the bride of the undertaker in that costume, Judy."
+
+"Not at all. I shall look like the Queen of Night, Anna Oldham."
+
+Judy went to the door and looked out. Molly was safely around the corner
+of the Quadrangle.
+
+"Nance," she continued, "don't you think Molly would let me give her the
+dress?"
+
+Nance shook her head.
+
+"I am afraid not. You know how proud she is. It's going to be hard to
+persuade her to buy it at that price. You know it's worth lots more."
+
+Judy sighed.
+
+"If I could only do something," she said. "If I only had a chance."
+
+"Perhaps the chance will slip up on you, Judy, when you least expect it.
+That's the way chances always do," said Nance.
+
+It occurred to Judy, thinking over the matter of the yellow dress later,
+that it might be fun to have a "Barter and Exchange Party," and if all
+the girls were swopping things Molly could be more easily persuaded to
+take the yellow dress. All guests therefore were notified to bring
+anything they wanted to swop or sell to the rooms of the three friends
+that night.
+
+It turned out to be a very exciting affair. The divans were piled with
+exchangeable property. Jessie Lynch brought more things than anybody
+else, ribbon bows, silk scarfs, several dresses and a velvet toque.
+Millicent Porter, who now spent more time in the Quadrangle than at Beta
+Phi House, to the surprise of the girls, brought a rather dingy
+collection of things which no one would either swop or buy. But she
+enjoyed herself immensely. Edith Williams made two trips to carry all
+the books she wished to exchange for other books, clothes, hats or
+money. But Otoyo Sen had the most interesting collection and was the
+gayest person that night. She was willing to exchange anything she had
+just for the fun of it.
+
+It was so exciting that they forgot all about Martin Luther until the
+time arrived for refreshments and they gathered about the hickory-nut
+cake, now a famous delicacy at Wellington.
+
+"What surprises me is how pleased everybody is to get rid of something
+someone else is equally pleased to get," observed Margaret. "Now, for
+instance, I have a black hat I have always hated because it wobbles on
+my head. I feel as if I had received a gift to have exchanged it for
+this green one of Judy's. And Judy's so contented she's wearing my black
+one still."
+
+"Oh, but I am the fortunate one," said Otoyo. "I have acquired an
+excellent library for three ordinary cotton kimonos."
+
+"But such lovely kimonos," exclaimed Edith. "Katherine and I are in
+luck. Look at this pale blue dressing gown, please, for a French
+dictionary."
+
+"I have the loveliest of all," broke in Molly, "amber beads."
+
+"But they did not appear becomingly on me," protested Otoyo, not wishing
+to seem worsted in her bargains. "And what do I receive in exchange? A
+pair of beautiful knitted slippers for winter time, so warm, so
+comfortable."
+
+"They were too little for me," announced Molly. "It was no deprivation
+to exchange them for a beautiful necklace. Really, Judy, this was a most
+original scheme of yours."
+
+"But what about Martin Luther?" asked someone. "I thought this spread
+was really for the purpose of counting up the pennies he had been
+accumulating."
+
+Molly took the china pig from the shelf and placed him on the table.
+
+"How shall I break him?" she asked. "Shall I crush him with one blow of
+the hammer, or shall I knock off his head on the steam heater?"
+
+"Poor Martin!" ejaculated Edith. "He's not a wild boar to be hunted down
+and exterminated. He's a kindly domestic animal who has performed the
+task set for him by a wise providence. I think he should choose his own
+death."
+
+"Every condemned man has a right to a lawyer," said Margaret. "I offer
+my services to Martin Luther and will consult him in private."
+
+"We'll give him a trial by jury," broke in Katherine.
+
+"But what's he accused of?" demanded Molly.
+
+"He's accused of withholding funds held in trust for you," put in
+Margaret promptly.
+
+There was a great deal of fun at the expense of Martin Luther and his
+mock trial. Katherine presided as Judge. There were two witnesses for
+the defense and two on the other side, and Margaret's speech for the
+accused would have done credit to a real lawyer. The jury, consisting of
+three girls, Otoyo, Mabel Hinton and Rosomond Chase--Millicent Porter
+had excused herself with the plea of a headache and departed--sat on the
+case five minutes and decided that the pig should be made to surrender
+Molly's fund in the quickest possible time and by the quickest possible
+means.
+
+It was almost time to separate for the night when Molly at last placed
+Martin Luther on a tray in the center of the table and with a sharp rap
+of the hammer broke him into little bits.
+
+If interest had not been so concentrated on the amount of money hidden
+in the pig, perhaps it might have occurred to the company that Molly
+and her two friends had been playing a joke on them when they looked at
+the heap of ruins on the tray. But if this suspicion did enter the mind
+of anyone, it was dissolved at once at sight of Molly's white face and
+quivering lips.
+
+"My money!" she gasped.
+
+What happened was this. When the china pig was demolished, there rolled
+from his ruins no silver money but a varied collection of buttons and
+bogus stage money made of tin. Only about a dollar in real silver was to
+be found.
+
+"What a blow is this!" at last exclaimed Molly, breaking the silence.
+
+"But what does it mean?" demanded Rosomond.
+
+"It means," said Nance, "that someone has taken all Molly's savings out
+of the china pig and substituted--this."
+
+She pointed to the pile of stage money.
+
+"But they couldn't have done it," cried Judy. "How could they have
+fished it up through such a small slot?"
+
+"What a low, miserable trick!" cried Katherine.
+
+It was a despicable action. Who among all the bright, intelligent
+students at Wellington could have been capable of such a dastardly
+thing? They agreed that it must have been a student. None of the college
+attendants could have planned it out so carefully.
+
+"Who else has missed things?" asked Margaret with a sudden thought.
+
+"I have," replied Jessie, "but I never mentioned it because I'm so
+careless and it did seem to be my own fault. I lost five dollars last
+week out of my purse. I left it on the window sill in the gym. and
+forgot about it. When I came back later the purse was there, but the
+money was gone."
+
+"How horrid!" cried Molly, her soul revolting in disgust at anything
+dishonest.
+
+"To tell you the truth I have not been able to find my gold beads for
+nearly two weeks," put in Judy. "I haven't seen them since--" she paused
+and flushed, "since the night of our play. I remember leaving them on
+my dressing table that morning."
+
+Molly and Nance exchanged glances, recalling the mysterious visitor to
+their room that night.
+
+Several of the other girls had missed small sums of money and jewelry
+which they had not thought of mentioning at the time.
+
+"But how on earth was this managed?" demanded Jessie, pointing
+dramatically to the broken china pig.
+
+"I suspect," replied Molly, "that this is not the real Martin Luther.
+When I bought him there were several others just like him on the shelf
+at the store. Whoever did this must have bought another Martin and the
+stage money at the same time. They have a lot of it at the store, silver
+and greenbacks, too. I saw it myself when I bought Martin. They keep it
+for class plays, I suppose."
+
+There was a long discussion about what ought to be done. The housekeeper
+must be told, of course, next morning and a list of all missing
+articles made out, headed by Molly's loss of almost fifteen dollars.
+
+It was rather a tragic ending to the jolly hickory-nut cake party. Molly
+tried to laugh away her disappointment about her savings, but she could
+not disguise to herself what it actually meant.
+
+"I'm afraid I can't buy your dress, Judy," she announced, when the
+company had disbanded. "I'll mend up one of last year's dresses. It will
+be all right. It's a lesson to me not to place so much importance on
+clothes."
+
+Judy said nothing, but she made a mental resolution that Molly should
+have that dress.
+
+The next morning the housekeeper was properly notified of what had
+happened and it was not long before the rumor spread that somewhere
+about college there dwelt a thief. So remote did such a person seem from
+the Wellington girls that the thief came to be regarded as a kind of
+evil spirit lurking in the shadows and gliding through the halls.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+ALARMS AND DISCOVERIES.
+
+
+Several things of importance to this history happened during the week
+before the house party at Exmoor.
+
+One morning, just before chapel, Molly was visited by several members of
+the Shakespearean Society, who presented her with a scroll of membership
+and fastened a pin on her blouse. They then solemnly shook hands and
+marched out in good order. By this token Molly became a full fledged
+member of that exclusive body. Margaret Wakefield, Jessie Lynch and
+Edith Williams were also taken into the society. Most of the other girls
+in the circle were elected to the various societies that day. Judy and
+Katherine became "Olla Podridas," which, as all Wellington knows, is
+Spanish for mixed soup. Nance was elected into the "Octogons," and all
+the girls belonged to one or the other of the two big Greek letter
+societies.
+
+If Judy had any feelings regarding the Shakespeareans, she was careful
+to keep them well hidden under her gay and laughing exterior.
+
+The Shakespeareans at Beta Phi House gave a supper for the new members,
+and later Millicent Porter, in a stunning, theatrical looking costume of
+old blue velvet, received them in her rooms. Margaret and Edith wore
+their best to this affair. The Shakespeareans were a dressy lot.
+
+"I wonder why, in the name of goodness, they ever asked me to belong,"
+exclaimed Molly to herself, as she got into her white muslin, which was
+really the best she could do. "I wish I could surprise somebody with
+something," her thoughts continued. "College friends are just like
+members of the same family. I can't even surprise the girls with a
+shirtwaist. They are intimately acquainted with every rag I possess."
+
+Molly enjoyed the Beta Phi party, however, in spite of her dress, which
+Millicent Porter had dignified by calling it a "lingerie."
+
+"How much nicer you look than the other girls in more elaborate things,"
+she said admiringly.
+
+Molly felt gratified.
+
+"I don't feel nicer," she said. "I have a weakness for fine clothes. I
+love to hear the rustle of silk against silk. Your blue velvet dress is
+like a beautiful picture to me. I could look and look at it. There's a
+kind of depth to it like mist on blue water."
+
+Millicent bridled with pleased vanity.
+
+"It is rather nice," she admitted modestly. "It's a French dress made by
+the same dressmaker who designs clothes for a big actress. Don't you
+want to see some of my work? I have put it on exhibition to-night. I
+thought it would interest the new members. The girls here are quite
+familiar with it, of course."
+
+Molly was delighted to see the craftsmanship of this unusual young
+woman, who appeared to be a peculiar mixture of pretentiousness and
+genius.
+
+When, presently, she led Molly into the little den where her silver work
+was spread out on view it was almost as if she had turned into a little
+old man and was taking a customer into the back of his shop.
+
+Some of the other girls had followed and they now stood in an admiring
+circle around the table whereon were displayed rings and necklaces,
+buckles and several silver platters.
+
+"You are a wonder," cried Molly, deeply impressed.
+
+Millicent accepted this compliment with a complacent smile.
+
+"Papa and mamma think I am," she remarked, "but I have artistic
+knowledge enough to know that this is only a beginning. When I am able
+to make a bas-relief of Greek dancing figures on a silver box, I shall
+call myself really great. At present I am only near-great."
+
+"What are you going to do with these things?" asked Margaret.
+
+"Oh, nothing. They just accumulate and I pack them away. I don't have
+to sell any of them, of course."
+
+"Don't you want to exhibit some of them at the George Washington
+Bazaar?" asked Margaret. "The Bazaar will sell them for you at ten per
+cent commission. The money goes to the student fund. You can have a
+booth if you like and dress up as Benvenuto Cellini or some famous
+worker in silver. I am chairman and can make any appointments I choose."
+
+Molly could hardly keep from smiling over the expression on Millicent's
+face. The worker in silver and the dealer in antiques were struggling
+for supremacy in the soul of their descendant.
+
+"Oh," she cried in great excitement, "I will fix it up like a Florentine
+shop, full of beautiful old stuffs and curios. It will be the most
+beautiful booth in the Bazaar. And I will choose Miss Brown to assist
+me. You shall be dressed as a Florentine lady of the Renaissance. I have
+the very costume."
+
+Now Margaret, as Chairman of the Bazaar, preferred all appointments to
+be made officially, but seeing that Millicent was very much in earnest
+and that such a booth would greatly add to the picturesqueness of the
+affair, she made no objections.
+
+"There is one thing I would advise you to do, Miss Porter," she said
+when the plan was settled, "and that is to keep your silver things under
+lock and key because there is a thief about in Wellington. You might as
+well know it, because, sooner or later, you'll lose something. We all of
+us have. My monogram ring went this morning. I left it on the marble
+slab in the wash room and when I came back for it not three minutes
+later it was gone."
+
+"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Molly, "I do hate things like that to happen. Why
+will people do such things?"
+
+Millicent shrugged her shoulders.
+
+"Perhaps they can't help themselves," she answered. "I've lost a few
+little things myself," she added. "But come into my room, Miss Brown,
+and let's talk about your costume. I have a gold net cap that will be
+charming."
+
+For the next half hour Molly was lost in the delights of Millicent's
+collection of beautiful theatrical costumes, pieces of old brocades and
+velvets. She drew them carelessly from a carved oak chest and tossed
+them on the bed in a shimmering mass of rich colors. Molly lingered so
+late over these "rich stuffs" that she was obliged to run all the way
+back to the Quadrangle and fell breathless and exhausted on a stone
+bench just inside the court as the watchman closed the gates.
+
+Nance and Judy were late, too. Nance had been to a secret conclave of
+the Octogons and Judy had been having a jolly, convivial time with the
+Olla Podridas. The three girls met in their sitting room as the last
+stroke of ten vibrated through the building. They were undressing in the
+dark stealthily, in order to avoid the eager eye of the housekeeper, who
+was not popular, when they heard a great racket in the corridor.
+
+"What's the matter? What's the matter?" called several voices through
+half open doors.
+
+The housekeeper making her rounds for the night passed them on the run.
+
+"I've been robbed! I've been robbed!" wailed the voice of Minerva
+Higgins. "I won't stand having my things stolen from me. Who has dared
+enter my room?"
+
+"What have you been robbed of?" asked the matron sharply. She was a lazy
+woman and detested disturbances.
+
+"Two of my best gold medals I won at Mill Town High School. They were
+pure gold and very valuable."
+
+"Good riddance," laughed Judy. "If anything in school could be spared,
+it is her gold medals."
+
+"You're only in the same box with all the rest of us, Miss Higgins,"
+called a student who roomed across the hall. "Everybody in the
+Quadrangle has lost something."
+
+"They haven't lost gold medals," cried Minerva. "They haven't had them
+to lose. I could have spared anything else. I valued them more than
+everything I possess. They will be heirlooms some day for my children
+to show with pride."
+
+There were stifled laughs from several of the rooms, and someone called
+out:
+
+"Suppose you don't have any?"
+
+"Then she'll leave 'em to her grandchildren," called another voice.
+
+"Poor, silly, little thing," exclaimed Molly, as the matron, intensely
+annoyed, went heavily past.
+
+"Old Fatty's gone now. Let's light a lamp," suggested Judy, who either
+felt intense respect or none at all for all persons. There was no
+moderation in her feelings one way or the other.
+
+"It's a queer thing about this thief-business," sighed Molly. "It makes
+me uncomfortable. I can't think of anyone I could even remotely suspect
+of such a thing."
+
+"She must be a real klep.," observed Judy, "or she never would want the
+fair Minerva's gold medals. They're of no use to anybody but Minerva."
+
+"Do you suppose Miss Walker will get another detective like Miss Steel?"
+asked Nance. "She was a fine one. The way she tipped around on
+noiseless felt slippers and listened outside people's doors was enough
+to scare any thief."
+
+"Oh, yes," said Judy. "She was the real thing. And she wanted everything
+quiet. If Minerva Higgins had set up a yowl like that at Queen's she
+would have been properly sat upon by Miss Steel."
+
+If Molly's mind had been especially acute that evening she would have
+noticed that her two friends were keeping up a sort of continuous duet
+as they lingered over their undressing. As it was, she barely heard
+their chatter because she was thinking of something far removed from
+thieves and detectives.
+
+"We'll be called down about the light if you don't hurry, girls," she
+cautioned. "Why are you so slow?"
+
+"By the way, did you know there was a package over here on the table
+addressed to you, Molly?" said Nance.
+
+"Why, no; what can it be?"
+
+Filled with curiosity, Molly made haste to cut the string around a
+square pasteboard box. Whatever was inside had been wrapped in
+quantities of white tissue paper.
+
+"It feels like china," cried Molly, tearing off the wrappings. "Why
+it's----"
+
+"It's after ten, young ladies," said a stern voice outside the door.
+
+Judy turned out the light.
+
+"It's Martin Luther, girls," whispered Molly.
+
+Judy crept to her room and returned presently with a little electric
+dark lantern her father had given her. This she flashed on the china
+pig.
+
+"One sinner hath repented," she whispered. "It is Martin."
+
+Nance reached for the hammer.
+
+"Break him open," she ordered. "Let's, see if the money's safe. He might
+be filled with stage money, too."
+
+Molly struck Martin Luther with the hammer, muffling the sound with a
+corner of the rug. The flashlight revealed quantities of silver.
+
+"Oh, girls!" she exclaimed, "I've got it all back. I'm glad the thief
+repented and I'm glad, oh, so glad, to get the money."
+
+"And now the sale is on again," said Judy, jumping about the room in a
+wild, noiseless dance.
+
+"I can't resist it," ejaculated Molly. "I'll buy the dress if you really
+want to sell it, Judy."
+
+They looked carefully at the address on the box. It was printed with a
+soft pencil and merely said: "Miss M. Brown."
+
+"I suppose the girl felt sorry," Molly remarked. "But it's a pity she
+started up so soon again after her repentance and took Minerva's
+medals."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+"THE MOVING FINGER WRITES."
+
+
+The girls had agreed to pack all their clothes in one trunk and carry
+a suitcase apiece to the Junior Week-End Party at Exmoor. Nance was
+official packer and stood knee-deep in finery while she considered
+whether it was better to begin with party capes or slippers. Molly was
+studying and Judy was stretched on the divan idly swinging one foot.
+
+Otoyo poked her head in the door.
+
+"May I ask advice of kind friends?"
+
+Molly looked up and smiled. She had once heard a preacher say that
+humility was as necessary to a well-rounded character as a sense of
+humor and she could see now what he meant. Otoyo was an excellent
+illustration. She was filled with humble gratitude for little
+kindnesses, never boasted and never forgot her perfect manners.
+
+"Indeed, you may, little one," spoke up Judy. "Come right in and state
+your grievances."
+
+"Oh, I have no grievances. I have only happinesses," said Otoyo. "But I
+am packing and I wish to ask advices regarding clothes."
+
+"Clothes for what?"
+
+"For Exmoor," replied Otoyo, blushing and casting down her eyes.
+
+"Why, you dear little Jap, you didn't tell us," exclaimed Molly.
+
+"I have obtained the knowledge of it myself only this morning. Mrs.
+McLean has so kindly offered to look after little Japanese girl."
+
+"And who is your escort?" they demanded in one chorus.
+
+"Professor Green," said Otoyo, trying not to show how intensely proud
+she felt of the honor. "He is what you call 'a-lum-nus,'" she said, "and
+he invites me to go with him, and Mr. Andrew McLean, junior, is making
+out a card of dances for me. Is it not wonderful? And is it not of
+great good fortune that I have now learned to dance?" She began circling
+about the room. "Only I can do it much better alone. Poor little
+Japanese girl will be frightened to dance with American gentleman."
+
+The girls laughed again.
+
+"You are an adorable little person," exclaimed Molly, kissing her, "and
+young American gentleman will be only too glad to dance with little
+Japanese girl."
+
+Otoyo was now well provided with clothes, and there being still plenty
+of room in the trunk, they allowed her to pack two evening dresses and a
+diminutive black satin party wrap with their things.
+
+Molly was half sorry that Professor Green was going. Except at classes,
+she had never seen him since that Sunday morning on Round Head. Once he
+had smiled at her like an old friend when they had met in the main hall,
+but she was careful not to return the smile and bowed coldly.
+
+"Yes, I am disappointed," she had thought. "I am glad Prexy found out
+about us that night, but he needn't have been the one to tell. I hope I
+shall be too much engaged in having a good time at Exmoor to see him. I
+am glad Lawrence Upton is going to look after me, because he always does
+so much for one. It was nice of Professor Green to take Otoyo. He is
+kind, of course."
+
+However, that afternoon when the trolley started with its load of
+Wellington guests for Exmoor--there were several other parties--Molly
+found herself seated between Mrs. McLean and Professor Green. How it had
+happened she could not tell. She had intended to sit anywhere but next
+the Professor, whom she regarded as a false friend. But there she was
+and the Professor was saying:
+
+"Miss Brown, you and I have been almost strangers of late. Are you
+working so hard that you have no time for old friends this winter?"
+
+Molly paused for an instant to consider what she should reply to this
+question. Then she said a thing so bitter and foreign to her nature
+that the Professor gave a start of surprise and Molly felt that someone
+else must have said it.
+
+"I have plenty of time for really _loyal_ friends, Professor Green," she
+said in a frigid tone of voice. She turned her back and began to talk to
+Mrs. McLean, and for the rest of the trip the Professor devoted himself
+to Otoyo.
+
+Molly was in high spirits when she reached Exmoor. She was determined
+not to let her cruel speech ruin her good time. But through all the
+gayeties of that afternoon and evening, at the teas, the dinner and the
+Glee Club concert, the tang of its bitterness reached her. Across the
+aisle at the concert she could see Professor Green sitting by Otoyo,
+smiling gravely while the little Japanese girl entertained him, but
+never once did he look in Molly's direction. A lump rose in her throat
+and she dropped her gaze to the program.
+
+"It is never right to make mean speeches," she decided, "no matter how
+much provocation one has."
+
+"Aren't you having a good time?" asked Lawrence Upton at her side. "You
+look a little tired."
+
+"I'm having a lovely time," answered Molly, "and I thought I was looking
+my best."
+
+"Oh, you couldn't look any better. I think you are--well, the prettiest
+girl in the room. I meant there was a kind of sad look in your eyes."
+
+"Don't try to cover it up with compliments," answered Molly. "When a
+thing's said, you can't change it, you know. It's like this:
+
+    "'The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
+      Moves on; nor all your Piety nor Wit
+      Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
+      Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.'"
+
+"Please don't be so severe, Miss Molly," said Lawrence humbly.
+
+"I wasn't thinking of what you said, particularly," said Molly. "I was
+thinking of any speech one might make and regret and never be able to
+recall."
+
+"You _are_ sad," said Lawrence. "I was certain of it. Will it make you
+any gladder to hear about to-morrow? You are engaged for every hour in
+the day. I had a great to-do keeping a little time for myself. Three
+fellows wanted to take you driving in the morning, but I reserved that
+privilege for yours truly. Dodo and I are going to drive you and Miss
+Judy over to Hillesdell after breakfast. Then there's the Junior Lunch.
+That's quite a big affair, you know. It's like a reception. Prexy always
+comes to that and any of the alumni who happen to be down. A crowd of
+them come usually. Andy's giving a tea in the Chapter rooms and there
+are some other teas, and then come the dinner and the ball."
+
+"If there's anything left of us by then," said Molly, laughing.
+
+It was an intermission and everybody was visiting as they did at the
+Wellington Glee Club concerts. Molly, the center of a jolly crowd of
+young people, joined in the merriment and talk and all the time there
+was a taste of bitterness on her lips and in her ear a voice kept
+dinning over and over:
+
+"I have plenty of time for really loyal friends, Professor Green."
+
+That night, when they had gone to bed in their rooms in the Chapter
+House, they were serenaded by a roving band of juniors. When at last the
+serenaders moved away and the house was still, Molly could not go to
+sleep.
+
+Dozens of times she repeated her cruel speech. She analyzed and parsed
+it, as she used to parse sentences years before in her first lessons in
+grammar. She named the subject, the predicate, the object, and modifying
+words. She tried to define the meaning of the word loyal. What were its
+synonyms? Faithful was one, of course. When she closed her eyes, she
+could see her speech written in red across a black background like a
+flaming sign. Was the Professor hurt or angry or both? She recalled
+every kindness he had ever done for her and there were many. She
+remembered with a burning blush what pains he and his sister had taken
+to make her have a happy Christmas a year ago. He had informed President
+Walker on her, of course, but he was only doing his duty. And she had
+made that cruel speech!
+
+"I have plenty of time for really loyal friends, Professor Green."
+
+Her mind traveled in a circle. She tossed and turned, trying one side
+until it ached and then trying the other; resting on her back for a
+moment and finding the position intolerable.
+
+At last she fell asleep and woke up stiff and weary in the morning,
+devoutly wishing the day were well over.
+
+She had hoped to see Professor Green in the morning, if only for a
+moment, but he had returned to Wellington, leaving the entertainment of
+Otoyo in charge of some of his brother's friends.
+
+Of what earthly pleasure is a beautiful corn-colored evening gown when
+one's heart is like a lump of lead and one's conscience heavy within?
+
+All her numerous partners at the ball could not console Molly, nor could
+the knowledge that she was looking her best as she floated through the
+dances in her diaphanous dress.
+
+"I know now how Judy felt after she was so unkind to me at the junior
+play," she thought, "and, if heaven is kind to me, I hope never to say
+anything to hurt anyone again."
+
+In the meantime there were those who were enjoying themselves to the
+utmost limit of enjoyment.
+
+Otoyo Sen, in a seventh heaven, was dancing with young Andy, who towered
+above her like a lighthouse over a cottage.
+
+Judy in her black dress was sparkling with vivacity. Her fluffy light
+brown hair gleamed yellow and her skin was cream white, against the dark
+folds of her chiffon frock. Could this be the same Judy who, only a few
+weeks ago, was contemplating--heaven knows what?
+
+Nance, with one eye on Andy, was also happy and light-hearted. How trim
+and charming she looked in her white silk dress!
+
+Molly found herself laughing and talking a great deal, and all the time
+she was thinking:
+
+"We'll be back to-morrow at noon. On Monday the holidays begin. Oh, if I
+can only see him before he goes!"
+
+A great many young men came down to the station to see them off next
+morning. There was a din of farewells. On all sides girlish voices were
+calling:
+
+"Good-bye!"
+
+"It was the jolliest dance!"
+
+"I never had a better time in all my life!"
+
+"Awfully nice of you to ask us."
+
+Molly had joined in the chorus with the others and had grasped many
+outstretched hands and smiled and waved her handkerchief and listened to
+Otoyo in one ear, crying:
+
+"Oh, Mees Brown, I do like the American young gentleman veree much,"
+while Judy in the other was saying:
+
+"Wasn't it glorious fun? I never saw you look better. I have a dozen
+compliments for you."
+
+The car fairly crept back to Wellington, so it seemed to poor Molly. At
+last they arrived and a carry-all took them back to the Quadrangle.
+
+Without waiting to explain, she left her suitcase in the hall and ran to
+the cloisters. Pausing at the door marked "E. A. Green," she knocked
+urgently.
+
+There was no answer. A door farther down the corridor was opened and the
+professor of French looked out.
+
+"Professor Green has gone away," he said. "He will not return until
+after the holidays."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+AN INVITATION AND AN APOLOGY.
+
+
+Millicent Porter invited Molly to go to New York with her for the
+holidays and visit in the grand Porter mansion. Molly understood it was
+a palace filled with tapestries and fine pictures. Millicent had
+mentioned all those things casually. They would go to the theaters and
+the opera and ride about in motor cars. But Molly was glad she had kept
+her head and declined.
+
+"I have some work to do, Millicent," she said. "I appreciate your
+invitation, but I can't accept it."
+
+"You must," exclaimed Millicent, too accustomed to having her own way to
+take no for an answer. "Is it clothes?" she added. Somehow, she gave the
+impression of not being used to wealth.
+
+Molly hardly felt intimate enough with her to go into the subject of
+her own poverty and answered briefly:
+
+"Not entirely."
+
+Millicent was not famous for generosity and the basket of red roses sent
+to Molly on the night of the junior play had been her one outburst; but
+she was determined to have Molly go home with her at any cost.
+
+"Because," she continued, "if it's a question of clothes, I can arrange
+that perfectly. My dresses will fit you if they are lengthened
+and--well, there'll be plenty of clothes. Don't bother about that. Your
+yellow dress is good enough for anything----"
+
+"I should say it was," thought Molly, rather indignantly. "Good enough
+for the likes of you or anybody else."
+
+"I'll lend you my mink coat and turban," went on this munificent young
+person, "and I have a big black velvet hat that would look awfully well
+on you. Now, you must come, please. I want you to see my studio at the
+top of the house. To tell you the truth, I'm rather lonesome in New
+York. I don't know any girls well, because I've never stayed at one
+school long enough to make friends."
+
+"What's the reason of that?" asked Molly.
+
+"Oh, I always get tired or something," answered the other carelessly.
+"But say you'll come, do, please," she went on pathetically. Then,
+unable to stifle her grand airs, she said: "I doubt if you have such
+fine houses as ours in the south."
+
+"Oh, no," answered Molly, quickly, "I doubt if we have. Our homes are
+very old and simple. The only works of art are family portraits. We have
+no tapestry or statuary. The house I was born in," she went on
+half-smiling to herself, "was built by my great-grandfather. Most of the
+furniture came down from him, too. Some of it's quite decrepit now, but
+we keep it polished up. My earliest recollection is rubbing the
+mahogany. You would doubtless think our house very empty and plain. We
+have some old crimson damask curtains in the parlor, but the rest of the
+curtains are made of ten-cent dimity. There is no furnace. We depend on
+coal fires in the bedrooms and wood fires in the other rooms and we
+nearly freeze if there's a cold winter. We have no plumbing. Every
+member of the family has his own tub and there are six extra ones for
+company. A little colored boy named Sam brings us hot water every
+morning for our baths. He gets it from a big boiler attached to the
+kitchen stove, and when we are done bathing he has to carry it all down
+again. Rather a nuisance, isn't it? But Sam doesn't mind. Oh, I daresay
+you'd think our house was a kind of a hovel." Molly paused and looked at
+Millicent strangely. There was a hidden fire in her deep blue eyes. "As
+for me," she said, "no palace in all New York or anywhere else could be
+as beautiful to me as my home."
+
+Millicent looked uncomfortable.
+
+"Be it ever so homely, there's no face like one's own," cried Judy, who
+at that moment had come into the room and caught Molly's last words.
+"What's all this talk about home?"
+
+"I was just telling Millicent about the old-fashioned, whitewashed
+brick palace wherein I was born," answered Molly.
+
+"I'm sorry you won't accept my invitation," said Millicent, taking no
+notice of Judy whatever. "Perhaps, after you think about it awhile
+you'll change your mind." Her manner was heavy and patronizing, and
+implied without words:
+
+"After you have had time to consider the honor I am paying you and the
+advantages of visiting in my splendid home, you cannot fail to accept."
+
+"You are very kind, Millicent, but I shall not reconsider it," announced
+Molly coldly. "I have made up my mind to spend Christmas right here in
+the Quadrangle. I hope you'll have a beautiful time. Good-bye." They
+shook hands formally.
+
+"I'll try to see the best in her," she thought, "but I'd rather not see
+it at close hand. She grates on me."
+
+Judy waved an open letter with a dramatic gesture.
+
+"Oh, Molly, dearest, I'm glad you didn't accept. It's my own selfish
+pleasure that makes me glad, but I'm going to spend Christmas right here
+in the Quadrangle, too."
+
+Molly looked at her friend's eager, excited face in surprise.
+
+"Do you mean your mother and father are coming here?"
+
+"No, no. They're on the Pacific Coast, you know, and will be detained
+until spring. It's too far for me to take the trip just for the few days
+I could spend with them, so I'm going to stay here."
+
+A year ago Judy would have been in the depths of despair over a
+separation from her beloved parents at this holiday time. But whether
+she had gained poise by her recent sufferings or whether spending
+Christmas with her friend in the big empty Quadrangle appealed to her
+romantic nature, it would be difficult to tell. Through all the
+complexities of her nature her devotion to Molly was interwoven like a
+silver thread, and the shame and remorse she still felt in looking back
+on that unhappy evening when she had denounced her friend only seemed
+to draw the two girls more closely together.
+
+Molly gave her a joyous hug.
+
+"Oh, Judy, I am so happy. I never dreamed of such a blessing as this.
+Even Otoyo is going away this year and hardly half a dozen girls are
+left in the Quadrangle. I am truly glad I had the courage to decline
+Millicent's invitation. It was only for one instant I was tempted to go,
+but she ruined it by a patronizing speech."
+
+"What a singular little creature she is," observed Judy. "She has no
+charm, if she can beat on silver; and she's so awfully conscious of her
+wealth. I don't know how I could ever have admired her. I suppose I was
+lured in the beginning by her fine clothes and her grand way of
+talking."
+
+"She is very talented," Molly continued, "but, as you say, she lacks
+charm. Perhaps she would have been different if she had been poor and
+obliged to turn her gifts to some use. After all, I think we are happier
+than rich girls. We are not afraid to be ourselves. We wear old clothes
+and we have an object in view when we work, because we want to earn
+money."
+
+"Earn money," repeated Judy. "I only wish I could give papa the surprise
+of his life by earning a copper cent."
+
+Molly was silent. Her own earning capacity had not been great that
+winter. She had kept herself in pin money by tutoring, but lately she
+had made an alarming discovery. When she had first started to college,
+teaching had been the ultimate goal of her ambitions. She intended to be
+a teacher in a private school and perhaps later have a school of her
+own, as Nance wished to do.
+
+Now, as her horizon broadened and her tastes and perceptions began
+taking form and shape, she found herself drifting farther and farther
+away from her early ambition. Something was waking up in her mind that
+had been asleep. It was like a voice crying to be heard, still immensely
+far away and inarticulate, but growing clearer and more insistent all
+the time.
+
+It made her uneasy and unsettled. She yearned to express herself, but
+the power had not yet arrived.
+
+The two girls went down to the village that afternoon to see the last
+trainload of students pull out of Wellington station, and later to make
+some purchases at the general store. It was Christmas Eve and the
+streets were filled with shoppers from the country around Wellington.
+Molly was trying to recall the words of a poem she had heard ages back,
+the rhythm of which was beating in her head, and Judy was endeavoring to
+explain to herself why she felt neither homesick nor blue on this the
+first Christmas ever spent away from her parents.
+
+They paused to look in at the window of a florist who did a thriving
+business in Wellington. A motor car was waiting in front of the shop.
+
+"We must have some Christmas decorations, too," exclaimed Judy about to
+enter, when the way was blocked by a crowd of people coming out. "What
+pretty girls!" continued Judy in a whisper, looking admiringly at two
+young women who came first.
+
+The prettiest one, who had red hair not unlike Molly's and brown eyes,
+called over her shoulder:
+
+"Edwin, I shan't save you a seat beside me unless you're there to claim
+it."
+
+"I'll be there, Alice, never fear," answered Professor Green, hurrying
+after her with an armload of holly and cedar garlands.
+
+Molly stood rooted to the spot while the shoppers crowded into the car.
+
+"If I could only tell him how sorry I am for that cruel speech," she
+thought.
+
+With a sudden determination, she rushed toward the car, calling:
+
+"Professor!"
+
+The girl named Alice looked around quickly, but apparently she did not
+choose to see Molly, and as the car moved off she began laughing and
+talking in a very sprightly and vivacious manner.
+
+Molly sighed. The longer an apology is delayed the more trivial and
+insignificant it becomes.
+
+"He probably has forgotten all about it," she thought. "He seems happy
+enough with Alice, whoever she is. Perhaps what I said hurt me more
+than it did him, but, oh, I do wish I had seen him before he went away.
+It would have been different then, I'm sure."
+
+She followed Judy into the flower store. Mrs. McLean was there with
+Andy.
+
+"Why, here are two lassies left over!" cried the good woman.
+
+"What luck, mother!" said Andy. "Now we'll have some fun. We'll give a
+dinner and a dance, and Larry and Dodo will come over. We will, won't
+we, mother?"
+
+"What a coaxer you are, Andy. You're still a lad of ten and not
+nineteen, I'm sure."
+
+"Don't you let him persuade you to give parties when you're not of a
+mind to do it, Mrs. McLean," put in Judy.
+
+"I wouldn't miss the chance, my dear. I like it as much as he does.
+We'll have it to-morrow night and you'll come prepared to be as merry as
+can be and cheer up the doctor. He has been so busy of late he has
+forgotten how to enjoy himself."
+
+"It doesn't look as if we were going to spend such a quiet Christmas
+after all, Judy," laughed Molly, when Mrs. McLean and Andy had gone.
+
+Judy was engaged in selecting all the most branching and leafy boughs of
+holly she could find, while the florist looked on uneasily.
+
+That afternoon they spent an hour beautifying their yellow sitting room.
+And all the time Molly's mind was harking back to Christmas a year ago,
+when the Greens had busied themselves preparing such a delightful party
+for Otoyo and her.
+
+"And I said he was not a loyal friend," she said to herself. "Oh, if I
+could only unsay those words!"
+
+She sat down at her desk and seized a pen.
+
+"What are you going to do?" asked an inner voice.
+
+"I am going to write a note and tell him I'm sorry, and then I'm going
+over to the cloisters and slip it under his door. It will ease my mind,
+even if he doesn't get the note until he comes back. He'll know then
+that I couldn't go to sleep Christmas Eve until I had apologized."
+
+The note finished, she carefully addressed and sealed it. Judy was in
+her own room composing a joint letter to her mother and father, and did
+not see Molly when she slipped out of the room and hurried downstairs.
+Outside, the pale winter twilight still lingered and the sky was piled
+high with fleecy white clouds.
+
+"It's going to snow," thought Molly, as she hurried along the arcade and
+opened the little oak door leading into the cloisters.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+A CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY THAT WAS NEVER TOLD.
+
+
+It was quite dark in the corridor whereon opened the cloister offices.
+All the teachers had gone away for the holidays and the place was as
+ghostly as a deserted monastery.
+
+"I can't say I'd like to be here alone on a dark night, if it is such a
+young cloister. It seems to have been born old like some children,"
+Molly thought.
+
+She coughed and the sound reverberated in the arched ceiling and came
+back to her an empty echo.
+
+Pausing at Professor Green's door, she stooped to shove the note
+underneath, when, to her surprise, the door opened at her touch and
+swung lightly back.
+
+With an exclamation, Molly started back, leaving the note on the floor.
+Leaning against one of the deep silled windows, just where the fast
+fading light fell across his face, stood a tall, stoop-shouldered man.
+In the flashing glimpse Molly caught of him before she turned and fled,
+she noticed that he resembled an old gray eagle with a thin beak of a
+nose and a worn white face; and that his dark eyes were quite close
+together. The rest of him was lost in the black shadows of the room.
+
+Once out of the ghostly corridor and the heavy oak door shut between her
+and the strange visitor in the Professor's office, Molly paused and took
+a deep breath.
+
+"In the name of goodness," she cried, "what have I just seen? If he had
+stirred or blinked an eyelash or even appeared to breathe, I should at
+least have felt he was human."
+
+The big empty hall of the Quadrangle seemed a cheerful spot in
+comparison with the cloister corridor. It was warm and light and from
+the seniors' parlor came the sound of piano playing. But Molly never
+paused to look in and see what belated student was cheering herself with
+music. Only her own sitting room with its gay holiday decorations and
+Judy twanging the guitar could recall her to a world of realities.
+Before she reached the door she had made up her mind that it would be
+just as well not to tell the excitable and impressionable Judy anything
+about the apparition or whatever it was in the Professor's study. It was
+really an act of self-denial, because it would have been decidedly
+interesting to discuss the episode with Judy.
+
+"I would have told Nance," she thought. "She would have agreed with me,
+I am sure, that it couldn't have been a ghost because, of course, there
+are no such things. But if I tell Judy, I know perfectly well she will
+persuade me it was a ghost and we'll be frightened to death all night."
+
+Judy, still wearing her widow's weeds, was singing a doleful ballad when
+Molly hurried in, called "By the Bonnie Milldams o' Binnorie." Molly was
+fond of this ancient song, but she was in no mood to listen to it just
+then.
+
+    "'The youngest stood upon a stane,
+      The eldest cam' and pushed her in.
+      Oh, sister, sister, reach your hand,
+      And ye sall be heir to half my land;
+      Oh, sister, sister, reach but your glove,
+      And sweet William sall be your love.'"
+
+The guitar gave out a mournful twang.
+
+"Talk about impressionable people, I'm worse than she is," thought
+Molly. "I'll shriek aloud if she doesn't stop this minute."
+
+Just then the six o'clock bell boomed out and Molly did give a loud
+nervous exclamation.
+
+Judy dropped the guitar on the floor. The strings resounded with a deep
+protesting chord and then subsided into resigned quietude.
+
+"Molly, what is the matter? You're as pale as a ghost."
+
+Molly smiled at her own weakness. Having just made up her mind not to
+tell Judy, she was suddenly possessed with a fever to relate the entire
+incident from beginning to end.
+
+"If you'll promise to put on your red dress to-night by way of
+celebration, and to cheer me up, I'll tell you a thrilling story, Judy."
+
+"But I've made a vow and I can't break it."
+
+"Did the vow stipulate that you couldn't wear colors Christmas Eve?"
+
+"No, not exactly."
+
+"Well, then, get into your scarlet frock, because I'll never tell you if
+you wear that black one, and I'll put on some old gay-colored rag, too,
+and after supper I'll tell you a thrilling tale."
+
+"I'll put on the red dress," said Judy, "if you promise never to tell
+Nance, but I can't wait until after supper to hear the story."
+
+"You'll have to. It's a long tale and there won't be time to dress and
+tell it, too."
+
+"Well," consented Judy, "because it's Christmas Eve, the very time to
+tell thrilling tales if they are true, I'll agree."
+
+And obediently she attired herself in the scarlet dress, while Molly put
+on a blue blouse that, by a happy chance, matched the color of her eyes
+as perfectly as if they had been cut from the same bolt.
+
+"Did it really happen to me," she kept thinking, "or did I dream it
+after all?"
+
+There was no chance to tell Judy the story after supper, because the two
+girls were summoned to the parlor almost immediately to see three
+callers, Andy, Dodo Green and Lawrence Upton.
+
+During the visit Molly seized the opportunity to ask the younger Green
+where his brother was spending his Christmas.
+
+"Oh, he's making visits around the county," answered George Theodore
+carelessly. "He always has enough invitations for three, but he was
+never known to accept any before. I don't know what's got into the old
+boy this year. He's getting as giddy as a débutante, going to parties
+and rushing around in motors. I have had to make two trips over to
+Wellington, first to get his evening clothes because he forgot to pack
+them, and then for his pumps and dress shirts I forgot myself. When the
+old boy goes into anything, he always does it in good style. He used to
+be a kind of dude about ten years ago. But he's all the way to thirty
+now and he feels his age. Do you notice how bald he's getting? He'll be
+losing his teeth next."
+
+"I'm glad he's having such a good time," said Molly, disdaining the
+aspersions cast by George Theodore on his brother's age. "I hope he is
+well and happy," she added in her thoughts. "I am sure I don't begrudge
+him a jolly Christmas, considering what a jolly one he gave me last
+year. I am sorry I left the note, now. Like as not, he doesn't even
+remember what I said that day and when he reads the letter he won't know
+what I am talking about."
+
+At last the boys left. Judy was intensely relieved. She desired only one
+thing on earth: to hear Molly's ghost story. All her perceptions were on
+edge with curiosity, but she was determined to have all things in
+harmony for the telling of a Christmas Eve Ghost Story. So she
+restrained her inquisitiveness until they had slipped on dressing-gowns
+and were both comfortably installed in big chairs with a box of candy
+and a plate of salted almonds between them.
+
+"And now, begin," she said, sighing comfortably.
+
+But Molly had scarcely uttered three words when she was interrupted by
+the arrival of packages from the late train brought up by the faithful
+Murphy.
+
+Even Judy's unsatisfied curiosity regarding the tale could not hold out
+against these fascinating boxes, and the story waited while they untied
+the strings and eagerly tore off the paper wrappings.
+
+"I suppose we ought to wait until to-morrow morning, but since we're
+just two lonely little waifs, I think we might gratify ourselves this
+once, don't you, Molly dear?" asked Judy.
+
+"I certainly do," Molly agreed, "seeing as it doesn't matter to anybody
+whether we look at them now or in the morning."
+
+It was a long time before they settled down again to the story, and
+Molly had not advanced a paragraph when there came another tap at the
+door. Evidently the Quadrangle gates were to be kept open late that
+night or account of the arrival of holiday packages.
+
+This time it was a boy from the florist's, fairly laden with flower
+boxes.
+
+Andy had sent both the girls violets.
+
+"Very sweet and proper of him, I'm sure, in the absence of Nance,"
+laughed Judy.
+
+Lawrence Upton had sent Molly a box of American beauties.
+
+"And he could ill afford it, the foolish boy," ejaculated Molly.
+
+Dodo had expended all his savings on a handsome Jerusalem cherry tree
+for Judy. There was another box for Molly. It contained violets and two
+cards--Miss Grace Green's and Professor Edwin Green's.
+
+Molly blushed crimson when she read the names. For the thousandth time
+she covered herself with reproaches. She sat down and gathered the
+bouquets into her lap.
+
+"Judy," she cried contritely, "what have I done to gain all these kind
+friends? I'm sure I don't deserve it. The dears!"
+
+But Judy was too much engaged with her own numerous gifts to contradict
+this self-depreciating statement.
+
+"I am really happy, Molly," she cried, "even without mamma and papa it's
+been a lovely Christmas Eve."
+
+With one of those divinations which sometimes comes to us like a voice
+from another land, it suddenly occurred to Molly that whatever it was in
+Professor Green's office, whether ghost or human, perhaps the Professor
+might not like to have it discussed, and she resolved not to tell Judy
+or anyone else what she had seen.
+
+"And then," she continued, "if he ever asks me whether I told, it will
+be a nice, comfortable feeling to say I haven't."
+
+At last, having put the flowers back in the boxes and restored some
+order to the room, Judy sat down and folded her hands.
+
+"And now, go on with the story."
+
+"My dear child, so much has happened since then and I'm so weary, I
+don't think I can make it the frightful tale I had intended."
+
+"Oh, it was all a joke?" asked Judy, whose enthusiasm had about spent
+itself in other outlets.
+
+"Oh, partly a joke. I went down to the cloisters to leave a Christmas
+note for Professor Green at his office and saw a ghostly looking figure
+there."
+
+"Is that all? Well, anybody might look like a phantom in that gloomy
+place. I've no doubt the ghostly figure took you for another."
+
+"I've no doubt it did," answered Molly, laughing, and with that they
+kissed and went to bed.
+
+Long after midnight Molly rose and slipped on her dressing-gown.
+Creeping out of her room, she flitted along the corridor, turned the
+corner and hurried up the other side of the Quadrangle. At the very end
+of this hall was a narrow passage with a window which commanded a view
+of the courtyard and the windows of the cloister studies.
+
+Softly raising the blind, she looked out. In one of the studies a dim
+light was burning. She counted windows. It was Professor Green's
+office, she was certain. While she looked the light went out.
+
+Back to her bed she flew with a feeling that somebody was chasing her.
+
+"There's one thing certain," she thought, drawing the covers over her
+head, "ghosts never need lights."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+MORE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS AND A COASTING PARTY OF TWO.
+
+
+All the bells in Wellington were ringing when the girls awoke Christmas
+morning. The sweet-toned bell of the Chapel of St. Francis mingled its
+notes with the persistent appeal of the Roman Catholic bell across the
+way, while on the next street the bell of the Presbyterian Church sent
+out a calm doctrinal call for all repentant sinners to be on hand sharp
+for the ten o'clock service. And in this confusion of sound came the
+tinkle of sleigh bells like a note of pleasure in a religious symphony.
+
+"Merry Christmas!" cried Judy, running into the room with an armful of
+parcels done up with white tissue paper and tied with red ribbons. "Here
+are the presents Nance and the others left for you. 'My lady fair,
+arise, arise, arise!'"
+
+"Merry Christmas!" cried Molly, bounding out of bed and rushing to find
+the presents she had been commissioned to take care of for Judy.
+
+The two girls climbed under the covers and began to open their gifts.
+
+"Dear old Nance!" ejaculated Judy. "How well she knows my wants. She's
+given me an address book because she disapproved of my keeping addresses
+on old envelopes."
+
+[Illustration: "AND SHE'S GIVEN ME A PAIR OF SILK STOCKINGS," CRIED
+MOLLY.--_Page 213._]
+
+"And she's given me a pair of silk stockings," cried Molly, "because she
+knows my luxurious tastes run to such things."
+
+"Edith Williams is the class joker," remarked Judy, laughing. "She's
+sent me a novel by Black and she's written on the fly leaf, 'For the
+first six months the Merry Widow read only novels by Black.'"
+
+"Weren't they dears?" broke in Molly. "They knew we'd be lonely and they
+wanted to make us laugh Christmas morning. Look what Edith sent me."
+
+It was a small round basket of sweet grass, no doubt purchased at
+the village store, and inside on pink cotton was a pasteboard
+medal. Printed around the outer edge of the medal was the following
+announcement: "Awarded to Pallas Athene Brown for the Best General
+Average in Good Manners and Amiability by the Wellington High School."
+
+There was a hole punched in one end of the medal with a blue ribbon run
+through it. On one of Edith's cards in the box was written:
+
+"To be worn on great occasions."
+
+The two girls received other amusing presents. If their friends had
+hoped to cheer them on their lonely Christmas morning, they had
+succeeded wonderfully well. Judy especially was in the wildest spirits.
+It was a custom of hers to describe her feelings exactly as a chronic
+invalid recounts his sensations.
+
+"I'm all aglow with good cheer. I could dance and sing. It must be a
+sort of Christmas spirit in the air. I do adore to get presents. I think
+I have more curiosity in my nature than you, Molly. Why don't you open
+the rest of yours?"
+
+Molly was lost in admiration of a beautiful little copy of
+Maeterlinck's "_Pelléas et Mélisande_" sent to her by Mary Stewart.
+
+"Because I like to eat my cake slowly," she answered, "and get all the
+fine flavor without choking myself to death. Oh," she cried, taking the
+tissue paper off a small parcel, "how lovely of your mother, Judy, to
+send me this beautiful lace collar!"
+
+"It's just like the one she sent me," answered Judy, as pleased as a
+child over Molly's enthusiasm. "But do look in the other boxes. What's
+that square thing? If it were mine, I should be palpitating with
+curiosity."
+
+If Judy had guessed what the square box contained, she would not have
+been so eager to precipitate an embarrassing situation.
+
+"Very well, Mistress Judy, we'll find out immediately what's inside.
+Where did it come from, anyway?"
+
+"There's not the slightest inkling of who sent it," answered Judy,
+examining the address printed in a sort of script. "Whoever sent it knew
+how to do lettering, certainly. But the postmark is smeared."
+
+Molly cut the string and removed the brown paper wrapping. The article
+inside the box was folded in a quantity of tissue paper.
+
+"It has as many coverings as a royal Egyptian mummy," exclaimed Judy
+impatiently.
+
+It had indeed. After stripping off several layers of paper it was
+necessary to cut another string before the rest of the paper could be
+removed.
+
+At last, however, another china Martin Luther emerged from his tissue
+paper shell. The two girls gasped with surprise and consternation.
+
+"Will wonders never cease?" ejaculated Molly.
+
+"I'm sure it's just another joke the girls are playing on us," broke in
+Judy with some excitement. "Here's a card. What does it say?"
+
+On a pasteboard card, written in the same script as the address, was the
+following mystifying message:
+
+"Was it kind to put such temptation in the way of the weak?"
+
+"What does it mean, Judy?" asked Molly. "I seem to be groping in the
+dark."
+
+Judy shook her head.
+
+"You can search me," she said expressively. "Why don't you break a hole
+in him and see?"
+
+"No sooner said than done," answered Molly. "But I really feel like a
+butcher. This is the third time I've destroyed a pig."
+
+She cracked the bank on the head of her little iron bed, but only a
+silver quarter rolled out on the floor. The rest of the money was in
+bills, three five dollar bills, which had been compactly folded and
+pushed through the slit in the pig's back.
+
+"Fifteen dollars and a quarter!" ejaculated Molly. "That was just about
+what the original sum was, but I suppose in silver it was too heavy to
+come through the mails."
+
+She lay back on her pillows, her brows wrinkled into a puzzled frown.
+
+"It's a curious performance," she said, after a brief silence. "I don't
+understand."
+
+Judy at the foot of the bed, half buried in tissue paper and Christmas
+presents, glanced out of the window at the snowy landscape. There was a
+strange expression on her face and two little imps of laughter lurked in
+her wide gray eyes. Molly looked at her a moment, but Judy would not
+meet her gaze.
+
+"Julia Kean," broke out Molly, suddenly, "do you know whom you look like
+this moment? Mona Lisa. You have the same mysterious smile as if you
+knew a great deal more than you intended to tell. Now just turn around
+and look me in the eyes." Molly crawled from under the covers and put
+her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Who sent me that first Martin
+Luther with all the small change?"
+
+Judy's lips curled into an irresistible smile. There was something very
+mellowed and soft about her face, like an old portrait, the colors of
+which had deepened with the years.
+
+"You aren't angry with me, Molly, dearest?" she asked, laying her cheek
+against Molly's.
+
+"Angry? How could I be angry, you adorable child?"
+
+"You see it was just taking money out of one pocket to put it in the
+other, and it was the only way I could think of to make you take the
+yellow dress. You wouldn't accept it as a gift. Of course, I never
+dreamed the real thief would repent."
+
+The two friends looked into each other's eyes with loving confidence.
+
+"Dear old Judy!" cried Molly, "I don't know what I have done to deserve
+such a friend as you. And what an imagination you have! Who but you
+would ever have conceived such a notion? And to think, too, that I would
+never have known, if the real person who took the money hadn't had an
+attack of conscience."
+
+"It would certainly have remained a secret forever unless Nance had
+confessed it on her death bed," laughed Judy. "She's that close, I
+imagine her first confession would be her last one."
+
+"I'll wear the dress to-night, Judy, just to show you how much I
+appreciate the gift," announced Molly.
+
+Judy put on a broad lace collar that morning and a lavender velvet bow,
+by way of lightening her mourning.
+
+There was a good deal to do during the day, getting the rooms
+straightened and writing letters.
+
+All morning the snow fell so softly and quietly that the Quadrangle
+seemed to be isolated in a still white world of its own. Not even the
+campus houses could be seen through the thick curtain of flakes. Molly
+could picture to herself no more delightful occupation than to stay
+indoors all day and read one of her new Christmas books. Nothing could
+have been more cheerful than the little sitting room with its Christmas
+greens and vases of flowers.
+
+Curled up in one of the big chairs, Molly's mind wandered idly from the
+open pages of the book in her lap to the recent inexplicable happenings.
+Who was the mysterious visitor in the Professor's study? After all, it
+was none of her business, but she felt some natural curiosity about it.
+Who was the girl who had stolen the china pig?
+
+"I don't want to know," she admonished herself.
+
+Nevertheless, it was impossible not to make a few random conjectures.
+
+Judy, restlessly beating a tattoo on the window, was thinking the same
+thing.
+
+"Molly," she burst out, after a long silence, "I have an idea who that
+girl is. Have you?"
+
+"Yes, but I'd rather not mention her name. It's too dreadful. And you
+know how I feel about circumstantial evidence."
+
+"All I say is," announced Judy, "that it's a certain person who makes
+the loudest noise about losing her own things."
+
+"Well, she's repented," said Molly, "so let's try and forget it."
+
+There was another brief but eloquent silence. Judy pressed her face
+against the window pane.
+
+"I did think," she observed presently, "that those boys would come to
+take us out for a sleigh ride or a coast or something this afternoon.
+But we can't wait around here all day for them. It would be paying them
+too much of an honor. Why not go coasting ourselves? I'll get Edith's
+sled and we'll walk over to Round Head."
+
+"That would be fine," said Molly, with all the enthusiasm she could
+muster. Reluctantly she laid aside her book and began to dress for the
+walk.
+
+When two intimate associates are not mutually agreed, the more selfish
+one never dreams of the sacrifices of the other. Molly had no taste for
+battling with the snow, and when in half an hour they found themselves
+plunging through the drifts on their way to the steep coasting hill,
+she turned a wistful inward eye back toward the comforts of the
+yellow-walled sitting room. The Morris chair, the prized antique rug and
+the Japanese scroll with the snow-capped Fujiyama and the sky-blue
+waters called to her insistently.
+
+"Isn't this glorious, Molly?" ejaculated Judy, fired with the energy of
+her enthusiasms.
+
+"Dee-lightful," replied poor Molly, brushing the snow out of her eyes
+with admirable pretense at cheerfulness. However, the snowfall began to
+diminish and when they reached Round Head the storm had apparently
+spent itself. Molly felt the glow of exercise she really needed and she
+admired the splendid panorama of the snow-clad valley stretching before
+them.
+
+"It is beautiful," she admitted, "and what fun, Judy, to go whizzing
+down Round Head! It will be the longest coast I have ever taken in my
+life."
+
+Clambering up the side of the hill had not been as difficult as they had
+expected, because the wind had swept that part of it clear of drifts and
+the way was plain. When at last they reached the top, Molly was no
+longer sorry that Judy had dragged her from "The Idylls of the King" and
+the comforts of an easy chair.
+
+"You're not afraid, Molly?" asked the reckless Judy, looking with the
+glittering eye of anticipation down the long track of white over which
+they would presently be flying.
+
+"I don't see why I should be," answered Molly evasively. "Even if we
+fall off, it will be on a bed of snow as soft as a down comfort."
+
+"Come along, then," cried Judy, "we'll have the sensation of our lives.
+And we might as well make it a good one, because it's beginning to snow
+again and we'd better not try it a second time."
+
+Judy had coasted down Round Head before and knew just the spot on the
+hill where the Wellington girls were accustomed to start the long slide
+on bobs and sleds.
+
+Sitting behind Judy, Molly closed her eyes and the sled commenced its
+journey. For some moments it skimmed along at a reasonable speed, but as
+it gained in impetus, she had the sensation of riding on the tail of a
+comet.
+
+"Look out for the bump," called Judy with amazing calm and forethought,
+considering the circumstances.
+
+But the warning had no meaning for Molly, whose experience in coasting
+was of a very mild and unexciting character. The shock of the rise
+caused her to lose her hold, and the next thing she knew she was buried
+deep in a snow drift and Judy was whizzing on alone into the unknown.
+
+[Illustration: THE NEXT THING SHE KNEW SHE WAS BURIED DEEP IN A SNOW
+DRIFT, AND JUDY WAS WHIZZING ON ALONE.--_Page 224_]
+
+"I never did really enjoy coasting," thought Molly, climbing out of the
+drift and shaking herself vigorously like a wet dog. "It's all right if
+nothing happens, but something always does happen and then it's a
+regular nuisance."
+
+Already the tracks of the sled were covered by the fast falling snow and
+it was impossible to see just where the tumble had occurred on the
+hillside.
+
+"Judy," called Molly, hurrying down the hill; while at the same moment
+Judy was calling Molly as she hastened back.
+
+The two girls passed each other at no great distance apart, but they
+might have been as widely separated as the poles for all they could see
+or hear in the blinding snowstorm.
+
+After calling and searching in vain, Judy started back to Wellington,
+feeling sure that her friend had gone that way; and Molly, who was
+gifted with no bump of location whatever, blindly groping in the
+snowstorm turned in the opposite direction.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+THE WAYFARERS.
+
+
+Human beings have been variously compared by imaginative persons to
+pawns on a chessboard; storm-tossed boats on the sea of life; pilgrims
+on a weary way, and other things of no resemblance whatever to the
+foregoing.
+
+Molly, marching stoically along the lonely road under the impression
+that she was on her way to Wellington when she was really turned toward
+Exmoor, might have fitted into any of those comparisons rather more
+literally than was intended.
+
+She was certainly a storm-tossed pilgrim if not a boat; the way was
+decidedly weary and as pawn, pilgrim or ship, whichever you will, she
+was about to come in contact with another of life's pawns, pilgrims or
+ships, to the decided advantage of the one and amazement of the other.
+
+This new pawn, pilgrim or ship was now advancing down the road, and
+Molly, mindful of the fact that she was not getting anywhere when she
+felt sure that by this time she should at least have reached the lake,
+was not sorry to see a human being.
+
+The stranger looked decidedly like the pilgrim of romance. He wore an
+old black felt hat with a broad slouching brim and a long Spanish cape
+reaching below his knees; his staff was a rosewood cane with a silver
+knob.
+
+He was about to pass Molly without even glancing in her direction when
+she stopped him.
+
+"Would you mind telling me if it's very far from Wellington?" she asked.
+"I'm afraid I'm lost."
+
+"Do you imagine you are going to Wellington?" he demanded, looking up.
+
+Instantly Molly recognized him. He was the man she had seen the night
+before in Professor Green's study.
+
+"I did think so," she answered meekly.
+
+"I would advise you to go in the opposite direction, then," he said.
+"Exmoor lies that way." He pointed down the road with his stick.
+
+"How stupid of me!" exclaimed Molly. "I was coasting and tumbled off the
+sled. I was completely dazed, I suppose, when I crawled out of the
+drift."
+
+The two walked along in silence. Molly gave the man a covert glance. He
+was very distinguished looking and vaguely reminded her of someone.
+
+"You are one of the students of Wellington?" he asked presently.
+
+"Yes, sir," answered Molly respectfully.
+
+The stranger smiled.
+
+"You are from the south. I never heard a girl across the boundary line
+use 'sir.'"
+
+"I am," she answered briefly.
+
+"And from what part, may I ask?"
+
+"From Carmichael Station, Kentucky."
+
+The man stopped as if he had been struck a blow in the face.
+
+"Carmichael Station, Kentucky," he repeated in a half whisper. Drawing
+a leather wallet from his inside pocket, he took out a folded legal cap
+document and opened it. "Ahem. Not far to go," he said in a low voice,
+running down a list with one finger. "Your name----"
+
+"Brown."
+
+"Mildred Carmichael Brown, I presume."
+
+"No, Mary. My sister's named Mildred."
+
+The old man refolded the document, put it carefully back in the wallet,
+which he returned to his pocket. Then he resumed his walk, muttering to
+himself.
+
+"Strange! Strange!" Molly heard him say. "Here in a snowstorm, in the
+wilderness, on Christmas day, too, I should happen to meet--I can't get
+away from them," he cried angrily, waving his cane. "Victims, victims!
+Everywhere. They rise up and confront me when I'm sleeping or
+waking--like ghosts of the past----"
+
+His mutterings gradually became inarticulate as he wrapped his cape
+around him and stalked through the snow.
+
+"Hunted--hunted--hounded about----" he began again. Suddenly he stopped,
+took off his hat and held his face up to heaven as if he were about to
+address some unseen power.
+
+"I'm tired," he cried. "I've had enough of these wanderings; these
+eternal haunting visions. Let me have peace!" He shook his cane
+impotently at the overcast skies.
+
+It was then that Molly recognized him. On that very day but one, a year
+ago, had she not seen Judith Blount stand under a wintry sky and defy
+heaven in the same rebellious way?
+
+Judith's father had come back from South America and was hiding in the
+Professor's room at Wellington! And how like they were, the father and
+daughter; the same black eyes, too close together; the same handsome
+aquiline noses, and the same self-pitying, brooding natures.
+
+Evidently, Mr. Blount had suffered deeply. Molly thought he must be very
+poor. Looking at him closely, she noticed the shabby gentility of his
+appearance; the shiny seams of his Spanish cape which had been torn and
+patched in many places; his old thin shoes, split across the toes, and
+his worn, travel-stained hat.
+
+She wondered if he had any money. She suspected that he was very hungry
+and her soul was moved with pity for the poor, broken old man who had
+once been worth millions.
+
+"Mr. Blount," she began.
+
+"How did you know my name?" he cried, shivering all over like a whipped
+dog. "I didn't mention it, did I? I haven't told any one, have I? I came
+down here in disguise." He laughed feebly. "Disguised as a broken old
+man. I went to Edwin's rooms," he wandered on, forgetting that he had
+asked Molly a question. "You know where they are?"
+
+Molly nodded her head. She knew quite well that the Professor lodged in
+one of the former college houses built on the old campus, used long ago
+before the Quadrangle had been built flanking the new campus.
+
+"The housekeeper recognized me as a relation and I waited in his room
+some hours," went on the old man in a trembling voice.
+
+"And where did you spend the night?"
+
+"In the cloister study. I found the key on his desk. It was marked
+'cloister study.'"
+
+"But where did you eat?" asked Molly gently.
+
+The melting sympathy in her eyes and voice encouraged the old man to
+pour out his woes. Evidently it was a great relief to him to talk after
+his miseries and hardships.
+
+"I've been living off apples," he said. "Very fine apples. There was a
+big basket of them on Edwin's study table."
+
+"But there's an inn in the village," she exclaimed.
+
+He smiled grimly.
+
+"I have come all the way from Caracas to Wellington," he said. "I was
+poor when I started; yes, miserably, wretchedly poor. I am an old man,
+old and broken. I want peace, do you understand? Peace."
+
+They had reached the lake and in fifteen minutes would arrive at the
+Quadrangle. Mr. Blount was leading the way, occasionally hitting the
+ground savagely with his cane.
+
+Molly thrust her hand into her blouse and drew out a chamois skin bag
+which hung by a silk tape around her neck. Since the pilfering had been
+going on at Wellington she carried what little money she had with her
+during the day and hid it under her pillow at night.
+
+Extracting ten dollars from the bag, she hurried to the old man's side
+and touched him on the shoulder.
+
+"Mr. Blount, I'm under great obligations to your cousin. He has been
+very kind to me--always--and I'd like you to--I'd----"
+
+It was difficult to know what to say. Was it not strange for her, a poor
+little school girl, to be offering money to a man who had so recently
+been a millionaire?
+
+"Won't you take this money?" she began again, resolutely. "I don't think
+anyone will recognize you at the inn. It's just a little country place
+and you will be quite comfortable there until I find Professor Green. I
+may get word to him to-night, or to-morrow at any rate."
+
+Mr. Blount eyed the money as a hungry dog eyes a bone. Evidently hunger
+and fatigue had got the better of his pride. He took the bill and
+touched it lovingly. Then he put it in his pocket.
+
+"You're a nice girl," he said. "I thank you."
+
+"Would you like to see George Green?" asked Molly timidly.
+
+"No, no, no!" he answered fiercely. "Not that young fool. I don't
+suppose Judith is here?" he added presently in a tremulous voice.
+
+"No, sir. She's in New York for the holidays."
+
+They shook hands and separated. Mr. Blount took the path down the other
+side of the lake across the links to the village and Molly followed the
+path on the college side. As she cut through the pine woods she heard a
+shout.
+
+"Molly Brown, where have you been? We have had a search for you!" cried
+Judy, rushing up, followed by the three boys.
+
+"I reckon I've been a good deal like the pig who thought he was going to
+Cork when he was really going to Dublin," laughed Molly. "If I hadn't
+asked the way, I suppose I'd have been almost to Exmoor by this time.
+I am a poor person to find my way about. My brother used to tell me to
+take the direction opposite to the one my instincts told me to take and
+then I'd be going right."
+
+"In other words, first make sure you're right and then take the other
+way," said Lawrence Upton, laughing.
+
+"You'd make a good explorer, Miss Molly," remarked Andy McLean. "You
+might discover the South Pole and think all the time it was the North
+Pole."
+
+"That would be of great benefit to humanity," answered Molly, "but you
+may be sure I'd stop and ask a policeman before I reached the equator."
+
+"It's your proper punishment for cutting church this morning," here put
+in George Green. "I don't know whether it was because it was a good
+excuse to go sleighing, but a lot of people were at the ten service.
+Even old Edwin came in the trail of Alice Fern."
+
+"What a pretty name!" said Molly. "It sounds so woodsy."
+
+"She's a cousin," George went on, "and a winner, too. They've got a
+jim-dandy place ten miles the other side of Wellington, Fern Grove. We
+spent last New Year's with them and had a cracker-jack time."
+
+"George Theodore Green!" ejaculated Judy, "I never heard so much slang.
+I wonder you are allowed inside Exmoor."
+
+"Oh, I cut it out there. I only use it when it's safe."
+
+"I regard that as a slight on present company," broke in Andy. "I think
+you'll just have to take a little dose of punishment for that, Dodo. Get
+busy, Larrie."
+
+There was a wild scramble in the snow, and finally Dodo, who had
+developed into a big, strapping fellow, stronger than either of his
+friends, intrenched himself behind a tree and began throwing snowballs
+with the unerring aim of the best pitcher on the Exmoor team. Molly
+hastened on to the Quadrangle, while Judy with true sportsman taste
+waited to see the fun.
+
+Molly went straight to the telephone booths in the basement corridor. By
+good fortune, the haughty being who presided at the switchboard was
+hovering about waiting for a long distance call from a "certain party"
+in New York.
+
+That she alone in all the world was concerned in this call and that she
+wished to have this corner of the globe entirely to herself for the
+full enjoyment of it were very evident facts when Molly asked for
+"Fern-16-Wellington."
+
+"I'm not working to-day," announced the operator shortly, arranging her
+huge Psyche knot at the mirror beside her desk.
+
+Molly looked into the girl's implacable face. No feminine appeal would
+melt that heart of stone, but perhaps the magic name of man might fix
+her.
+
+"Would you do it to oblige Professor Green? I have an important message
+for him."
+
+"I guess that's different," announced the owner of the Psyche knot, with
+a high nasal accent. "Why didn't you say so at first? I guess Professor
+Green is about the nicest gent'man around here."
+
+Sitting down at the switchboard, she slipped on the headpiece with a
+professional flourish. Then, with a hand-quicker-than-the-eye movement,
+she pushed several organ stops up and down, stuck the end of a green
+tube into a hole and remarked in a high pitched voice that had great
+projective powers:
+
+"Wellington Exchange? Hello! Yes, I know it's Christmas. On hand
+for a long distance, are you? Oh, you-u-u. Well, say, listen.
+To oblige a certain party--a very attractive gent'man--call up
+'Fern-16-Wellington.'"
+
+Then there was a detached monologue about a certain party in you know
+where--same gent'man that was down Thanksgiving time. Suddenly, with
+professional alertness, the telephone girl stopped short.
+
+"Fern-16-Wellington? Here's your party. Booth 3," she added to Molly, in
+a voice so radically different that Molly had a confused feeling that
+the young person who operated the Wellington switchboard might be a
+creature of two personalities. She retired timidly to the booth.
+
+"Is this the residence of Miss Alice Fern?" she asked.
+
+"It is," came the voice of a woman from the other end.
+
+"I would like to speak to Professor Edwin Green."
+
+"He's very much engaged just now. Is it important?"
+
+"I think it is," hesitated Molly.
+
+"What name?"
+
+"Now what earthly difference does it make to her what my name is?" Molly
+reflected with some irritation. "Would you please tell him it's a
+message from the University?"
+
+"I'll tell him nothing until you tell me your name."
+
+Could this be Miss Alice Fern? Molly was fairly certain it was. Perhaps
+she also had two personalities.
+
+"It doesn't do any good to tell my name. I have nothing to do with the
+message. I'm only delivering it for someone else. But if you want to
+know, it's 'Brown.'"
+
+"Mrs. or Miss Brown?"
+
+Suddenly Molly heard the Professor's voice quite close to the telephone
+saying:
+
+"Alice, is that someone for me?"
+
+"Yes, an individual of the illuminating name of Brown wishes to speak to
+you. I don't see why they can't leave you alone for one day in the
+year."
+
+Molly smiled. Why was it that down deep in the unexplored caverns of her
+soul there lurked an infinitesimally tiny feeling of relief that Miss
+Alice Fern was plainly a vixen?
+
+"How do you do, Professor Green? This is Molly Brown."
+
+"How do you do? Is anything the matter?" answered the Professor in
+rather an anxious tone.
+
+"I wanted to tell you that Mr. Blount is here. Old Mr. Blount."
+
+The Professor seemed too surprised to answer for a moment. Or it might
+have been that Miss Alice Fern was lingering at his elbow and
+embarrassed him.
+
+"Where?" he asked.
+
+"He spent last night in the cloister study. Now, he's at the inn. He
+asked me to let you know. I met him on the road. He's very unhappy."
+
+"How did he happen to be in the study?"
+
+"He--he had no money."
+
+"And now he's at the inn? Has he seen anyone but you?"
+
+"No." Molly blushed hotly.
+
+"I'll come right over. Thank you very much."
+
+"Now, Edwin, what a nuisance!" broke in the voice of Miss Fern.
+
+"Good-bye. Thank you again. I really must, Alice. Very impor----"
+
+The receiver had been hung up and the connection lost.
+
+"Oh, these cousins!" Molly reflected with a laugh as she hurried up to
+her room.
+
+                *       *       *       *       *
+
+There was a gay party at the McLeans' that night and one unexpected
+guest arrived just before dinner. It was Professor Green. They squeezed
+him in somehow at the end of the table with the doctor, and the two made
+merry together like school boys. Molly had never seen the Professor of
+English Literature in such joyous spirits. After dinner, when the
+dancing commenced, he sought her out and led her to a secluded sofa in
+the back hall. She began at once by asking about Mr. Blount, but the
+Professor was not listening.
+
+"That's one of the prettiest dresses I've seen you wear," he
+interrupted. "Yellow is not becoming to most people, but it is to you.
+Probably because it has the same golden quality that's in your hair."
+
+"I'm glad you like it," said Molly, turning red under his steady gaze.
+
+"I found your note on my study floor," he went on.
+
+"I was afraid you wouldn't remember what I was talking about, after
+all," she exclaimed. "But I had to write it. I have never really been
+happy since I said that cruel thing to you. I was so wretched the day
+afterward, and when I rushed to find you in your study, you were gone!"
+she broke off with a tearful glance into his eyes.
+
+The Professor beamed upon her.
+
+"So you were unhappy," he said, as if the statement was not entirely
+unpleasing.
+
+"Oh, yes. I know now that you were quite right to tell Miss Walker about
+that silly episode of the burying of the slipper."
+
+"But I never told her. I know the story, of course, and the explanation.
+The President told me herself."
+
+"But who did tell, then?"
+
+"That I can't say."
+
+It was now Molly's turn to beam on the Professor.
+
+"I am glad you didn't tell her," she exclaimed in tones of great relief.
+"You see, you didn't inform on Judith Blount that time, and I was hurt.
+I couldn't help from being. I was really awfully sore."
+
+"My dear child," said the Professor hurriedly, "promise hereafter to
+regard me as a faithful friend. Never doubt my sincerity again."
+
+"I promise," answered Molly, feeling intensely proud without knowing
+why.
+
+Then the talk drifted to Mr. Blount.
+
+"And you haven't mentioned meeting him?" he asked. "Not even to Miss
+Kean?"
+
+Molly shook her head.
+
+"You are a very unusual young woman, Miss Brown. It's important to keep
+Mr. Blount's presence here a secret. If word got out that he had come
+back, there would be a great hue and cry in the papers. I have him with
+me now at my rooms until Richard gets here. The family will be very
+grateful to you for your kindness to him."
+
+Lawrence Upton was coming down the hall to claim Molly for a dance.
+
+"Are you going back to the Ferns' to-morrow?" she asked hurriedly.
+
+"I think not," answered the Professor with the ghost of a smile. "I am
+detained here on business."
+
+The next morning Molly received a short note from Professor Green,
+inclosing a ten dollar bill.
+
+There was a postscript which said:
+
+"I've opened a barrel of greenings. Better come around and get some."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+HEALING THE BLIND.
+
+
+"But, Madeleine, I never touched an iron in my life. I wouldn't know how
+to go about it," protested Judith Blount.
+
+"It's high time you learned then, child. It's a very useful piece of
+knowledge, I assure you. You may begin on handkerchiefs first. They are
+easy, just a flat surface, and it doesn't matter if you scorch one,
+especially as it's your own. Test the iron like this, see. Pick it up
+with the holder, wet your finger and touch the bottom. If it gives out a
+sizzly sound, it's fairly hot and may be used on something damp. It will
+surely scorch dry material. Always sprinkle. Rough-dry things can't be
+ironed decently unless they have been sprinkled and allowed to get damp
+through and through."
+
+Madeleine Petit's unceasing flow of conversation did not stop while
+Judith took her first lesson in ironing.
+
+"You see," continued Madeleine, "I've made quite a name for myself for
+doing up fine things and I really need an assistant, Judith. And, since
+you need the money, and I like you better than any girl in college, I
+want you to help me."
+
+Judith winced at the mention of poverty, but her face softened when
+Madeleine spoke of friendship.
+
+After all, was it not good to have a friend, a real tried and devoted
+friend who had nothing to gain but friendship in return? Yes, Madeleine
+did talk a great deal. We all have our faults. Judith's was a temper.
+She knew that. But Madeleine was good company, nevertheless, much better
+company than those false friends of Beta Phi days. She was charming and
+pretty and she had a heart of pure gold. Moreover, she was a lady, if
+she did talk so much.
+
+Judith loved Madeleine. For the first time in her life she felt the
+stirrings of a really deep affection for another girl. It had quickened
+her parched soul like the waters of a freshet flowing through a thirsty
+land. Madeleine had first gained the respect of the proud, discontented
+girl by being always good-naturedly firm, and now she had gained her
+love.
+
+Furthermore, Judith felt for the first time the pleasure of doing
+something for someone else. It was a matter of infinite secret joy to
+her that she had been able to help Madeleine with her studies. In a way
+she had constituted herself tutor to the little Southern girl; had
+criticized her themes; given her a boost in the dreaded French
+Literature and carried her over the blighting period of mid-year
+examinations. Madeleine had spent Christmas with the Blounts at a
+boarding house in New York and had given them a taste of Southern
+conversation, humor and anecdotes that had made that dreary time for
+them to blossom with new enjoyments.
+
+And now Judith was learning to iron. At first she handled the iron quite
+awkwardly, but in a few minutes she became interested and the pile of
+handkerchiefs rapidly decreased.
+
+"Of course, it isn't as if either one of us expects to have to iron
+handkerchiefs always," went on Madeleine, "but it doesn't hurt us to
+know how, just the same, and I have always found that doing common
+things well only made one do uncommon things better. Now, I intend to be
+a Professor of Mathematics. I don't know where nor how, but those are my
+intentions. There's no ironing of jabots connected with mathematics, but
+somehow I feel that ironing jabots well makes me more proficient in
+mathematics.
+
+"By the way, have you settled on anything to do yet? It's time you began
+to think about it, unless you decide to take a Post Grad. course and be
+with me next year. That would be perfectly grand, wouldn't it?"
+
+Madeleine's small pretty hands paused an instant in their busy
+fluttering over the garments she was sprinkling, and she smiled so
+sweetly upon Judith that the black-browed young woman felt moved beyond
+the power of speech and could only smile silently in reply.
+
+Oh, heavens, it was good to have a friend! Madeleine had come at a time
+when she most needed her; when the whole world was nothing but a black,
+hideous picture and life was a dreary waste. Not her mother, not
+Richard, not Cousin Edwin, could take the place of Madeleine.
+
+"You know I always said I wouldn't work for a living, Madeleine," she
+answered presently, gulping down these new, strange emotions.
+
+"My dear, we all say such things, but it's only talk. And, after all,
+it's better to work than to be an object of charity. Think of making
+your own money; having it come in every month--say a hundred dollars, or
+even more--earned by you? Why, it's glorious. It's better than running
+across a gold mine by accident or inheriting a fortune, because you have
+done it yourself. I intend to earn a great deal of money. I shall rise
+from being a teacher to having a splendid school of my own. It will be
+the most fashionable school in the South and all the finest families
+will send their daughters there. And what will you be in my school,
+Judith? Because you must commence now to work up to that eminence. Will
+you be part owner with me?"
+
+Judith laughed.
+
+"You're an absurd, adorable, sweet child," she said, and went on ironing
+busily.
+
+After all, life was not so desperately unpleasant.
+
+There was a knock on the door. Judith put down the iron hastily and
+retreated to the window. She had not yet reached the point where she was
+willing for others to see her engaged in this menial work.
+
+"Come in," called Madeleine, without stopping an instant.
+
+To Judith's relief, however, it was Mrs. O'Reilly.
+
+"A note for you, Miss Blount, and the man's waiting for an answer."
+
+Judith tore open the envelope impatiently. It was a bill of two years'
+running, amounting to nearly forty dollars, from the stationery and
+candy shop.
+
+On the bottom she was requested to remit at once.
+
+"Tell the man--anything, Mrs. O'Reilly. I can't see him. That's all."
+
+"Certainly, Miss," said the Irish woman with a good-natured smile.
+
+"These poor young college ladies was in hard luck just like the men
+sometimes," she thought as she turned away.
+
+Judith sat down and began to think. Richard was having a great struggle
+to keep her at college, her mother and himself at the boarding house,
+and her father in a sanitarium. It would really be unkind to burden him
+with that bill; but what was to be done?
+
+"Is it that old stationery man again?" asked Madeleine, who had
+inherited a profound contempt for dunning shopkeepers.
+
+"Yes, it is, and I don't know what to do."
+
+"Why don't you put an advertisement in the 'Commune'? You have no idea
+how it will bring in work. And then hang out a shingle, too. People have
+got to learn to recognize you as a wage-earning person before they come
+around and offer you things to do."
+
+"But what can I do? I don't know how to iron well enough to take in
+laundry, like you."
+
+A voice outside called:
+
+"Is this Miss Madeleine Petit's room?"
+
+"Come in. Can't you see the name on the door?" answered Madeleine.
+"There's only one Petit at Wellington and I'm the lady."
+
+Millicent Porter now entered.
+
+She looked smaller and more shriveled than ever in a beautiful mink coat
+and cap and a velvet dress of a rich shade of blue that breathed
+prosperity in every fold.
+
+"This is the region where signs are out asking for work, isn't it?" she
+asked in a pleasantly patronizing, unctious voice.
+
+"We don't ask for work. We announce that we do it and the work comes,"
+replied Madeleine, eyeing the visitor with a kind of humorous pity.
+
+"Be that as it may," said Miss Porter, "I have some work I want done and
+I'm looking for a very competent and reliable person to do it."
+
+Judith winced at the word "reliable."
+
+"This isn't a servants' agency, you know, Miss Porter," answered the
+spunky Madeleine. "Those words are generally used when one engages a
+cook or a housemaid. What is the work like?"
+
+"I'm going to give an exhibition of my silver work at the George
+Washington Bazaar. I may sell some of it if I can get the price, and
+what I want is a skillful and re-- or rather clever----" Madeleine
+blinked both eyes rapidly at the substitution--"person to help me get it
+in order. Most of it is awfully tarnished and it will need a good deal
+of polishing."
+
+"How much will you pay a skillful, clever person?" demanded Madeleine,
+determined to drive a good bargain and shrewdly guessing the kind of
+person she had to deal with.
+
+"I'll pay ten dollars," answered Millicent glibly.
+
+"What are the pieces like?"
+
+"Oh, there are chains, necklaces, platters and bowls, and a lot of ivory
+things I have picked up in Europe that must be carefully washed."
+
+"We'll do the work for fifteen dollars," announced Madeleine. "No less."
+
+Judith could hardly preserve a grave countenance while this bargaining
+was going on between the rich Miss Porter and her funny little Southern
+friend.
+
+"I think that's too much," declared Millicent.
+
+"Not at all. The work requires care and, as you say, reliability. It
+might be stolen, you know."
+
+Madeleine snapped her eyes.
+
+"Very well, then," said Millicent in a resigned tone of voice. "It's a
+great deal to pay, but I suppose I can't do any better. I hear you do
+everything well, Miss Petit."
+
+"Miss Blount will do this," answered Madeleine. "If I do things well,
+she does them better. Now, where do you want them cleaned? Down here or
+up at your place?"
+
+"Oh, I would never let them out of my studio," cried Millicent. "She
+must come there, where she can be under my eye."
+
+"But----" objected Judith, and paused at a glance from Madeleine.
+
+It would be a crushing blow to her pride for her to go back to her old
+rooms and rub tarnished silver for this perfectly insufferable Millicent
+Porter. Yet fifteen dollars loomed up as quite a considerable sum, and,
+with five dollars added, could be paid to the stationery man on account.
+
+Did Judith realize in her secret soul that the bitter dose she was now
+swallowing was only a dose of the same medicine she had once forced
+others to swallow?
+
+"Very well, then," said Madeleine, "we'll give you as much of Friday and
+Saturday as will be necessary. We'll take a lunch up on Friday so that
+we won't have to come back for supper----"
+
+She waited a moment, wondering if Millicent would not invite them to
+supper at the Beta Phi. Hospitality was so much a part of her upbringing
+that it was impossible to conceive it lacking in others.
+
+"I thought Miss Blount was to do the work."
+
+"She will. I shall work under her as assistant rubber."
+
+So, the bargain was clinched and Millicent departed.
+
+"Disgusting little reptile!" cried Judith when the sounds of her
+footsteps died away in the hall and the door banged behind her.
+
+Could Judith forget that she herself had once belonged to that
+overbearing class?
+
+"Don't get all stirred up, Judith, it's bad for your digestion,"
+ejaculated Madeleine. "That girl is nothing but a mere ripple on the
+surface. She's ridiculous, but there's no harm in her. I am really sorry
+for her, because she doesn't belong anywhere. She could never make a
+friend, and she will never know what it is to be really liked. She
+thinks she's a genius because she's learned how to beat out a few tawdry
+silver chains, and as soon as she finishes one she locks it up in a box
+and takes it out about once a decade to look it over. Why, she's just a
+poor, starved, little creature without a spark of generosity in her
+soul. What does she know about living and happiness?
+
+"You and I know how to live," Madeleine continued, flourishing her iron.
+"We're in the procession. We're moving on, learning and progressing.
+We're going up all the time. I tell you the highest peak in the
+Himalayas is not higher than my ambitions. And I intend to take you with
+me, Judith, and when we get to the top we'll look back and see poor,
+little Millicent Porter, shriveled to nothing at the bottom!"
+
+Judith gave a strange, hysterical laugh. Suddenly she flew across the
+room and embraced her friend.
+
+"You could make me do anything, Madeleine," she cried. "Scale the
+Himalayas or cut a tunnel through them." Taking her friend's small,
+charming face between her two hands, she looked her in the eyes:
+"Madeleine," she said, "did you know I used to be a blind girl? You have
+healed me. I am beginning to see things as they are."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+A WARNING.
+
+
+The girl who had been blind and could see and Madeleine of the
+unconquerable soul appeared in Millicent's sumptuous apartment promptly
+at three o'clock on Friday afternoon.
+
+They carried with them a suitcase containing the implements of their
+labor, taken chiefly from Madeleine's rag bag: some old stockings;
+several wornout undervests and polishing cloths made from antiquated
+flannel petticoats; also a bottle of ammonia and two boxes of silver
+polish.
+
+"Well, here we are," announced Madeleine, unconcernedly, when Millicent
+had opened her door to them. "I hope you have the things out and ready.
+Our time is valuable."
+
+Of no avail were Millicent's pompous and important airs. Madeleine
+insisted on treating her as a familiar and an equal.
+
+"I have put you in the den. You will be less disturbed and you can use
+the writing table to spread things on. Please be care----"
+
+"Have you made an inventory?" interrupted Madeleine.
+
+"No," faltered Millicent. Why was it that this poverty-stricken little
+person took all the wind out of her sails?
+
+"Make it please at once in duplicate. Keep one yourself and give us the
+other."
+
+"But----" began Millicent.
+
+"No, we will not touch a thing until the inventory is made. No
+'competent, reliable' person would think of doing work like this without
+an inventory. We'll wait in the other room until you have made it."
+
+There was nothing to do but proceed with the inventory. It was plain
+that Madeleine knew the manner of person she was dealing with.
+
+While the two girls waited in the big sitting room, now a studio,
+Madeleine drew a book from her ulster pocket and began to study. The
+little Southerner was never idle one moment of her waking day and the
+other seven hours she put in sleeping very soundly. Judith began to look
+about her.
+
+The room was little changed from the old days, except that it was even
+richer in aspect. There were some splendid old altar pieces on the walls
+and a piece of beautiful old rose brocade hung between the studio and
+the den. But, after all, what did it come to? Was anyone really fond of
+Millicent with all her wealth? Why, Judith, poor and forgotten, had made
+a friend. She felt small tenderness toward the rest of the world, but
+she loved Madeleine.
+
+Molly Brown came into the room at this stage in Judith's reflections.
+
+"Why, hello, girls!" she exclaimed cordially, shaking hands with the
+silver-rubbers. "Where is Millicent?"
+
+"She is making an inventory of her valuables before we begin to clean
+them," replied Madeleine, smiling sweetly and blinking both eyes at
+once. "We insisted, because it would have been unprofessional not to
+have had one."
+
+"The idea!" said Molly. "No, it wouldn't. Besides, you're not
+professionals."
+
+"Yes, we are," insisted Madeleine. "Everything we do for money is
+professional work."
+
+"Oh, very well," laughed Molly, "and I suppose you'll polish them up so
+carefullee that some day you'll be admirals in the Queen's Navee."
+
+"Nothing less," said Madeleine. "It's my theory exactly."
+
+"Oh, Molly," called the voice of Millicent from the den, "please come
+and help me with this stupid thing. I can't seem to get it straight."
+
+And that was how Molly came to be admitted into Millicent's inner
+sanctum where she kept her most valued possessions under lock and key.
+
+The top of a heavy oak chest rested against the wall and inside was a
+perfect mine of silver articles, many of them Millicent's own work;
+there was also a quantity of small ivory figures collected by her in her
+travels.
+
+"I'll lift out the things and call their names and you can copy each one
+twice, like this: one silver necklace--grape-vine design."
+
+Molly sat down and began to make the list. They were nearly finished
+when Rosomond Chase's voice was heard in the next room.
+
+"Millicent, please come out for a moment. I want to see you on
+business."
+
+Molly, left alone, went on with the list, taking each article from the
+box and noting it carefully twice on the inventory.
+
+In the meantime Millicent and her friend were having a secret conference
+in the bedroom, while Madeleine and Judith silently waited in the
+studio. The two silver-rubbers were presently startled by the apparition
+of Molly standing in the doorway. She had the look of one fleeing before
+a storm, her face very pale and her eyes dilated with horror. She
+started to speak, but checked herself and closed the door behind her.
+Then, hurrying into the room, she said in a low, strained voice:
+
+"Madeleine, I would not advise you to do any work for Miss Porter."
+
+The two girls exchanged a long look.
+
+"Do you really mean that?" asked Madeleine.
+
+"I was never more in earnest in my life."
+
+"But, can't you explain?" demanded Judith Blount.
+
+Molly shook her head and rushed from the room.
+
+"Come on, Judith," said Madeleine, slipping on her ulster.
+
+"But, this is absurd!" objected Judith again.
+
+"Child," exclaimed her friend, "don't you know human nature well enough
+to understand that a girl like Molly Brown would never have given a
+piece of advice like that without knowing what she was talking about?"
+
+"She's jealous because she would like to earn the money herself."
+
+"Nonsense," said Madeleine. "She is not that kind. You know perfectly
+well that she is the most generous-hearted, unselfish girl in
+Wellington. She wouldn't injure a fly if she could help herself, and I
+think we had better take her advice."
+
+But Judith was stubborn.
+
+"We've come to do the work. Why go?"
+
+Having once committed herself to this menial labor, she wished to see it
+through. After all, whatever Molly had against Millicent Porter couldn't
+concern them, and in the end Madeleine reluctantly gave in.
+
+Presently Millicent and Rosomond came into the room.
+
+"What became of Molly Brown?" demanded Millicent suspiciously.
+
+"She couldn't wait," answered Madeleine briefly.
+
+"Was there anything the matter with her?"
+
+"She seemed in perfectly good health as far as I know, but you had
+better hurry up with the inventory, Miss Porter. We are losing time."
+
+Rosomond helped Millicent with the remainder of the list, and by four
+o'clock Madeleine and Judith were installed in the den hard at work. All
+afternoon and evening they toiled and the next morning they appeared
+soon after breakfast and started in again.
+
+"This is easier than cracking rock, and the pay is considerably better,
+but I am just as tired between the shoulders as a common laborer,"
+Madeleine exclaimed, rubbing the last tray until she could see her own
+piquant little face reflected in its depths.
+
+"As for me, I feel as if I had been drawn and quartered," complained
+Judith. "It's worth more than fifteen dollars. We should have asked
+twenty."
+
+"I would have asked it, if I had thought she could have been induced to
+part with so much money, but I saw that fifteen was her limit."
+
+Judith laughed.
+
+"You're a regular little bargain driver," she said admiringly.
+
+"No, not always," answered Madeleine. "Only when I meet another one."
+
+"Well, I am glad we undertook it, and I am gladder still we have
+finished it," said Judith.
+
+They arranged the silver on half of the table, and the small army of
+carved ivory ornaments, for which Millicent seemed to have a passion,
+on the other half. Then, removing the loose gloves which had protected
+their hands, they put on their things and marched into the next room
+with expectant faces. For the first time in all her life Judith had
+earned a sum of money, and the humblest wage-earner was not more anxious
+for his week's pay than she was.
+
+"Will you please inspect the work, Miss Porter, and give us our money?
+We are tired and want to go home," said Madeleine.
+
+Millicent was propped up against some velvet cushions in the window
+seat. There was an expression of nervous worry on her thin sallow face,
+and around her on the floor lay the scattered bits of a note she had
+read, re-read, and torn into little pieces.
+
+She was in a very bad humor, and her warped nature was groping for
+something on which to vent its accumulated spleen. She rose from the
+window seat, swept grandly into the next room and glanced at the
+tableful of silver and ivory.
+
+"It looks fairly well," she said; for Millicent was one of those persons
+who grudged even her praise. "What was the amount I promised to pay?"
+
+"I dare say you haven't forgotten it so soon," answered the intrepid
+Madeleine. "Fifteen dollars."
+
+"Oh, was it so much? Will this evening do? I haven't that sum on hand
+just now. I'll have to go down to the bank."
+
+"A check will do, then," said Madeleine, sitting down in one of the
+carved chairs.
+
+"I never pay with checks. I only pay cash. I would prefer to draw out
+the money and pay you this evening."
+
+"Nonsense," exclaimed Madeleine. "Besides, you know very well that the
+bank closes on Saturdays at noon, and it's now nearly four o'clock."
+
+"So it does. Then you will have to wait until Monday."
+
+"We won't wait until Monday," ejaculated Madeleine. "We haven't been
+rubbing silver for our health. You'd better look around in your top
+drawer and see if you can't scrape fifteen dollars together, because I
+tell you plainly if you don't you'll regret it."
+
+"How regret it?" asked the other suspiciously. "I'm not obliged to pay
+it until Monday, and I won't," she added stubbornly.
+
+It was growing late. The girls were exhausted and hungry. They had eaten
+no lunch except crackers and cheese. At last Judith, utterly crushed
+with disappointment, drew Madeleine aside.
+
+"Suppose we leave her," she said. "I can't stand it any longer."
+
+Without another word they took their departure, leaving Millicent still
+in the window seat looking pensively out on the campus. They were hardly
+outside before she sprang to the door and locked it. Then she hastened
+to the den and began to pack feverishly and with trembling nervous
+hands. Wrapping each article of silver in tissue paper, she placed it in
+the chest on a bed of raw cotton. When the table was entirely cleared,
+she closed and locked the chest and, addressing a tag, wired it to the
+handle.
+
+Next she drew a trunk from the big closet and packed it with her best
+clothes. This done, she crept downstairs to the telephone and engaged
+Mr. Murphy to call that night for an express box and a trunk.
+
+The Beta Phi girls were all at a Saturday night dance at one of the
+other houses when Mr. Murphy called. Millicent explained to the matron
+that her rooms were too crowded and she was sending some of her things
+back to New York.
+
+As quietly as possible she drew her other two trunks from the closet,
+and by three in the morning the rooms were entirely dismantled and all
+drapery and pictures carefully packed away. These also she locked and
+tagged with the precision of one who intends to lose nothing, no matter
+what's to pay. One more task remained. This was performed in the privacy
+of the den behind closed doors. When it was done there stood on the
+table a square box addressed in artistic lettering to "Miss M. Brown,
+No. 5 Quadrangle."
+
+Placing her watch on her pillow, Millicent now rested for several hours
+without sleeping. At last, at seven o'clock, dressed for a journey, with
+suit case, umbrella and hand bag, she crept softly downstairs and
+plunged into the early morning mists.
+
+Not once did she glance back at the two gray towers as she hastened down
+to the station, and when the seven-thirty train for New York pulled in,
+she boarded it quickly and turned her face away from Wellington
+forever.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE PARABLE OF THE SUN AND WIND.
+
+
+If Molly had been carrying a stick of dynamite she could not have held
+it more gingerly than the square box she was taking to President Walker
+on Monday morning.
+
+"That was the reason I never liked her," she thought, mentioning no
+names even in her own mind. "I wonder if it is true that she couldn't
+help it. It must be, when she was so rich. What could she want with
+Minerva's medals or Margaret's initialed ring? Both M's, though," she
+thought, half smiling.
+
+"Oh, Miss Brown," cried a voice behind her, and Madeleine Petit came
+tearing across the campus as fast as her little feet could carry her.
+"Is it true that Millicent Porter has run away from college?"
+
+"I'm afraid it is," answered Molly.
+
+"She owed us fifteen dollars," cried Madeleine tragically. "She promised
+to pay this morning, and I have just heard rumors that she has
+disappeared, bag and baggage."
+
+"You _did_ do the work for her?" asked Molly.
+
+"Yes, really, against my will. I knew you would never advise without
+having something to advise about. But Judith was determined, and the
+only reason I gave in was because she had never done any work before,
+and I thought it would be good for her to make a start. She was so happy
+over earning the money. It was really wonderful to see how she
+brightened up. And when we couldn't get a cent out of Miss Porter on
+Saturday afternoon, poor old Judith was so disappointed that she cried.
+Think of that."
+
+"What a shame," exclaimed Molly, appreciating Judith's feelings with
+entire sympathy. "I'm sure I should have cried if I had done all that
+hard work and then couldn't collect."
+
+"But what are we to do? Must we sit back quietly and let the rich
+trample the poor? Don't you think she is coming back?"
+
+"I think not," answered Molly.
+
+"Did you find out something those few minutes you were in the den?"
+
+Molly nodded her head.
+
+"Is she----"
+
+The two girls exchanged frightened glances.
+
+"And her father a millionaire, too! Well, I never," cried Madeleine. "I
+think I'll just drop him a letter," which she accordingly did that very
+day. But she never received an answer, and the debt still remains
+unpaid.
+
+In the meantime Molly was closeted with Miss Walker for ten minutes.
+
+"It's strange," said the President. "I just had a letter this morning
+from an old friend at the head of a private school warning me about this
+unfortunate girl who was a pupil there."
+
+But Molly was loath to discuss the matter, and still more loath to keep
+stolen property in her private possession. She placed the box on the
+President's desk and hastened away as soon as she politely could. That
+afternoon there appeared on the bulletin board the following unusual
+announcement:
+
+  "All those who have lost property during the winter may possibly be
+  able to obtain it by applying to the Secretary of the President."
+
+That the thief had been apprehended at last was of course understood.
+Putting two and two together, the Wellington girls concluded that
+Millicent Porter must have had some important reason for fleeing early
+in the morning without explanations, leaving two trunks and a debt of
+honor behind her. The trunks were afterwards expressed, according to
+directions left in her room.
+
+But, for the honor of Wellington, open conversation on the subject was
+not encouraged, and most of the talk was in whispers behind closed
+doors.
+
+A crowd of the girls from the Quadrangle, where most of the pilfering
+had been carried on, went together to claim their property on Monday
+evening. Those who had lost money returned disappointed. The box of
+restored goods contained none whatever. But the other articles were duly
+claimed and distributed, with the exception of one.
+
+"Does any one know to whom this belongs?" asked the secretary, placing
+a photograph in a beautiful silver frame on the top of the desk.
+
+"It must be yours, Nance," announced Edith Williams, with a teasing
+smile.
+
+"It is not," said Nance emphatically.
+
+The other girls, now gathered around the picture, began to laugh.
+
+Undoubtedly the small lanky boy in kilts in the photograph was Andy
+McLean.
+
+"Perhaps it is Mrs. McLean's," suggested some one.
+
+Margaret, examining the frame with the eye of an experienced detective,
+remarked in her usual authoritative tone:
+
+"The design on the frame is Japanese."
+
+"Otoyo," cried Judy, and the little Japanese, lingering near the door,
+crept timidly up and claimed the picture. Her face was a deep scarlet,
+as, with drooping head, she rushed from the room.
+
+"Bless the child's heart, who'd have thought she had a boy's picture,"
+laughed Katherine Williams.
+
+That very night Otoyo returned the photograph to Mrs. McLean, and with
+many tears confessed that she had removed it from the drawer without so
+much as asking permission.
+
+"My sweet lass," exclaimed the doctor's wife, kissing her, "you shall
+have a good picture of Andy if you like, taken just lately. I am only
+too happy that you admire his picture enough to put it in that beautiful
+frame. I'm sure I think he's a braw lad, the handsomest in three
+kingdoms; but I am his mother, you know, and not accountable."
+
+Together the two women fitted the latest photograph of the callow youth
+into the frame. Otoyo presently bore it triumphantly back to her room
+and placed it on the mantel shelf where all the world could see it. That
+night she slept with an easy conscience and a thankful heart. Her one
+dishonest deed was wiped out forever.
+
+The untangling of one snarl in the skein of affairs generally leads to
+the untangling of many others. So it happened that Molly and Judy, by
+the turn which events had taken, were able to clear up a mystery that
+had puzzled them for months.
+
+"I feel, Judy," remarked Molly, one day, "that we ought to do something
+nice for Minerva Higgins, because of--you know what. We mentioned no
+names and never breathed it even to each other except vaguely Christmas
+day, you remember. But we did suspect her, and thinking is just as bad
+as talking when you think a thing like that, so cruel and horrible."
+
+Judy nodded her head thoughtfully.
+
+"But she will never know we are making reparation, Molly," she said. "It
+will have to be purely for our own private satisfaction."
+
+"Of course," replied Molly. "That is what I meant. We did her a wrong in
+our minds, and in our minds we must undo it."
+
+"And how, pray?" demanded Judy.
+
+"Well, let me see. Couldn't we ask her here some night with just the
+three of us, and make her fudge and be awfully sweet and interested?"
+
+"I suppose we could, if we made a superhuman mental and physical
+effort," answered Judy lazily. "And it would take both. Why not let well
+enough alone?"
+
+"But it isn't 'well enough,' Judy, and we've had an ugly thought about
+her for weeks."
+
+"Do you call those practical jokes she played on us last autumn pretty?"
+demanded Judy, who had no liking for Minerva.
+
+"No, but she has learned better now. Anyhow, Judy, I want to try an
+experiment. Do you remember the allegory of the sun and the wind and the
+man wrapped in his cloak? The wind made a wager with the sun that he
+could make the man take off his cloak, and he blew and blew with all his
+might, and the more he blew the closer the man wrapped his coat about
+him. Then the wind gave up and the sun came out and tried his method of
+just shining very brightly and cheerfully, and presently the man was so
+hot he took off his coat."
+
+Judy laughed.
+
+"Meaning, I suppose, that we have been trying the human gale method
+instead of the merry little sunshine way. All right, Molly, dearest,
+bring on your Minerva and I'll be as gentle as a May morning. But don't
+let the Gemini come, because we could never carry it through if they
+were present."
+
+It was agreed that the three friends, Molly, Nance and Judy, should
+entertain the vain little freshman at an exclusive party all to
+themselves. Other persons were advised to keep away.
+
+"Hands off," exclaimed Judy. "Stay away from our premises this evening,
+ladies, because we are going to try an experiment with explosives, and
+it might be dangerous."
+
+It was unfortunate that, on the very evening that Minerva Higgins had
+arranged to go to the three friends, somebody played a practical joke on
+her and she was in an extremely bad humor. Although she had regained her
+two medals, she was always losing things and crying her losses up and
+down the corridor. She usually found the articles mislaid in her own
+room, but she had a suspicious nature and was generally on the lookout
+for thefts. That afternoon she had rushed into the corridor crying:
+
+"My water pitcher has been stolen from me. I will not have people going
+into my room and taking my things."
+
+"As if anybody wanted her old water pitcher," remarked Margaret, in a
+tone of disgust.
+
+Edith Williams smiled mysteriously.
+
+Presently Minerva and the matron, much bored, passed the door.
+
+"Come on, let's go and see the fun," suggested Edith.
+
+"How do you know there will be any fun?" demanded Margaret.
+
+"There's likely to be."
+
+They strolled slowly up the corridor, and as they passed the door the
+matron was saying:
+
+"Really, Miss Higgins, I must request you not to raise any more false
+alarms like this. There is your water pitcher."
+
+She pointed to the chandelier where the pitcher had been hoisted on a
+piece of cord. A good many other girls had gathered about Minerva's
+door, and a ripple of laughter swept along the hall.
+
+"Edith, did you play that joke?" asked Margaret later.
+
+"Judy was a party to it, and Katherine and several others," answered
+Edith evasively. "We thought it high time to put an end to burglar
+alarms. Minerva Higgins has come to be a public nuisance."
+
+Margaret smiled. Her dignity would never allow her to enter into what
+she called "rowdy jokes." However, it did not mar her enjoyment of the
+story about them afterward.
+
+But it was an angry, sullen Minerva who presented herself at the door of
+No. 5, Quadrangle, that evening at eight o'clock. She had left off her
+medals and she had not worn the indigo blue. Judy was relieved at this,
+but Molly and Nance considered it a bad sign.
+
+The first half-hour of the reparation party dragged slowly.
+
+"We've piped for Minerva and she will not dance; we've mourned for her
+and she will not mourn. It's a hopeless case," Judy remarked in an aside
+to Nance.
+
+But Molly had formed a resolution and she was determined to carry it
+through.
+
+"Behind that Chinese wall of vanity, Minerva has a little soul hidden
+somewhere and I'm going to reach it to-night if I have to blast with
+dynamite," she thought.
+
+Nance was stirring fudge on the chafing dish and Judy was occupying
+herself strumming chords on the piano. Molly led Minerva to the divan
+and sat down beside her.
+
+"Are you glad you came to college, Minerva?" she asked, wondering what
+in the world to talk about.
+
+"No," answered the other emphatically. "I detest college. Except that
+the studies are higher, I think Mill Town High School is better run. I
+don't like college girls, either. They are all conceited snobs."
+
+"Perhaps you will like it better when you are a sophomore and have more
+liberty," suggested Molly. "The first year one can't look forward to
+much pleasure. But a freshman is always under inspection, you see. If
+she accepts the situation without complaining and is nice and obliging
+and modest, it's like so much treasure laid by for her the next year
+when she finds how popular she is with the other girls."
+
+"It's not like that in Mill Town. A freshman is just as good as anybody
+else," snapped Minerva.
+
+Judy, overhearing this statement, blinked at Nance, who smiled furtively
+and went on stirring fudge.
+
+Molly still persisted with the patience of one who looks for certain
+success.
+
+"The most interesting part of being a freshman," she continued, "is that
+a girl begins to find out about herself, and by the time she's a
+sophomore she knows what she really wants."
+
+"Oh, but I knew perfectly well what I wanted before I came," interrupted
+Minerva in a lofty tone, "I want to study the dead languages."
+
+"But there is something you want more than that," broke in Molly. "You
+want to be popular."
+
+Minerva gave her a suspicious glance, but Molly was beaming kindly upon
+her with all the warmth of her affectionate nature.
+
+"How do you know that?" she demanded in a somewhat softened tone.
+
+"It was not hard to guess. You said you were disappointed with the girls
+here because they seemed to be snobs. Now if you hadn't minded it very
+much, you never would have mentioned it. Don't you think the girls are
+just a little afraid of you? You see, they had heard you were the
+brightest girl in your school and when they saw all the medals and you
+talked to them on such deep subjects, they were scared off. They
+thought, perhaps, you wouldn't care for them because they didn't know
+enough. After all, people's feeling toward you is just a reflection of
+what you feel toward them. If you are interested and admire and love
+them, they are pretty sure to feel the same toward you. You see, I know
+you can be just as nice and human and everyday as the rest of us--"
+Molly laid her hand on Minerva's--"but the others haven't had a chance
+yet to find out."
+
+Minerva's stiff figure relaxed a little and she leaned against Molly
+confidingly.
+
+"I do want to be liked," she whispered. "All my life I've wanted it more
+than anything in the world. But even at Mill Town the girls were afraid
+of me, just as you say they are here. I might as well own up, as you
+have guessed it already."
+
+"But it's only a question of time now before you make lots of friends,"
+said Molly, "You are so clever that you'll find out how to make them
+like you."
+
+"But how?"
+
+"Well," said Molly, "I think people who are sympathetic and who listen
+more than they talk generally have a good many friends. I'm afraid I've
+talked more than I listened this evening," she added, pinching Minerva's
+cheek.
+
+"But you've talked about me," answered Minerva. Suddenly her face turned
+very red and her eyes filled with tears. "I shall not wear the medals
+any more," she whispered unsteadily. "And--there is something I want to
+confess. I--I waited for you that night you were on the lake, and I sent
+an unsigned note to Miss Walker the next day to get even with you
+because you wouldn't let me go walking with you."
+
+Judy, at the piano, was singing a vociferous medley, and Nance was
+joining in.
+
+"That's all right," whispered Molly. "It was much better for her to know
+because we would have been misrepresented always unless someone had told
+her, and we couldn't exactly tell her ourselves. But I think it's
+awfully nice of you to confess, Minerva. Now, we shall be better friends
+than ever."
+
+The two girls kissed each other. The cloak of vanity had slipped off
+and the smartest-girl-in-Mill-Town-High-School became her real natural
+self.
+
+Until a quarter before ten the four girls laughed and talked pleasantly
+together, while the convivial fudge plate was passed from one to the
+other. But never once did Mill Town High School or comparative philology
+come into the conversation.
+
+When at last the evening was at an end and Minerva had departed, Nance
+and Judy led Molly gravely to the divan.
+
+"Now, tell us how you did it," they demanded in one voice.
+
+"I only told her the truth," answered Molly, "but I didn't put it
+so that it would hurt her. I said the reason why the girls were
+stand-offish was because they were afraid of her learning and her gold
+medals."
+
+"Marvelous, brilliant creature!" cried Judy, embracing her friend, while
+Nance laid a cheek against Molly's.
+
+"You are a perfect darling, Molly," she said.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE JUNIOR GAMBOL.
+
+
+     "Hail, Wellington, beloved home!
+      Hail, spot forever dear!
+      We greet thy towers and cloisters gray,
+      Thy meadows fresh in spring array;
+      We greet thee, Wellington, to-day;
+      Thy hills and dales; thy valleys green;
+      Thy wood and lake--tranquil, serene;
+      We greet thee far and near."
+
+Molly and Judy were responsible for the words of these stirring lines,
+which with three other verses were sung by the junior class to the air
+of "Beulah Land," the music having been adapted to the words rather than
+the words to the music.
+
+The entire junior class, a long, slender line of swaying white stretched
+across the campus, lifted its voice in praise of Wellington that May
+Day morning at the Junior Gambol. In the center waved the class flag of
+primrose and lavender. In the background was the gray pile of Wellington
+and in the front stretched the level close-cut lawn of the campus,
+fringed by the crowd of spectators. It was an impressive sight and when
+the fresh young voices united in the class song of "Hail, Wellington!",
+Miss Walker was moved to tears.
+
+"The dear children!" she exclaimed to Professor Green at her side,
+"really I feel all choked up over their devotion."
+
+Winding in and out in an intricate march, the class moved slowly across
+the campus until it reached the sophomores grouped together in one spot.
+Here they paused while the President of the juniors made a speech and
+presented the President of the sophomores with a small spade wreathed in
+smilax, a symbol of learning, or rather of the delving for learning
+which that class had in prospect in another year. Next the juniors
+approached the seniors and sang one of the Wellington songs, "Seniors,
+Farewell."
+
+Then the line broke up and moved to the center of the campus, where
+stood a May pole. An orchestra, stationed under one of the trees, began
+playing an old English country dance, and the juniors seized the
+streamers and tripped in and out with the graceful dignity suitable to
+their new, uplifted position of seniors about-to-be.
+
+Not one of the Wellington festivals could so stir her daughters of the
+present or the past, now grouped on the edge of the campus, as this
+Junior May-Day Gambol.
+
+"Perhaps it is so sad because it is so beautiful," Miss Pomeroy observed
+to Miss Bowles, teacher in Higher Mathematics, wiping her eyes
+furtively. But Miss Bowles, not being an ex-daughter of Wellington, and
+having a taste for more prosaic and practical pleasures, regarded the
+scene with only a polite and tolerant interest.
+
+"Who is to be the May Queen?" asked Mrs. McLean, standing in the same
+group with Miss Walker and Professor Green.
+
+As each succeeding year brought around the Junior Gambol the good woman
+hastened to view it with undiminished interest.
+
+"It would be difficult to say," answered Miss Walker. "In a class of
+such unusual individuality it will be very hard to select one who
+deserves it more than another."
+
+"It's a question of popularity more than intelligence," observed the
+Professor. "I think I might hazard a guess," he added in a lower tone,
+but his voice was drowned in a burst of music. The juniors were singing
+an old English glee song, "To the Cuckoo."
+
+    "'Hail, beauteous stranger of the grove,
+      Thou messenger of spring,
+      Now heaven repairs thy rural seat
+      And woods thy welcome ring.'"
+
+Many guesses were hazarded regarding the junior May Queen, not only
+among the crowds of spectators, but in the class itself.
+
+The votes for the Queen were cast by secret ballot in charge of a
+committee of three. Wellington traditions required that the name of the
+chosen one should be kept in entire secrecy until the clock in the tower
+struck noon on May Day. Then the junior donkey was led forth garlanded
+with flowers. He had officiated on this occasion now for ten years. This
+was the great moment when the identity of the most popular girl in the
+junior class was established for all time, and it was an important
+moment, because the one selected was generally chosen as Class President
+the next year.
+
+And now, as the tower clock boomed twelve deep strokes, there was a
+stirring among the spectators and a craning of necks. Three juniors
+appeared at the end of the campus, leading the aged donkey, who flicked
+his tail and walked gingerly over the turf. He wore a garland of
+daffodils and lilacs and moved sedately along, mindful of the importance
+of his position.
+
+The three girls were Nance Oldham, Caroline Brinton and Edith Williams.
+One of them carried a wreath of narcissus and the other two held the
+ribbon reins of the donkey.
+
+According to the time-honored rule, they approached their classmates
+with grave, still faces. It was really a solemn moment and the juniors
+waiting in an unbroken line never moved nor smiled.
+
+The spectators held their breath and for a moment Wellington was so
+still that every human thing in it might have been turned to stone.
+
+Why was it so exciting, this choosing of the May Queen?
+
+No one could tell, and yet it was always the same. Even Miss Bowles felt
+a lump rise in her throat. Many of the alumnæ shamelessly wept, and
+Professor Green, watching the three white figures move slowly in front
+of the line of juniors, wondered if no one else could hear the pounding
+of his pulses.
+
+Presently the committee came to a stop. The Professor thrust his hands
+into his pockets and drew a deep breath.
+
+Nance stepped forward and placed the wreath on somebody's head. The
+spectators could see that she was quite tall and slender, and that she
+shrank back with surprise and shyness as she was led forth and bidden to
+mount the donkey, which she did with perfect ease and grace, as one who
+has mounted horses all her life.
+
+"Who is it?" cried a dozen voices. "They look so much alike."
+
+Scores of opera glasses and field glasses were raised.
+
+"It's Molly Brown, of course," cried a girl.
+
+The Professor smiled happily.
+
+"Of course," he repeated, thrusting his hands deeper into his pockets.
+
+And now the ban of silence was lifted. The orchestra played; the
+audience cheered and the three classes gave their particular yells in
+turn, while the juniors, marching two by two, followed Molly Brown,
+riding the donkey, around the entire circuit of the campus.
+
+As for Molly Brown, she hung her head and blushed, looking neither to
+the right nor to the left.
+
+"The sweet lass, she might be a bride, she is so shy!" ejaculated Mrs.
+McLean as the procession moved slowly by.
+
+"Hurrah for Miss Molly Brown of Kentucky!" yelled a group of Exmoor
+students.
+
+"'Here's to Molly Brown, drink her down,'" sang the entire student body
+of Wellington.
+
+It was a thing that happened every year and there were those who had
+seen it thirty times or more, and still the spectacle was ever new.
+
+"I think I must be dreaming," Molly was saying to herself. "Of course, I
+might have known Nance and Judy would have voted for me and perhaps one
+or two others,--but so many--and what have I done to deserve it? I have
+hardly seen anything of Caroline Brinton and her crowd. 'Oh Lord, make
+me thankful for these and all thy mercies,'" she added, repeating the
+family grace, which somehow seemed appropriate to this stirring moment.
+
+After the triumphal march, Molly with the class officers, flanked by the
+rest of the class, held an informal reception on the lawn. This was
+followed by the Junior Lunch, quite an elaborate affair, served in the
+gymnasium, decorated for the occasion by the sophomores.
+
+Lawrence Upton was Molly's guest for the day. Many of the girls had
+asked Exmoor students, but Nance had been visited with a disappointment
+that was too amusing to be annoying.
+
+Otoyo Sen, on the sophomore committee for decorating the gymnasium, and
+therefore entitled to ask a guest, had not let the grass grow under her
+little feet one instant. The moment the committee had been selected, she
+sent off a formal, polite note to Andy McLean, 2nd, inviting him to be
+her guest.
+
+"Oh, Nance, that's one on you," cried Judy, when she heard this bit of
+news. "You always thought Andy was so much your property that no one
+would ever think of treading on your preserves. It's just like Japan,
+creeping quietly in and taking possession."
+
+"I suppose Andy will be hurt because I didn't get there first," replied
+Nance, laughing good-naturedly. "I suppose I shall have to ask Louis
+Allen, but I don't think it will do Andy any harm to know there are
+other fishes in the sea."
+
+"I guess it won't," answered Judy. "Nance is learning a thing or two,"
+she added to herself.
+
+But all's fair in love and war, and there was no more charming figure on
+the campus that day than little Otoyo in a pink organdy and a large hat
+trimmed with pink roses. On her face was an expression of shy, discreet
+triumph as of one who has gained a victory by stratagem.
+
+The Junior Gambol came to an end at six that evening, and the tired
+students repaired to their rooms to rest and relax after eight hours
+of continuous entertaining. The eight friends of old Queen's days had
+gathered in No. 5 of the Quadrangle, where refreshments were being
+handed around, chiefly lemonade and hickory-nut cake. Eight limp young
+women in dressing-gowns draped themselves about the divans and in the
+arm chairs to discuss the joys of the day.
+
+Molly, at the window, was reading something written on a card tied to
+the stem of an exceedingly large yellow apple. It was Professor Edwin
+Green's card, and the inscription thereon read: "The first of the three
+golden apples was won to-day. Congratulations and best wishes."
+
+Untying the card, she slipped it into her portfolio.
+
+"Shall I divide it or eat it alone?" she asked herself, and, without
+waiting for the second voice to answer, she seized Judy's silver knife
+and divided the apple into eight sections, which she passed around the
+company.
+
+"Did this come from the Garden of Hesperides, Molly?" asked Edith
+Williams, always ready with her classic allusions.
+
+"I wouldn't be surprised if it did," answered Molly, smiling
+mysteriously.
+
+There was much to talk about that evening. It was the moment for
+reminiscences and they reviewed the past year with all its excitements
+and pleasures. When Millicent Porter had departed from Wellington in
+dishonorable flight, her place in the Shakespeareans had been
+immediately filled, and Judy Kean was the girl selected; which goes to
+show that after a good deal of suffering and when the edge is taken off
+the appetite, we generally get what we once earnestly desired. Judy was
+not excited over the honor paid her, but she acquitted herself
+creditably in the beautiful performance of "A Winter's Tale," which the
+society eventually produced.
+
+She sat on the floor now, leaning against Molly, whom, next to her
+father and mother, she loved best in all the world. Without realizing
+it herself, Judy's character had been wonderfully developed and
+strengthened by the events of that winter and she looked on the world
+with a new and broader vision.
+
+It was nearly bedtime; the night was warm and still and through the open
+windows came the sound of singing. The girls were silent for a while,
+too weary to make any more conversation.
+
+"And next year we'll be hoary old seniors," suddenly announced Judy,
+following up a train of thought.
+
+Several in the company sighed audibly. Already the thought of parting
+from each other and from their beloved Wellington cast a shadow before
+it.
+
+But this sorrowful last year was to be filled with interest and happy
+times, as you will see who read the next volume of this series, entitled
+"MOLLY BROWN'S SENIOR DAYS."
+
+
+
+
+                *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's note:
+
+Besides some minor printer's errors the following corrections have
+been made: on page 265 and 269 "Madeleine" has been changed to
+"Millicent" (helped Millicent with the remainder) (leaving
+Millicent still in the window seat). Otherwise the original has been
+preserved, including inconsistent spelling and hyphenation. Additional:
+"Rosomond Chase" was called "Rosamond" in the first book of this series,
+"Molly Brown's Freshman Year."
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOLLY BROWN'S JUNIOR DAYS***
+
+
+******* This file should be named 36717-8.txt or 36717-8.zip *******
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+<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" />
+<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Molly Brown's Junior Days, by Nell Speed</title>
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+<body>
+<h1 class="pg">The Project Gutenberg eBook, Molly Brown's Junior Days, by Nell Speed,
+Illustrated by Charles L. Wrenn</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: Molly Brown's Junior Days</p>
+<p>Author: Nell Speed</p>
+<p>Release Date: July 12, 2011  [eBook #36717]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOLLY BROWN'S JUNIOR DAYS***</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h3 class="center">E-text prepared by<br />
+    Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan, eagkw,<br />
+    and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br />
+    (http://www.pgdp.net)</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<div class="figcover">
+<img src="images/molly3cover.jpg" width="450" height="667" alt="Cover" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a name="frontispiece" id="frontispiece"></a>
+<img src="images/molly001.jpg" width="400" height="600" alt="DID I FRIGHTEN YOU? I AM SORRY.&mdash;Page&nbsp;35." title="" />
+<br /><span class="caption">DID I FRIGHTEN YOU? I AM SORRY.&mdash;<i>Page&nbsp;<a href="#Page_35">35.</a></i></span>
+</div>
+
+
+<h1>MOLLY BROWN&rsquo;S<br />
+JUNIOR DAYS</h1>
+
+<p class="tp"><small>BY</small><br />
+<big>NELL SPEED</big><br />
+<small>AUTHOR OF &ldquo;MOLLY BROWN&rsquo;S FRESHMAN DAYS,&rdquo; &ldquo;MOLLY<br />
+BROWN&rsquo;S SOPHOMORE DAYS,&rdquo; ETC., ETC.</small></p>
+
+<p class="tp"><i>WITH FOUR HALF-TONE ILLUSTRATIONS<br />
+By CHARLES L. WRENN</i></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p class="tp">NEW YORK<br />
+<big>HURST &amp; COMPANY</big><br />
+PUBLISHERS</p>
+
+<hr class="l2"/>
+
+
+<p class="tp"><small>Copyright, 1912,<br />
+by</small><br />
+HURST &amp; COMPANY</p>
+
+<hr class="l2"/>
+
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+
+<div class="center">
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents">
+<tr><td class="col1"><small>CHAPTER</small></td><td class="col2">&nbsp;</td><td class="col3"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">I.</td><td class="col2">Daughters of Wellington</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">II.</td><td class="col2">Minerva Higgins</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_18">18</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">III.</td><td class="col2">In the Cloisters</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_32">32</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">IV.</td><td class="col2">A Literary Evening</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_44">44</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">V.</td><td class="col2">Various Happenings</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_57">57</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">VI.</td><td class="col2">&ldquo;The Best Laid Schemes&rdquo;</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_74">74</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">VII.</td><td class="col2">A Midnight Adventure</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_89">89</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">VIII.</td><td class="col2">Covering Their Tracks</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_105">105</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">IX.</td><td class="col2">The Grave Diggers</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_116">116</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">X.</td><td class="col2">A Visit of State</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_134">134</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">XI.</td><td class="col2">A Swopping Party and a Mock Trial</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_147">147</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">XII.</td><td class="col2">Alarms and Discoveries</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_163">163</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">XIII.</td><td class="col2">&ldquo;The Moving Finger Writes&rdquo;</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_175">175</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">XIV.</td><td class="col2">An Invitation and an Apology</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_187">187</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">XV.</td><td class="col2">A Christmas Ghost Story That Was Never Told</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">XVI.</td><td class="col2">More Christmas Presents and a Coasting Party of Two</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_212">212</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">XVII.</td><td class="col2">The Wayfarers</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_226">226</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">XVIII.</td><td class="col2">Healing the Blind</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_246">246</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">XIX.</td><td class="col2">A Warning</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_259">259</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">XX.</td><td class="col2">The Parable of the Sun and Wind</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_272">272</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col1">XXI.</td><td class="col2">The Junior Gambol</td><td class="col3"><a href="#Page_289">289</a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+
+<hr class="l2"/>
+
+
+<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+
+
+<div class="center">
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Illustrations">
+<tr><td class="col4">Did I frighten you? I am sorry</td><td class="col3"><i><a href="#frontispiece">Frontispiece</a></i></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col4">&nbsp;</td><td class="col3"><span class="smcap">Page</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col4">They set to work to dig a small grave for Judy&rsquo;s
+slipper</td><td class="col3"><a href="#molly002">129</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col4">&ldquo;And she&rsquo;s given me a pair of silk stockings,&rdquo;
+cried Molly</td><td class="col3"><a href="#molly003">213</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="col4">The next thing she knew she was buried deep in a
+snow drift, and Judy was whizzing on alone</td><td class="col3"><a href="#molly004">224</a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h1>Molly Brown&rsquo;s Junior Days</h1>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER I.<br />
+
+<small>DAUGHTERS OF WELLINGTON.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>No.&nbsp;5 in the Quadrangle at Wellington College
+was in a condition of upheaval. Surprising
+things were happening there. The simultaneous
+arrival of six trunks, five express boxes and a
+piano had thrown the three orderly and not over-large
+rooms into a state of the wildest confusion.</p>
+
+<p>In the midst of this mountain of luggage and
+scattered boxes stood a small, lonely figure
+dressed in brown, gazing disconsolately about.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I feel as if I had been cast up by an earthquake
+with a lot of other miscellaneous things,&rdquo;
+she remarked hopelessly.</p>
+
+<p>It was Nance Oldham, back at college by an
+early train, and devoutly wishing she had waited
+for the four-ten when the others were expected.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;This is too much to face alone,&rdquo; she continued.
+&ldquo;If it had been at Queen&rsquo;s it never would
+have happened. Mrs. Markham wouldn&rsquo;t have
+allowed six trunks and a piano and five boxes to
+be piled into one room. And mine at the very
+bottom, too. If it wasn&rsquo;t a selfish act, I think I&rsquo;d
+leave everything and go call on Mrs. McLean&mdash;but,
+no, that wouldn&rsquo;t do on the first day.&rdquo; Nance
+blushed. &ldquo;But Andy&rsquo;s there to-day.&rdquo; She
+blushed again at this bold, outspoken thought.
+&ldquo;I shall get the janitor to come up here and distribute
+these things,&rdquo; she added presently, with
+New England determination not even to peep at
+a picture of pleasure behind a granite wall of
+duty.</p>
+
+<p>The doors of No.&nbsp;5 opened on a broad, high-ceiled
+corridor, the side walls of which were
+wainscoted halfway up with dark polished wood.
+On either side of this corridor ranged the apartments
+and single rooms of the Quadrangle, one
+row facing the campus, the other the courtyard.
+An occasional upholstered bench or high-backed
+chair stood between the frequent doors and gave<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>
+a home-like touch to the long gallery. They had
+been the gift of a rich ex-graduate.</p>
+
+<p>Nance, closing the door of No.&nbsp;5, paused and
+looked proudly down the polished vista of the
+hallway, which curved at the far end and continued
+its way on the other side of the Quadrangle.</p>
+
+<p>The sound of voices and laughter floated to
+her through the half open doors of the other
+rooms. With a smile of contentment, she sat
+down in one of the high-backed chairs.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Dear old Wellington,&rdquo; she said softly, &ldquo;other
+girls love their homes, but I love you.&rdquo; Thus
+she apostrophized the classic shades of the university
+while her gaze lighted absently on a large
+laundry bag stuffed full standing just outside
+one of the doors. It was different from the usual
+Wellington laundry bag, being of a peculiar shape
+and of material covered with Japanese fans.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s Otoyo&rsquo;s. Of course, she must have been
+here since Monday. I heard she had spent the
+summer down in the village.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She hastened along the green path of carpet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span>
+running down the middle of the corridor and
+paused at the room of the Japanese laundry bag.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Otoyo Sen,&rdquo; she called. &ldquo;Why don&rsquo;t you come
+out and meet your friends?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The Japanese girl was seated on the floor gazing
+at a photograph. She rose quickly and flew
+to the door, thrusting the picture behind her.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, I am so deeply happee to see you again,
+Mees Oldham,&rdquo; she exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She has learned the use of adverbs,&rdquo; thought
+Nance, kissing Otoyo&rsquo;s round dark cheek.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You see I have been studying long time. I
+now speak the language with correctness. Do
+you not think so?&rdquo; said Otoyo, apparently reading
+Nance&rsquo;s thoughts.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Perfectly,&rdquo; answered Nance. &ldquo;But tell me
+the news. Is Queen&rsquo;s not to be rebuilt?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, no. Queen&rsquo;s is to remain flat on the
+ground. She will not be erected into another
+building.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And have you had a happy summer? Was it
+quite lonesome for you, poor child?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; protested Otoyo, still hiding the photograph<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span>
+behind her. &ldquo;Those who remained at
+Wellington were most kind to little Japanese
+girl.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And who remained, Otoyo?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Professor Green was here long time. I studied
+the English language under him. He is a
+great man. It is an honorable pleasure to learn
+from one so great.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He is, indeed. And who else? Any of the
+rest of the faculty?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, no. They had all departing gone.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Nance smiled. There was still a relic of last
+year&rsquo;s English.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Mrs. McLean and her family remained at
+Wellington through the entire summer,&rdquo; went
+on Otoyo fluently.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And were they nice to you, Otoyo?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Veree, exceedinglee.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Was Andy well?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Quite, quite,&rdquo; replied the Japanese girl, backing
+off from Nance and slipping the photograph
+into a book.</p>
+
+<p>Not for many a day did Nance find out that it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span>
+was a portrait of that youth himself, taken at the
+age of eight in Scotch kilties and a little black
+velvet hat with two streamers down the back.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly Otoyo became very voluble. She
+changed the subject and talked in rapid, smooth
+English. Could she not see the new rooms of
+her friends? She understood everybody was
+coming down on the four-ten train. It would be
+very crowded. She had found a new laundress
+whom she could highly recommend.</p>
+
+<p>Nance looked at her curiously as they strolled
+back to the other rooms. Something was changed
+about the little Japanese girl. She seemed older
+and much less timid.</p>
+
+<p>It was Miss Sen who found the man to move
+the trunks, and who helped Nance unpack her
+things and lay them in half the chest of drawers;
+and it was Otoyo, also, who, with the skill of an
+artisan, removed all the nails from the express
+box tops so that they might be unpacked immediately
+by their owners. At lunch time she led
+Nance into the great dining hall of the Quadrangle
+where more than a hundred girls ate their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span>
+meals three times a day. There was no attention
+she did not show to Nance, and all because her
+conscience was heavy within her on account of
+the one dishonorable act of her life. How could
+she know that among the scores of photographs
+taken of young Andy from his babyhood to his
+present age, Mrs. McLean would never miss one
+small, faded picture out of the pile thrust into a
+cabinet drawer?</p>
+
+<p>At last it came time to meet the four-ten, and
+Nance, looking spic and span in fresh white duck
+and white shoes and stockings, was rather surprised
+to find Otoyo also attired in a pretty white
+dress, her face shaded with a Leghorn hat
+trimmed with pink roses.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, Miss Sen,&rdquo; she exclaimed, &ldquo;how did you
+learn so soon to dress yourself in this charming
+American style?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;At a garden party at Mrs. McLean&rsquo;s I learned
+a very many things,&rdquo; said Otoyo, &ldquo;and by the
+purchasing agent I have obtained dresses of summer,
+of duckling, lining and musling; also this
+hat and two others very pretty.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Nance laughed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You mean duck, linen and muslin, child,&rdquo; she
+said.</p>
+
+<p>When the four-ten train to Wellington pulled
+into the station it seemed as if every student in
+the university must be crowded inside. They
+leaned from the windows and packed the doorways,
+overflowing onto the platforms.</p>
+
+<p>The air vibrated with high feminine shrieks
+of joy. Only the poor little freshies were silent
+in all this jubilation of reunions. Suddenly
+Nance, spying Molly Brown and Judy Kean,
+rushed to meet them, Otoyo following at her
+heels like a toy spaniel after a larger dog. There
+was a long triangular embrace.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well, here we are, <em>and juniors</em>,&rdquo; was Judy&rsquo;s
+first comment. &ldquo;Nance, you&rsquo;re looking fine as
+silk. No sign of travel on that snowy gown.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There oughtn&rsquo;t to be,&rdquo; said Nance. &ldquo;I just
+put it on half an hour ago.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And look at our little Jap,&rdquo; cried Molly, hugging
+Otoyo. &ldquo;Look at little Miss Sen, all dressed
+up in a beautiful linen.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Little Miss Sen has been learning a thing or
+two,&rdquo; said Nance. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s been to parties, she&rsquo;s
+been studying English under a famous professor;
+she&rsquo;s been buying duckling, lining and musling
+dresses through a purchasing agent with
+very good taste, and she&rsquo;s got a photograph she
+looks at in private and hides away when any one
+comes into the room. Oh, you needn&rsquo;t think I
+didn&rsquo;t see you!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Otoyo blushed scarlet and hung her head.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, thou crafty one,&rdquo; Judy was saying, when
+four of the old Queen&rsquo;s girls pounced on them
+with suit cases and satchels. &ldquo;Why, here are the
+Gemini,&rdquo; Judy continued, embracing the Williams
+sisters. &ldquo;Burned to a mahogany brown, too.
+Where did you get that tan? You look like a
+pair of&mdash;hum&mdash;Filipinos.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t be making invidious remarks, Judy,&rdquo;
+put in Katherine. &ldquo;Learn to see the beautiful
+in all things, even complexions.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime Margaret Wakefield, looking
+five years older than her real age because of her
+matured figure and self-possessed air, was shaking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span>
+hands all around, making an appropriate
+remark with each greeting, like the politician she
+was; and Jessie Lynch was crying in heartbroken
+tones:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I left a box of candy and a bunch of violets
+and two new magazines on the train!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Where&rsquo;s my little freshman?&rdquo; Molly demanded
+of the other girls above the din and
+racket.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There she is,&rdquo; Judy pointed out. &ldquo;But there
+is no hurry. Every bus is jammed full.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The lonely freshman was standing pressed
+against the wall of the waiting room looking
+hopelessly on while the usual mob besieged Mr.
+Murphy, baggage master.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, the poor little thing,&rdquo; cried Molly, rushing
+to take the girl under her wing.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s astonishing how one good deed starts another,&rdquo;
+thought Nance, looking about her for
+other stranded freshies; and both the Williamses
+were doing the same thing.</p>
+
+<p>There were several such lonely souls wandering
+about like lost spirits. They had been jostled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span>
+and pushed this way and that in the crowd,
+and one little girl was on the point of shedding
+tears.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I can always tell a new girl by the wild light
+in her eye,&rdquo; observed Edith Williams, making
+for an unhappy looking young person who had
+given up in despair and was sitting on her suit
+case.</p>
+
+<p>At last they were all bundled into one of the
+larger buses from the livery stable. The older
+girls were thrilled with expectant joy while they
+watched eagerly for the first glimpse of the twin
+gray towers; the new girls, most of them, gazed
+sadly the other way, as if home lay behind them.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It isn&rsquo;t a case of &lsquo;abandon hope all ye who
+enter here,&rsquo;&rdquo; observed Judy to a dejected freshman
+who in five minutes had lost all interest in
+her college career. &ldquo;Look at us blooming creatures
+and you&rsquo;ll see what it can do. There&rsquo;s no
+end to the fun of it and no end to the things you&rsquo;ll
+learn besides mere book knowledge.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I suppose so,&rdquo; said the girl, struggling to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span>
+keep back her tears, &ldquo;but it&rsquo;s a little lonesome at
+first.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Poor little souls,&rdquo; thought Molly, who had
+overheard with much pride Judy&rsquo;s eulogy of college,
+&ldquo;how can we explain it to them? They&rsquo;ll
+just have to find it out themselves as we did before
+them.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The truth is, our new juniors felt quite motherly
+and old.</p>
+
+<p>A hushed silence fell over the Queen&rsquo;s girls
+when the bus drove by the grass-grown plot
+where once had stood their college home.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;If a dear friend had been buried there, we
+couldn&rsquo;t have felt more solemn,&rdquo; Molly wrote her
+sister that night.</p>
+
+<p>But the prestige felt in alighting finally at the
+great arched entrance to the Quadrangle drove
+away all sad thoughts, and when they hastened
+down the long polished corridor to their rooms,
+they could not quench the pride which rose in
+their breasts. It was the real thing at last.
+Queen&rsquo;s and O&rsquo;Reilly&rsquo;s had been great fun, but
+this was college. They were the true daughters<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span>
+of Wellington now, and that night when the
+gates clicked together at ten, they would sleep
+for the first time behind her gray stone walls.</p>
+
+<p>At that moment the voices of a hundred-odd
+other daughters hummed through the halls, but
+it was all a part of the college atmosphere, as
+Judy said.</p>
+
+<p>Their bedrooms were not quite as large as the
+old Queen&rsquo;s rooms, but oh, the sitting room!
+They viewed it with pride. Each of the three
+had contributed something toward additional furniture.
+The piano was Judy&rsquo;s; the divan,
+Nance&rsquo;s; and the cushions, yet to be unpacked,
+Molly&rsquo;s. There was another contribution not
+made by any of the three. It was the beautiful
+Botticelli photograph left for Molly by Mary
+Stewart, who had gone to Europe for the winter.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How glad I am the walls are pale yellow and
+the woodwork white!&rdquo; exclaimed Judy joyfully.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How glad I am there&rsquo;s plenty of room on these
+shelves for everybody&rsquo;s books,&rdquo; said Nance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And how glad I am to be a junior and back
+at old Wellington,&rdquo; finished Molly, squeezing a
+hand of each friend.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER II.<br />
+
+<small>MINERVA HIGGINS.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s only one thing worse than a faculty
+call-down and that&rsquo;s a Beta Phi freeze-out,&rdquo; remarked
+Judy Kean one Saturday afternoon a few
+weeks after the opening day of college.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why do you bring up disagreeable subjects,
+Judy? Have you been getting a call-down?&rdquo;
+asked Katherine Williams.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Not your old Aunty Judy,&rdquo; replied the other.
+&ldquo;I&rsquo;m far too wise for that after two years&rsquo; experience,
+but I saw some one else get one of the
+most flattening, extinguishing, crushing call-downs
+ever received by an inmate of this asylum
+for young ladies. And they do tell me it was followed
+soon after by another one.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Do tell,&rdquo; exclaimed an interested chorus.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It was that fresh Miss Higgins from Ohio,&rdquo;
+continued Judy, with some enjoyment of the curiosity<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span>
+she was exciting. &ldquo;You know she&rsquo;s always
+trying to attract the attention of the masses&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We being the masses,&rdquo; interrupted Edith.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And stand in the limelight. She&rsquo;s bright, I
+hear, very bright, but she knows it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I recognized her type almost immediately,&rdquo;
+said Katherine. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s one of those brightest-girls-in-the-high-school-pride-of-the-town
+kind.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Exactly,&rdquo; answered Judy. &ldquo;She has been regarded
+as a prodigy for so long that she doesn&rsquo;t
+understand the relative difference between a
+freshman and a senior. I honestly believe she
+thought everybody in Wellington knew all about
+her, and she wears as many gold medals on her
+chest as a field marshal on dress parade.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We saw the gold medals on Sunday,&rdquo; interposed
+Molly. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s rather pathetic, myself.
+She is more to be pitied than scorned, because
+of course she doesn&rsquo;t know any better.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She&rsquo;ll have to live and learn, then,&rdquo; said Judy.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Get to the point of your story, Judy. Who extinguished
+her?&rdquo; ejaculated Margaret Wakefield,
+impatient of such slipshod methods of narration.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How can I tell a tale when I&rsquo;m interrupted by
+forty people at once?&rdquo; exclaimed Judy. &ldquo;Besides,
+I haven&rsquo;t the gift of language like you, old suffragette.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Margaret laughed. She was entirely good-natured
+over the jibes of her friends about her passion
+for universal suffrage.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well, the Beta Phi crowd of seniors,&rdquo; went on
+Judy, &ldquo;were walking across the campus in a row.
+I don&rsquo;t suppose Miss Higgins had any way to
+know this soon in the game that they represented
+the triple extract of concentrated exclusiveness
+at Wellington. Anyhow, she knows it now. She
+came rushing up behind them and gave Rosomond
+a light, friendly slap on the back. If you
+could have seen Rosomond&rsquo;s face! But Miss Higgins
+was entirely dense. She began something
+about &lsquo;Hello, girls, have you heard the news
+about Prexy&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo; but she never got any further.
+Rosomond gave her the most freezing look I ever
+saw from a human eye.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What did she say?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That was it. She never said anything. Nobody<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span>
+said anything. Eloise Blair carries tortoise-shell
+lorgnettes&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She doesn&rsquo;t need them,&rdquo; broke in Nance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She only does it to make herself more haughty.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Anyway, Eloise raised the lorgnettes.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Poor Miss Higgins,&rdquo; cried Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There was perfect silence for about a minute.
+Then they all walked on, leaving little Higgins
+standing alone in the middle of the campus.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And where were you?&rdquo; asked Margaret.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, I was with the seniors,&rdquo; answered Judy,
+flushing slightly. &ldquo;I had been over to Beta Phi
+to see Rosomond about something.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>It was impossible for Judy&rsquo;s friends not to
+make an amiable unspoken guess as to why she
+had visited the Beta Phi circle. It had been evident
+for some time that she was working to get
+into the &ldquo;Shakespeareans,&rdquo; the most exclusive
+dramatic club in college. There was an awkward
+silence as this thought flashed through their
+minds. Molly felt embarrassed for her chum.
+After all, she was no worse than Margaret Wakefield,
+who had managed to get herself elected<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span>
+three years in succession as president of her
+class.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What was the other extinguisher Miss Higgins
+had, Judy?&rdquo; asked Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, yes. That was even worse. It came
+from your particular friend, Professor Green.
+She interrupted him in the middle of a lecture
+with one of those unnecessary questions new girls
+ask to show how much they know. And then
+she said something about methods at Mill Town
+High School.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Really?&rdquo; chorused the voices. &ldquo;And what
+did he say?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He looked very much bored and replied that
+they were not interested in Mill Town High
+School, and he would be obliged if she would pay
+attention to the lecture. It was a public rebuke,
+nothing more nor less.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The mean thing,&rdquo; exclaimed Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Now, Molly,&rdquo; interposed Margaret, &ldquo;you
+know very well that girls of that type ought to
+be taken down. They are never tolerated at college.
+A conceited boy at college is always thoroughly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>
+hazed until there&rsquo;s not a drop of conceit
+left, and it does him good. And since we can&rsquo;t
+haze, we simply have to extinguish a fresh
+freshie. Miss Higgins may develop into a very
+nice girl in a year or two, but at present she&rsquo;s the
+veriest little upstart&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Do be careful,&rdquo; said Molly cautiously. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve
+invited her this afternoon to drink tea&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Molly Brown,&rdquo; they cried, pummeling her
+with sofa cushions and beating her with her own
+slippers.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Really, Molly, you must restrain your inviting
+habits,&rdquo; said Judy.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry,&rdquo; apologized poor Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why did you do it, pray? You know perfectly
+well no one here wants her.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I know it, but I was sorry for her. She
+seemed so brash and lonesome at the same time.
+I thought it might help her some to mingle with
+a few fine, intelligent, well-bred girls like
+you&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Here, here! Don&rsquo;t try to get out of it that
+way.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She appears to be very learned,&rdquo; continued
+Molly, turning her blue eyes innocently from one
+to the other. &ldquo;I thought it would be nice to pit
+her against Margaret and Edith. She discusses
+deep subjects and uses big words I can only dimly
+guess the meaning of&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; There was a tap at
+the door. &ldquo;Now, be nice, please.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come in,&rdquo; called Nance, in a tone of authority,
+and Minerva Higgins appeared in their
+midst.</p>
+
+<p>She had done honor to the occasion by putting
+on a taffeta silk of indigo blue, and by pinning
+on some of her most conspicuous gold medals
+acquired at intervals during her early education.</p>
+
+<p>Judy shook her head over the indigo blue.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Only certain minds could wear it,&rdquo; she
+thought.</p>
+
+<p>Molly rose, but before she could frame a cordial
+greeting, the new guest was saying:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How do you do, Molly? Awfully nice of you
+to ask me. You don&rsquo;t mind my calling you by
+your first name, do you? My name is Minerva<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>
+but the girls at Mill Town High School called
+me &lsquo;Minnie.&rsquo; I hope you&rsquo;ll do the same.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I shall be glad to,&rdquo; answered Molly, rather
+taken back by this sudden intimacy.</p>
+
+<p>After she had performed all necessary introductions,
+wicked Katherine Williams remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Minnie is a very charming name, but I insist
+on calling you &lsquo;Minerva&rsquo; after the Goddess of
+Wisdom. She never wore gold medals, but then
+it wasn&rsquo;t the fashion among the early Greeks.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Minerva&rsquo;s face was the picture of complacency.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;In Greece she would have been &lsquo;Athene,&rsquo;&rdquo;
+she observed.</p>
+
+<p>There was a loud clearing of throats and Judy,
+as usual, was seized with a violent fit of coughing.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Sit down here, Miss Higgins&mdash;I mean Minnie,&rdquo;
+said Molly hastily. &ldquo;The tea will be ready
+in a minute.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You have been to college before, Minerva?&rdquo;
+asked Edith Williams solemnly.</p>
+
+<p>Minerva looked somewhat surprised.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, no. Not college. I am just out of High<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span>
+School. Mill Town High School is a very wonderful
+educational institution, you know. Perhaps
+you have heard of it. A diploma from there
+will admit a girl into any of the best colleges in
+the country. I could have gone to a private
+school. My father is professor of Greek at the
+Academy in Mill Town, but I preferred to take
+advantage of the high standards of the High
+School, which are even higher than those of the
+Academy.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I suppose your father&rsquo;s taste in Greek caused
+him to name you Minerva,&rdquo; observed Judy.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But Minerva isn&rsquo;t Greek, Julia,&rdquo; admonished
+Katherine.</p>
+
+<p>Again Molly interceded. It was cruel to make
+fun of the poor girl, although there was no denying
+that Minerva had a high opinion of herself.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Have a sandwich,&rdquo; she said soothingly.</p>
+
+<p>There was a long interval of silence while
+Minerva crunched her sandwich.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Your life at Mill Town High School must
+have been one grand triumphal progress, judging<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>
+from your medals, Miss Higgins,&rdquo; said Edith
+Williams finally.</p>
+
+<p>Minerva glanced proudly down at the awards
+of merit.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There are a good many of them,&rdquo; she observed,
+with a smile that was almost more than
+they could stand. &ldquo;And there are more of them
+still. I&rsquo;ve won one or two medals each year ever
+since I started to school. But I don&rsquo;t like to wear
+them all at once.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s very modest of you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Are you going to specialize on any subjects,
+Miss Higgins?&rdquo; asked Margaret Wakefield,
+really meaning to be kind and lead the girl away
+from topics which made her appear ridiculous.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Biology, I think. But I am interested in
+Comparative Philology, too, and after I skim
+through a little Greek and Latin, I intend to take
+up some of the ancient languages, Sanskrit and
+Hebrew.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Was it possible that Minerva was making game
+of them? They regarded her suspiciously, but
+she seemed sublimely unconscious.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why not study also the ancient tongue of the
+Basques?&rdquo; asked Edith, quite gravely.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That would be interesting,&rdquo; replied Minerva,
+&ldquo;but I want to get through this little college
+course first.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly batted her heavenly eyes and suddenly
+burst out laughing.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Excuse me,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t mean to be
+rude, but the course at Wellington doesn&rsquo;t seem
+so small to us. We have to study all the time and
+then just barely pull through. I&rsquo;ve almost flunked
+twice in mathematics. I wish I could call it a
+little course.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Ah, well, we are not all Minervas,&rdquo; observed
+Margaret. &ldquo;Some of us are just ordinary school
+girls learning the rudiments of education. We
+have not had the advantages of Mill Town High
+School, and if any of us have won gold medals
+we never show them.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>This measured rebuff, however, had no more
+effect on Minerva&rsquo;s impervious vanity than a
+cup of water dashed against a granite boulder.
+She was already up, wandering about the room,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>
+boldly examining the girls&rsquo; belongings, ostentatiously
+reading the titles of books aloud.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Plays by Molière. Oh, yes, I read them in the
+original two years ago. They&rsquo;re easy. &lsquo;Green&rsquo;s
+Short History of the English People,&rsquo; very interesting
+book. &lsquo;The Broad Highway.&rsquo; I never
+read fiction. Only biography and history&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Edith Williams, stretched at her ease on the
+divan, gave an inaudible groan and turned her
+face to the wall.</p>
+
+<p>Molly glanced helplessly about her.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;&lsquo;The Primavera,&rsquo; that&rsquo;s by Botticelli,&rdquo; went
+on the girl, infatuated by her own intelligence.
+&ldquo;Good artist, but I don&rsquo;t care for the old masters
+as a general thing. They are always out of drawing.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Katherine rolled her eyes up into her head
+until only the whites could be seen, which gave
+her the horrible aspect of a corpse.</p>
+
+<p>There was a long and eloquent silence. Presently
+Minerva took her departure, and Molly,
+hospitable to the last gasp, saw her to the door
+and invited her to come again.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>With the door safely locked and Minerva out
+of earshot, there was a general collapse. Nobody
+laughed, but the room was filled with painful
+sounds, moans and groans. Judy pretended to
+faint on top of Edith, and Molly sat in a remote
+corner of the room.</p>
+
+<p>Somehow, they felt beaten, vanquished.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I am sore all over with repressed emotions,&rdquo;
+cried Judy. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t stand another séance
+like that.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Does she know as much as she claims?&rdquo; asked
+Nance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Of course not,&rdquo; exclaimed Margaret irritably.
+&ldquo;If she really knew she wouldn&rsquo;t claim anything.
+It&rsquo;s only ignorant people who boast of knowledge.
+I suppose she has been looked up to for so long
+that she regards herself as a fountain of wisdom.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She must be taken down,&rdquo; said Edith firmly.
+&ldquo;This mustn&rsquo;t be allowed to go on at Wellington.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But hazing isn&rsquo;t allowed,&rdquo; put in Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Not by hazing, goosie. By some homely little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span>
+practical joke that will show herself to herself as
+others see her.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;All right,&rdquo; consented Molly. She felt indeed
+that something should be done to save poor Minerva
+Higgins from eternal ridicule.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;If anybody has suggestions to make,&rdquo; here
+announced Margaret Wakefield, self-constituted
+chairman of all committees, impromptu or otherwise,
+&ldquo;they may be stated in writing or announced
+by word of mouth to-morrow night in
+our rooms at a fudge party.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Accepted,&rdquo; they cried in one breath.</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime, Minerva Higgins was writing
+home to her mother that she had been, if not
+the guest of honor, almost that, at a junior tea,
+and had found the girls rather interesting though
+poor talkers. In fact, it was necessary to do almost
+all the talking herself.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER III.<br />
+
+<small>IN THE CLOISTERS.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>Life in the Quadrangle hummed busily on. The
+girls found themselves in the very heart of college
+affairs. As a matter of fact the old Queen&rsquo;s
+circle had been somewhat restricted, having narrowed
+down to less than a dozen; whereas now,
+they associated with many times that number
+and were invited to a bewildering succession of
+teas and fudge parties.</p>
+
+<p>Also they were nearer to the library, the gymnasium,
+the classrooms and the cloisters. Here,
+during the warm, hazy days of Indian summer
+Molly loved to walk. It was not such a popular
+place as she had imagined with the Quadrangle
+girls, and often she was quite alone in the arcade,
+bordered now with hydrangeas turning a delicate
+pink under the autumn suns.</p>
+
+<p>One afternoon, a few days after Margaret&rsquo;s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>
+fudge party to discuss the question of Minerva
+Higgins, Molly sought a few quiet moments in
+the cloistered walk. It was a half hour before
+closing-up time, but she would not miss the six
+strokes of the tower clock again, as she had on
+her first day at college two years before.</p>
+
+<p>She usually confined her walks to the far side
+of the arcade, keeping well away from the side
+of the cloisters on which the studies of some of
+the faculty opened. That afternoon she carried
+her volume of Rossetti with her, and pacing
+slowly up and down, she read in a low musical
+voice to herself:</p>
+
+<div class="centered"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0b">&ldquo;&lsquo;The blessed damozel leaned out<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">From the gold bar of Heaven;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Her eyes were deeper than the depth<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Of waters stilled at even;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">She had three lilies in her hand,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And the stars in her hair were seven.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>Waves of rhythm ran through Molly&rsquo;s head,
+and when she reached the end of the walk she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>
+turned mechanically and went the other way
+without pausing in her reading.</p>
+
+<p>Many girls studied in this way in the cloisters
+and it was not an unusual sight, but Molly made
+a picture not soon to be forgotten by any one
+who might chance to wander in the arcade at that
+hour. She was still spare and undeveloped, but
+the grace that was to come revealed itself in the
+girlish lines of her figure. Her eyes seemed
+never more serenely, deeply blue than now, and
+her hair, disordered from the tam o&rsquo;shanter she
+had pulled off and tossed onto a stone bench,
+made a fluffy auburn frame about her face.
+Molly was by no means beautiful from the standpoint
+of perfection. Her eyebrows and lashes
+should have been darker; her chin was too pointed
+and her mouth a shade too large. But few people
+took the trouble to pick out flaws in her face
+or figure. Those who loved her thought her beautiful,
+and the few who did not could not deny her
+charm.</p>
+
+<p>Presently she sat down on a bench, continuing
+to declaim the poem out aloud, making a gesture<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span>
+occasionally with her unoccupied hand.
+After reading a verse, she closed her eyes and
+repeated it to herself. Opening her eyes between
+verses, she encountered the amused gaze of Professor
+Edwin Green who, having seen her in the
+distance, had cut across the grassy court and now
+stood as still as a statue leaning against a stone
+pillar.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; exclaimed Molly, with a nervous start.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;<a href="#frontispiece">Did I frighten you? I am sorry.</a> I should
+have walked more heavily. It&rsquo;s unkind to steal
+up on people who are reading poetry aloud.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I was learning the&mdash;something by heart,&rdquo; she
+said, blushing a little as if she had been detected
+in a guilty act. After all, it was the professor
+who had introduced her to that poem and given
+her the book last Christmas, but that, of course,
+was not the reason why she was so fond of the
+poem she was studying.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How do you like the Quadrangle?&rdquo; he asked.
+&ldquo;Are you comfortable and happy?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly clasped her hands in the excess of her
+enthusiasm.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I was never so happy in all my life,&rdquo; she cried.
+&ldquo;It is perfect. Our rooms are beautiful, and a
+sitting room, too. Think of that, with yellow
+walls and a piano!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The professor looked vastly pleased. For an
+instant his face was lighted by a beaming, radiant
+smile. Then he thrust his hands into his
+pockets and pressed his lips together in a thin
+line of determination.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I feel as if I were one of the workers inside
+the hive now,&rdquo; Molly continued.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And all the difficulties about tuition have been
+settled?&rdquo; he asked. &ldquo;Forgive my mentioning it,
+but I felt an interest on account of my close relationship
+to the Blounts.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, yes. The money from the two acres of
+orchard settled that. You see, whoever bought
+it, whether it was an old man or a company&mdash;for
+some reason the name is still a secret with the
+agent&mdash;paid cash. They rarely do, mother says,
+and the money is usually spent in driblets before
+you realize it. Mr. Richard Blount expects
+to settle with his father&rsquo;s creditors in a few<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>
+months. My sisters are working. They say they
+enjoy it, but they are both engaged to be married,&rdquo;
+she added, smiling.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Did the orchard yield a good crop this year?&rdquo;
+asked the professor irrelevantly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, splendid. The apples were packed in barrels
+and sent away. Several of them were sent
+to mother as a present. Very nice of the owner,
+wasn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Very,&rdquo; replied the professor, fingering something
+in his pocket absently.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The owner of the orchard has it kept in fine
+condition. The trees have been trimmed and the
+ground cleared. Mother says she&rsquo;s ashamed of
+her own shiftlessness whenever she looks at it.
+The grass was as smooth as velvet all summer
+until the drought came and dried it brown. I
+used to go there summer mornings and lie in a
+hammock and read. I didn&rsquo;t think any one would
+care. There&rsquo;s no harm in attaching a hammock
+to two trees. Mother says I don&rsquo;t seem to remember
+that we are no longer the owners of the
+orchard. I have played in it and lived in it so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span>
+much of my life that I&rsquo;ve got the habit, I suppose.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The professor cleared his throat.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You said the ground sloped slightly, did you
+not?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, just a gradual slope to a little brook at
+the bottom of the hill. The water seems to cool
+the air in summer. It never goes dry and there
+is a little basin in one place we used to call &lsquo;the
+birds&rsquo; bath tub.&rsquo; Such birds you never imagined!
+They are attracted by the apples, I suppose. But
+there are hundreds of them. They sing from
+morning to night.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You paint a very attractive picture, Miss
+Brown. It must have been hard to give up this
+charming property.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But you see we haven&rsquo;t given it up exactly.
+It&rsquo;s there right against us. We can still look at
+it and even walk under the trees. No one minds.
+And see what I have for it! Nothing could ever
+take the place of college&mdash;not even an apple
+orchard.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A sharp voice broke in on this pleasant conversation.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Cousin Edwin, I&rsquo;ve been looking for you
+everywhere.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judith Blount appeared hastening down the
+walk.</p>
+
+<p>The professor watched the advancing figure
+calmly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well, now you have found me, what do you
+want?&rdquo; he asked.</p>
+
+<p>Molly detected a slight note of annoyance in
+his voice. She had a notion that Judith was one
+of the trials of his life.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have rewritten the short story you criticized
+for me last week, and I want you to look it over
+again.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>He took the roll of paper without a word and
+thrust it into his coat pocket.</p>
+
+<p>Molly rose.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I must be going,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It must be nearly
+six o&rsquo;clock.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judith promptly sat down on the bench facing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>
+her cousin, who still leaned against the stone pillar.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you think it&rsquo;s a little chilly to be lingering
+here, Judith?&rdquo; he remarked politely, as he
+joined Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t too chilly for you a moment ago,&rdquo;
+answered Judith hotly.</p>
+
+<p>But she rose and walked on the other side of
+the professor.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How do you like your rooms?&rdquo; he asked presently.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I hate them,&rdquo; she replied, with such fierce resentment
+that Molly was sure that Judith was
+glad to have something on which to vent her angry
+mood. &ldquo;Thank heavens, this is my last year.
+I detest Wellington. I have never been happy
+here. It&rsquo;s brought shame and misfortune on me.
+It&rsquo;s a horrid old place.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, Judith,&rdquo; protested Molly, unable to endure
+this libel on her beloved college.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My dear child, you can&rsquo;t blame Wellington
+for your misfortunes,&rdquo; interposed the professor,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>
+who himself cherished a deep affection for the
+two gray towers.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It is hard to live in the village instead of at
+college,&rdquo; said Molly, feeling suddenly very sorry
+for the unhappy Judith.</p>
+
+<p>But Judith was in no state to be sympathized
+with. All day she had been nursing a grievance.
+One of her friends in prosperity at the Beta Phi
+House had turned a cold shoulder on her that
+morning; and Judith was so enraged by the
+slight that her feelings were like an open sore.</p>
+
+<p>She turned on Molly angrily.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You ought to know,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;You had to
+do it long enough.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Judith, Judith,&rdquo; remonstrated the professor.
+&ldquo;Can&rsquo;t you understand that you gain nothing, and
+always lose something, by giving way like this?
+Denouncing and hating make the object you are
+working for recede. You&rsquo;ll never get it that
+way.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How do you know what I&rsquo;m working for?&rdquo;
+she demanded, more quietly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We are all of us working for the same thing,&rdquo;
+he answered. &ldquo;Happiness. None of us proposes
+to get it in the same way, but all of us propose to
+reach the same goal. What would give me happiness
+no doubt would never satisfy you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t know that, either. What would
+give you happiness?&rdquo; Judith asked, with some
+curiosity.</p>
+
+<p>The professor paused a moment, then he said
+calmly:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;A little home of my own in a shady quiet
+place with plenty of old trees, where I could
+work in peace. I have always fancied an old orchard.
+There might be a brook at one end&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly smiled.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s thinking of my orchard,&rdquo; she thought.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There must be hundreds of birds in my orchard,&rdquo;
+went on the professor, &ldquo;and the grass
+must always be thick and green, except perhaps
+when the drought comes and it can&rsquo;t help itself&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The six o&rsquo;clock bell boomed out.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Have an apple,&rdquo; he said, taking two red apples
+from his pocket and giving one to each of
+the girls.</p>
+
+<p>Then he opened the small oak door and stood
+politely aside while they passed out.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER IV.<br />
+
+<small>A LITERARY EVENING.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>The entertainment designed to bring Miss Minerva
+Higgins to a true understanding of her
+position as a freshman took place one Friday
+evening in the rooms of Margaret and Jessie. It
+was called on the invitation &ldquo;A Literary Evening,&rdquo;
+and was to be in the nature of a spread and
+fudge affair. There had been two rehearsals beforehand,
+and the girls were now prepared to
+enjoy themselves thoroughly.</p>
+
+<p>Molly was loath to take part in the literary
+evening.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t bear to see anybody humiliated even
+when she ought to be,&rdquo; she said, but she consented
+to come and to give a recitation.</p>
+
+<p>Several study tables had been united for the
+supper, the cracks concealed by Japanese towelling
+contributed by Otoyo. There was no Mrs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>
+Murphy in the Quadrangle from whom to borrow
+tablecloths. All the chairs from the other rooms
+were brought in to seat the company, who appeared
+grave and subdued. Most of the girls
+were dressed to resemble famous poets and authors.
+Judy was Byron; Margaret Wakefield,
+George Eliot; Nance, Charlotte Bronté; Edith
+Williams, Edgar Allan Poe; and Molly was Shelley.
+Shakespeare, Voltaire and Charles Dickens
+were in the company, and &ldquo;The Duchess,&rdquo; impersonated
+by Jessie Lynch.</p>
+
+<p>The unfortunate Minerva was a little disconcerted
+at first when she found herself the only
+girl at the feast in her own character.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why didn&rsquo;t you tell me, so that I could have
+come in costume, too?&rdquo; she asked Margaret.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But you had your medals,&rdquo; was Margaret&rsquo;s
+enigmatic answer.</p>
+
+<p>Minerva looked puzzled. Then her gaze fell
+to the shining breastplate of silver and gold
+trophies. She had worn them all this evening.
+The temptation had been too great. The medals
+gleamed like so many solemn eyes. She wondered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>
+if the others could read what was inscribed
+on them, or if it would be necessary to call attention
+to the most choice ones: &ldquo;THE HIGHEST
+GENERAL AVERAGE FOR FOUR
+YEARS&rdquo;; &ldquo;REGULAR ATTENDANCE&rdquo;;
+&ldquo;MATHEMATICS&rdquo;; &ldquo;THE BEST HISTORICAL
+ESSAY&rdquo;; &ldquo;ENGLISH AND COMPOSITION.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Edith opened the evening by delivering a
+speech in Latin which was really one of Virgil&rsquo;s
+eclogues mixed up with whatever she could recall
+of Livy and Horace, and filled out occasionally
+with Latin prose composition. It was so excruciatingly
+funny that Judy sputtered in her
+tea and was well kicked on her shins under the
+table.</p>
+
+<p>Minerva, however, appeared to be profoundly
+impressed, and the company murmured subdued
+approvals when, at last, the speaker took breath
+and sat down, gazing solemnly around her with
+dark, melancholy eyes very much blacked around
+the lids.</p>
+
+<p>Margaret then delivered a learned discourse<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span>
+on &ldquo;Poise of Body and Poise of Mind,&rdquo; which
+was skillfully expressed in such deep and intricate
+language that nobody could understand what
+she was talking about.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Very, very interesting, indeed,&rdquo; observed
+Edith.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Remarkable; wonderful; so clearly put,&rdquo;
+came from the others.</p>
+
+<p>Minerva rubbed her eyes and frowned.</p>
+
+<p>Nance recited &ldquo;The Raven,&rdquo; translated into
+very bad French. This was almost more than
+their gravity could endure, and when she ended
+each verse with &ldquo;<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Dit le corbeau: jamais plus</i>,&rdquo;
+many of the girls stooped under the table for lost
+handkerchiefs and Japanese napkins.</p>
+
+<p>But it was not until Judy had sung a lullaby in
+Sanskrit&mdash;so called&mdash;that Minerva became at all
+suspicious. Even then it was the wrong kind of
+suspicion. She thought that perhaps she should
+have laughed, and the others had politely refrained
+because she hadn&rsquo;t.</p>
+
+<p>After a great deal of learned talk, Molly stood<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span>
+on a soap box and recited &ldquo;Curfew Shall Not
+Ring To-night.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>This was the crowning joy of that famous
+evening, but still Minerva appeared seriously impressed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I recited that once at Mill Town High
+School,&rdquo; she remarked.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Can&rsquo;t you give us something to-night?&rdquo; asked
+Molly kindly, feeling that in some way the unfortunate
+Minerva ought to be allowed to join in.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know that I ought to give another
+poem by the same man,&rdquo; she replied, &ldquo;except that
+Miss Oldham gave &lsquo;The Raven&rsquo; in French.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t tell us you know &lsquo;The Bells&rsquo;?&rdquo; demanded
+Edith Williams, in a trembling whisper.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, yes. I&rsquo;ve given it at lots of school entertainments.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We had better turn down the lights,&rdquo; said
+Margaret. &ldquo;The room should be in darkness
+except the side light where Miss Higgins will
+stand. That will be the spot light.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>This was a fortunate arrangement because,
+while Minerva recited &ldquo;The Bells,&rdquo; with all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span>
+proper gestures, intonations and echoes, according
+to Cleveland&rsquo;s recitation book, the girls silently
+collapsed. When she had finished, they
+were reduced to that exhausted state that arrives
+after a supreme effort not to laugh.</p>
+
+<p>At last the entertainment came to an end. Minerva
+departed with some of the others, while
+those who lived close by remained to chat for a
+few minutes.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I give up,&rdquo; exclaimed Margaret Wakefield.
+&ldquo;Minerva is beyond teaching. She must remain
+forever the smartest girl in Mill Town High
+School.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The only pity of it is that it was all wasted on
+one humorless person. We really furnished her
+with a most delightful entertainment and she
+never even guessed it,&rdquo; declared Nance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad she didn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; remarked Molly. &ldquo;It
+was cruel, I think. Suppose she had caught on?
+Do you think it would have helped her? And we
+would have been uncomfortable.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Suppose she did understand and pretended<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span>
+not to. The joke would have been decidedly on
+us,&rdquo; put in Katherine.</p>
+
+<p>Later events of that evening would seem to
+bear out this suggestion, although just how
+deeply, if at all, Minerva was implicated in what
+followed no one could possibly tell. It was a
+question long afterwards in dispute whether one
+person had managed the sequel to the Literary
+Evening, or whether there had been a confederate.
+Certainly it seemed that every imp in Bedlam
+had been set free to do mischief, and if Minerva,
+as arch-imp, was looking for revenge, she
+found it.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like to appear inhospitable, girls, but
+it&rsquo;s five minutes of ten and I think you&rsquo;d better
+chase along,&rdquo; said Margaret Wakefield.</p>
+
+<p>But when Judy laid hold of the knob and tried
+to open the door, it would not budge.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It won&rsquo;t open,&rdquo; she exclaimed. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s to
+be done?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>What was to be done? They pulled and jerked
+and endeavored to pry it open with a silver shoe
+horn and a pair of scissors, and at last Jessie, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span>
+the smallest, was chosen to climb over the transom
+and go for help. It was five minutes past
+ten, and they prudently turned out the lights.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Let me get at that knob just once before we
+work the transom scheme,&rdquo; ejaculated Margaret,
+who was very strong and athletic.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;People always think they can open tin cans
+and doors and pull stoppers when other people
+can&rsquo;t,&rdquo; observed Judy sarcastically.</p>
+
+<p>Margaret treated this remark with contemptuous
+indifference. Seizing the knob with both
+hands, she turned it and, putting her knee to the
+jamb, pulled with all her force. The arch fiend
+on the other side must have turned the key at
+this critical moment, for the door flew open and
+the president tumbled back as if she had been
+shot from a catapult, knocking a number of surprised
+poets and authors into a tumbled heap.
+They were all considerably bruised and battered,
+and Margaret bit her tongue; a severe punishment
+for one whose oratory was the pride of the
+class.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Hush,&rdquo; whispered Jessie, who alone had escaped<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span>
+the tumble, &ldquo;here comes the house matron.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Softly she closed the door, and the girls waited
+until the danger was over. Then Margaret hastened
+to examine the keyhole.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no key in it,&rdquo; she whispered, speaking
+with difficulty, because her tongue was bleeding
+from the marks of two teeth.</p>
+
+<p>Whoever played the trick must have unlocked
+the door, jerked the key out and fled the instant
+the matron appeared at the end of the corridor.
+There was no time to discuss the mystery, however.
+She would be coming back in two minutes.
+Again they waited in silence until they heard the
+swish of her dress as she went past the door, now
+left open a crack in order that Judy, lying flat
+on her stomach on the floor, and enjoying herself
+immensely, might be on the lookout.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come on,&rdquo; she hissed, as the large, rotund
+figure of Mrs. Pelham was lost in the darkness,
+and out they scuttled like a lot of mice loosed
+from the trap.</p>
+
+<p>But the evening&rsquo;s adventures were not over.</p>
+
+<p>As Judy, in advance of Molly and Nance,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span>
+pushed open their door, already ajar, a small pail
+of water, placed on the top of the door by the
+arch-imp, whoever she was, fell on Judy&rsquo;s head
+and deluged her. It contained hardly a quart
+of water, but it might have been a gallon for the
+wreck it made of Judy&rsquo;s clothes and the room.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, but I&rsquo;ll get even with somebody,&rdquo; exclaimed
+that enraged young woman.</p>
+
+<p>They turned on the green-shaded student&rsquo;s
+lamp and drew the blinds, the night watchman
+being very vigilant at the dormitories, and began
+silently mopping up the floor with towels.</p>
+
+<p>Judy removed her wet clothes, and unbound
+her long hair, light in color and fine as silk in
+quality.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t go to bed,&rdquo; she announced, &ldquo;until I
+find out what&rsquo;s happened to the Gemini,&rdquo; and
+without another word she crept into the corridor.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nance,&rdquo; whispered Molly, when they were
+alone, &ldquo;if Minerva Higgins did this, she&rsquo;s about
+the boldest freshman alive to-day. But, after all,
+we can&rsquo;t exactly blame her, considering what we
+did to her.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She is taking great chances,&rdquo; replied Nance,
+who had a thorough respect for college etiquette
+and class caste. &ldquo;Every pert freshman must be
+prepared for a call-down; and if she doesn&rsquo;t take
+it like a lamb, she&rsquo;ll just have to expect a freeze-out.
+It&rsquo;s much better for her in the end. If
+Minerva were allowed to keep this up for four
+years, she would be entirely insufferable. She&rsquo;s
+almost that now.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you think she could find it out without
+such severe methods?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Severe methods, indeed,&rdquo; answered Nance indignantly.
+&ldquo;Do you call it severe to be asked
+to sup with the brightest girls in Wellington?
+Margaret&rsquo;s speech alone was worth all the humiliation
+Minerva might have felt; but she didn&rsquo;t
+feel any. Do you consider that rough, crude
+jokes like this are going to be tolerated?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But we don&rsquo;t know that Minerva played them,
+yet,&rdquo; pleaded Molly. &ldquo;I do admit, though, that
+it must have been a very ordinary person who
+could think of them. Margaret might have been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>
+badly hurt if she hadn&rsquo;t fallen on top of the rest
+of us.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Presently Judy came stalking into their bedroom.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just as I expected,&rdquo; she announced. &ldquo;The
+Williamses&rsquo; bed was full of carpet tacks and
+Mabel Hinton fell over a cord stretched across
+her door and sprained her wrist. She has it
+bound with arnica now.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see how Minerva could have had time
+to do all those things,&rdquo; broke in Molly.</p>
+
+<p>There are some rare and very just natures&mdash;and
+Molly&rsquo;s was one of them&mdash;which will not be
+convinced by circumstantial evidence alone.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She would have had plenty of time,&rdquo; argued
+Judy. &ldquo;It would hardly have taken five minutes
+provided she had planned it all out beforehand.
+Besides, it&rsquo;s easy for you to talk, Molly. You
+didn&rsquo;t bite your tongue, or sprain your wrist, or
+get a ducking; or undress in the dark and get
+into a bedful of tacks. You escaped.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Disgusting!&rdquo; came Nance&rsquo;s muffled voice
+from the covers.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It is horrid,&rdquo; admitted Molly. &ldquo;Whoever did
+it&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Minerva!&rdquo; broke in Judy.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;&mdash;must have a very mistaken idea of college
+and the sorts of amusement that are customary.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>So the argument ended for the night.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER V.<br />
+
+<small>VARIOUS HAPPENINGS.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>Guilty or innocent, Minerva Higgins displayed
+an inscrutable face next day, and the juniors,
+lacking all necessary evidence, were obliged to
+admit themselves outwitted; but they let it be
+known that jokes of that class were distinctly
+foreign to Wellington notions, and woe be to
+the author of them if her identity was ever disclosed.</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime, Molly was busy with many
+things. As usual she was very hard up for
+clothes, and was concocting a scheme in her
+mind for saving up money enough to buy a new
+dress for the Junior Prom. in February. She
+bought a china pig in the village, large enough
+to hold a good deal of small change, and from
+time to time dropped silver through the slit in
+his back.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a safe bank,&rdquo; she observed to her
+friends, &ldquo;because the only way you can get money
+out of him is to smash him.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The pig came to assume a real personality in
+the circle. For some unknown reason he had
+been christened &ldquo;Martin Luther.&rdquo; The girls
+used to shake him and guess the amount of
+money he contained. Sometimes they wrote
+jingles about him, and Judy invented a dialogue
+between Martin Luther and herself which was
+so amusing that its fame spread abroad and she
+was invited to give it many times at spreads and
+fudge parties.</p>
+
+<p>The scheme that had been working in Molly&rsquo;s
+mind for some weeks at last sprung into life as
+an idea, and seizing a pencil and paper one day
+she sketched out her notion of the plot of a short
+story. It was not what she herself really cared
+for, but what she considered might please the
+editor who was to buy it as a complete story,
+and the public who would read it. There were
+mystery and love, beauty and riches in Molly&rsquo;s
+first attempt. Then she began to write. But<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span>
+it was slow work. The ideas would not flow as
+they did for letters home and for class themes.
+She found great difficulty in expressing herself.
+Her conversations were stilted and the plot
+would not hang together.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I never thought it would be so hard,&rdquo; she
+said to herself when she had finished the tale
+and copied it out on legal cap paper. &ldquo;And now
+for the boldest act of my life.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>With a triumphant flourish of the pen, she
+rolled up the manuscript and marched across
+the courtyard to the office of Professor Green.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come in,&rdquo; he called, quite gruffly, in answer
+to her knock. But when she entered, he rose
+politely and offered her a seat. Sitting down
+again in his revolving desk chair, he looked at
+her very hard.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I know you will think I have the most colossal
+nerve,&rdquo; she began, &ldquo;when you hear why I
+have called; but I really need advice and you&rsquo;ve
+been so kind&mdash;so interested, always.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What is it this time?&rdquo; he interrupted kindly.
+&ldquo;More money troubles?&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, not exactly. Although, of course, I am
+always anxious to earn money. Who isn&rsquo;t? But
+I have a writing bee in my head. I&rsquo;ve had it ever
+since last winter, although I confined myself
+mostly to verse&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly paused and blushed. She felt ashamed
+to discuss her poor rhymes with this learned
+man nearly a dozen years older than she was.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no money in poetry,&rdquo; she went on,
+&ldquo;and I thought I would switch off to prose. I
+have written a short story and&mdash;I hope you won&rsquo;t
+be angry&mdash;I&rsquo;ve brought it over for you to look
+at. I knew you looked over some of Judith&rsquo;s
+stories.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Of course I shan&rsquo;t be angry, child. I&rsquo;m glad
+to help you, although I am not a fiction writer
+and therefore might hardly be thought competent
+to judge. Let&rsquo;s see what you have.&rdquo; He
+held out his hand for the manuscript. &ldquo;On second
+thought,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;suppose you read
+it aloud to me. Girls&rsquo; handwriting is generally
+much alike&mdash;hard to make out.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly, trembling with stage fright, her face<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span>
+crimson, began to read. The professor, resting
+his chin on his interlocked fingers, turned his
+whimsical brown eyes full upon her and never
+shifted his gaze once during the entire reading,
+which lasted some twenty-five minutes. When
+she had finished, Molly dropped the papers in her
+lap and waited.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well, what do you think of it? Please don&rsquo;t
+mince matters. Tell me the truth.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The professor came back to life with a start.
+She knew at once that he had not heard a word.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, er&mdash;I beg your pardon,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Very
+good. Very good, indeed. Suppose you leave
+the manuscript with me. I&rsquo;ll look it over again
+to-night.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She rose to go. After all she had no right to
+complain, since she had asked this favor of a
+very busy man; but she did wish he had paid
+attention.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Wait a moment, Miss Brown, there was something
+I wanted to say. What was it now?&rdquo; He
+rubbed his head, and then thrust his hands into
+his pockets. &ldquo;Oh, yes. This is what I wanted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>
+to say&mdash;have an apple?&rdquo; A flat Japanese basket
+on the table was filled with apples. &ldquo;Excuse my
+not passing the basket, but they roll over. Take
+several. Help yourself.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>He made Molly take three, one for Nance, one
+for Judy and one for herself. Then he saw her
+to the outer door, bowing silently, all the time
+like a man in a dream.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning the manuscript was returned
+to Molly by the professor after the class
+in Literature. It was folded into a big envelope
+and contained a note. The note had no beginning
+and was signed &ldquo;E.&nbsp;G.&rdquo; This is what it
+said:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>&ldquo;Since you wish my true opinion of this story,
+I will tell you frankly that it is decidedly amateurish.
+The style is heavy and labored and the
+plot mawkishly sentimental and mock heroic.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Try to think up some simple story and write
+it out in simple language. Do not employ words
+that you are not in the habit of using. Be natural
+and express yourself as you would if you
+were writing a letter to your mother. Write
+about real people and real happenings; not about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span>
+impossibly beautiful and rich goddesses and superbly
+handsome, fearless gods. Such people
+do not really exist, you know, and you are supposed
+to be painting a word picture of life.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You have talent, but you must be willing to
+work very hard. Good writing does not come in
+a day any more than good piano playing or painting.
+I would add: be yourself&mdash;unaffected&mdash;sincere&mdash;and
+your style will be perfect.&rdquo;</p></div>
+
+<p>Molly wept a little over this frank expression
+of criticism, although there did seem to be an
+implied compliment in the last line. She reread
+the story and blushed for her commonplaceness.
+Surely there never had been written anything so
+inane and silly.</p>
+
+<p>For a long time she sat gazing at the white
+peak of Fujiyama on the Japanese scroll.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Simple and natural, indeed,&rdquo; she exclaimed.
+&ldquo;It&rsquo;s much harder than the other way. Unaffected
+and sincere! That&rsquo;s not easy, either.&rdquo; She
+sighed and tore the story into little bits, casting
+it into the waste-paper basket. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the best
+place for you,&rdquo; she continued, apostrophizing her
+first attempt at fiction. &ldquo;Nobody would ever have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span>
+laughed or cried over you. Nobody would even
+have noticed you. My trouble is that I try too
+hard. I am always straining my mind for words
+and ideas. Now, when I write letters, how do
+I do? I let go. I never worry. Can a story
+be written in that way?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How now, Mistress Molly,&rdquo; called Judy,
+bursting into the room. &ldquo;Why are you lingering
+here in the house when all the world&rsquo;s afield?
+Get thee up and go hence with me unto the green
+woods where we are to have tea, probably for
+the last time before the winter&rsquo;s call.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Who&rsquo;s &lsquo;we&rsquo;?&rdquo; asked Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, the usual crowd, and a few others from
+Beta Phi House.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But you&rsquo;ll never have enough teacups to go
+around, child,&rdquo; objected Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, yes, we shall. There are two other tea
+baskets coming from Beta Phi. There will be
+plenty and some over besides. Rosomond Chase
+and Millicent Porter were so taken with my
+basket last year that they each bought one. Of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span>
+course Millicent&rsquo;s is much finer than mine or
+Rosomond&rsquo;s.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I dare say. But I don&rsquo;t think I want to go,
+Judy.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The truth was Molly never felt in sympathy
+with those two Beta Phi girls, who represented
+an element in college she did not like. They
+dressed a great deal, for one thing, especially
+Millicent Porter, the girl who had sub-let Judith
+Blount&rsquo;s apartment the year before.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Now, Molly, I think you&rsquo;re unkind,&rdquo; burst
+out Judy. She never could endure even small
+disappointments. &ldquo;They are awfully nice girls
+and they want to know you better. They said
+they did.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well, why don&rsquo;t they come and see me?
+That&rsquo;s easy.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy did not reply. She was pulling down all
+the clothes in the closet in a search for Molly&rsquo;s
+tam and sweater. She was in one of her queer,
+excited moods. Could it be that Judy thought
+the sparkling coterie from Queen&rsquo;s was being
+honored by these two rich young persons from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>
+Beta Phi? Molly rejected the suspicion almost
+as soon as it entered her mind. No, it was simply
+that poor old Judy was obsessed with a desire
+to get into the &ldquo;Shakespeareans,&rdquo; and by
+courting the most influential members she
+thought she could make it.</p>
+
+<p>Molly pulled her slender length from the
+depths of the Morris chair where she had been
+lolling.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Very well,&rdquo; she said resignedly. &ldquo;I was
+meditating on my ambitions when you broke in
+on me. You are a very demoralizing young person,
+Judy.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy laughed. She made a charming picture
+in her scarlet tam and sweater.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come along,&rdquo; she cried, &ldquo;and ambitions be
+hanged.&rdquo; She seized her tea basket under one
+arm and a box of ginger snaps under the other.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, Judy, I am really shocked at you,&rdquo; exclaimed
+Molly. &ldquo;I think I&rsquo;ll have to give you
+another shaking up before long. You&rsquo;re getting
+lax and lazy.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nothing of the sort. I only want to enjoy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span>
+life while the weather is good. It&rsquo;s lots easier
+to think of ambitions on rainy days.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The other girls were waiting on the campus:
+the Williamses, Margaret and Jessie, Nance and
+presently the two Beta Phi girls. Rosomond
+Chase was a plump, rather heavy blonde type,
+always dressed to perfection and bright enough
+when she felt inclined to exert her mind. Millicent
+Porter was quite the opposite in appearance;
+small, wiry, with a prominent, sharp-featured
+face; prominent nose, prominent teeth and rather
+bulging eyes. She talked a great deal in a highly
+pompous tone, and her voice always slurred over
+from one statement to another as if to ward off
+interruption. She seemed much amused at this
+little escapade in the woods, quite Bohemian and
+informal.</p>
+
+<p>The Queen&rsquo;s girls could hardly explain why she
+appeared so patronizing. It was her manner
+more than what she said; although Margaret insisted
+that it was because she monopolized the
+conversation.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t go to listen to a monologue,&rdquo; Margaret<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span>
+thundered later when they were discussing
+the tea party. &ldquo;We came to hear ourselves talk.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>What surprised Molly was the attention that
+the young person of unlimited wealth bestowed
+upon her.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come and sit beside me, Miss Brown, and tell
+me about Kentucky,&rdquo; she ordered.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I am afraid I haven&rsquo;t the gift of language,&rdquo;
+replied Molly, without budging from her seat on
+a log. &ldquo;Ask Margaret Wakefield. She&rsquo;s the
+only conversationalist in the crowd.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I suppose Mahomet must go to the mountain,
+then,&rdquo; observed Miss Porter, and she moved graciously
+over to the log, where she regaled Molly
+with a great deal of wordy talk.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;If she&rsquo;s going to do all the conversing, it
+might as well be on something interesting,&rdquo;
+thought Molly, and she started Millicent on the
+topic of silver work. This young woman, rich
+beyond calculation, had an unusual talent which
+had not been neglected. She worked in silver.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Her natural medium,&rdquo; Edith had observed
+when she heard of it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>She could beat out chains and necklaces, rings
+of antique patterns, beautiful platters with enameled
+centers with all the skill of a real silversmith.</p>
+
+<p>Molly listened with polite interest to Millicent&rsquo;s
+lengthy description of her art. There was
+often an unconscious flattery in the sympathetic
+attention Molly gave to other people&rsquo;s talk. It
+had the effect of loosening tongues and brought
+forth confidences and heart secrets. She was a
+good listener and the repository of many a hidden
+thought.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I am only going to college, you know, to
+please papa,&rdquo; Millicent was saying. &ldquo;He thinks
+I should be finished off like a piece of statuary or
+a new house. I would much rather do things
+with my hands. I can&rsquo;t see how I am to be benefited
+by all these classics. In the sort of life I
+shall lead they won&rsquo;t do me any good. Society
+people never quote Latin and Greek or make
+learned references to early Roman history and
+things of that sort. It isn&rsquo;t considered good
+form. Modern novels are the only things people<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span>
+read nowadays, but papa is determined. Now,
+with silver work, it&rsquo;s quite different. I love it.
+I love to make beautiful things. I have just finished
+a grape-vine chain. The workmanship is
+exquisite. My sitting room is my studio, you
+know, and I work there when I am not busy with
+stupid books. You seem interested. Do you
+know anything about silver work?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly admitted her ignorance on the subject,
+but Millicent did not pause to listen. Her voice
+slurred over from the question to her next outburst.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I like beautiful rich colors. I intend to design
+all the costumes for the next Shakespearean
+performance. If I had been born in a different
+sphere in life, I should have divided my time
+between silver work and costuming. I can draw,
+too, but it&rsquo;s more designing than anything else.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then Millicent, encouraged by Molly&rsquo;s sympathetic
+blue eyes, lowered her voice and plunged
+into confidences.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The truth is,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;we were not so&mdash;er&mdash;well-to-do
+two generations ago. My great-grandfather<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span>
+was an Italian silversmith. Isn&rsquo;t it
+interesting? He was really an artist in his way,
+and made wonderful vessels for the church, crucifixes,
+and things like that. I tell mamma I believe
+her grandfather&rsquo;s soul has entered into my
+body. But that isn&rsquo;t all. Now, if I tell you this,
+will you promise never to breathe it? It&rsquo;s really
+a family secret, but it accounts for my love of
+rich, beautiful things. I can sew, you know. I
+adore to embroider. If I had to, I could easily
+make all my own clothes&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But that&rsquo;s nothing to be ashamed of,&rdquo; broke
+in Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, no. That isn&rsquo;t the secret. The secret is
+where I got the taste for such things. You promise
+not to mention this?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I promise,&rdquo; replied Molly gravely, repressing
+the smile that for an instant hovered on her lips.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The silversmith grandfather had a brother
+who was a merchant. He had a shop in Florence
+where he sold all sorts of beautiful fabrics,
+velvets and brocades and lots of antique things.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No doubt it was an antique shop,&rdquo; thought
+Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Mamma remembers it well, and the shop is
+still there to-day, but it&rsquo;s in other hands.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly felt much amusement at this explanation
+of heredity. It would not be difficult to add
+a few lines to Millicent&rsquo;s small, thin face and
+place it on the shoulders of the old silversmith
+or of his brother, the dealer in antiques. How
+would they feel if they could hear this granddaughter
+conversing about society and the classics?</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But I have rattled on. Here I have told you
+two family secrets. But of course they will go
+no farther. You know more about me than any
+girl in Wellington. Won&rsquo;t you come over to
+dinner with me Saturday evening and see my
+studio?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I am so sorry,&rdquo; said Molly, &ldquo;but I have an
+engagement,&rdquo;&mdash;to try to write a sincere, natural,
+simple short story, she added, in her mind.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, dear, what a nuisance! Can you come<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span>
+Sunday? They have horrid early dinners Sunday,
+but no matter.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly was obliged to accept, anxious as she
+was to keep out of the Beta Phi crowd.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;By the way, do you act?&rdquo; asked Millicent
+abruptly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;A little,&rdquo; answered Molly, and that ended the
+tea party.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening Judy was slightly cold to Molly.
+It was almost imperceptible, so subtle was the
+change, and Molly herself was hardly aware of
+it until her friend, stretched on the couch reading,
+suddenly closed her book with a snap and
+remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Considering you dislike the Beta Phi girls,
+you certainly managed to monopolize one of
+them.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Judy!&rdquo; remonstrated Nance, shocked at this
+unaccountable exhibition of temperament.</p>
+
+<p>Molly said nothing whatever, and presently
+she slipped off to bed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve all got our faults,&rdquo; she kept saying to
+herself, but she was bitterly hurt, nevertheless.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER VI.<br />
+
+<small>&ldquo;THE BEST LAID SCHEMES.&rdquo;</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>Judy did have her failings, the faults of an
+only child spoiled by indulgent parents. But they
+were only on the surface, impulsive flashes of
+irritability that never failed to be followed by
+deep, poignant regret when the tempest had
+passed.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning Molly was wakened by the
+fragrance of violets, and, opening her eyes, she
+looked straight into the heart of a big bunch of
+those flowers lying on her chest.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Goodness, I feel like a corpse,&rdquo; she exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>Scrawled on a card pinned to the purple tissue
+ribbon around the stems of the violets was the
+following inscription:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>&ldquo;For dearest Molly from her devoted and loving
+Judy.&rdquo;</p></div>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The poor child must have got up early this
+morning and gone down to the village for them,&rdquo;
+she said to Nance. &ldquo;And she does hate getting
+up early, too.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Thus the coldness between the two girls came
+to a temporary end. Molly did not go to the
+Beta Phi House to dinner on Sunday. Millicent
+sent word that she was ill with a headache and
+would like to postpone the visit. Some of the
+Shakespeareans came to the apartment of the
+three girls to call one evening, but they were
+Judy&rsquo;s friends, invited by her to drop in and have
+fudge, and Molly and Nance kept quiet and remained
+in the background. If Judy was working
+to get into the Shakespeareans, she should
+have the field to herself. The three visitors,
+seniors all of them, left early, but in some mysterious
+way the news of their call spread through
+the Quadrangle.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Which of you is boning for the &lsquo;Shakespeareans&rsquo;?&rdquo;
+Minerva Higgins demanded of Nance
+next day.</p>
+
+<p>This irrepressible young person had already<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>
+acquired a smattering of college slang and college
+gossip. But still she had not learned the
+difference between a freshman and a junior.</p>
+
+<p>Nance drew herself up haughtily.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Miss Higgins,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;there are some
+things at Wellington that are never discussed.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;<em>Excuse me</em>,&rdquo; said Minerva, making an elaborate
+bow.</p>
+
+<p>But Nance did not even notice the bow. She
+had gone on her way like an injured dignitary.</p>
+
+<p>The air was certainly full of rumors, however.
+Everybody, even the faculty, wondered upon
+whose shoulders the Shakespeareans&rsquo; highly
+coveted honors would fall. The new members
+of this distinguished body were always chosen
+after the junior play, preparations for which
+were now under way. There had been first a
+stormy meeting of the class. It was quite natural
+for President Wakefield to want all her
+particular friends to form the committee to
+choose a play and select the actors, and it was
+equally human of the Caroline Brinton forces to
+resent the old clique rule. But Margaret was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>
+mighty leader and would brook no interference.
+So the Queen&rsquo;s girls were the ruling spirits of the
+entertainment. Judy was chairman of the committee,
+and was to have the principal part in the
+play, it being tacitly understood that she wanted
+to show the Shakespeareans what she could do.</p>
+
+<p>It was like the scholarly group to give a wide
+berth to the modern comedies and melodramas
+usually selected by juniors for this performance,
+and to settle on &ldquo;Twelfth Night.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We can never do it,&rdquo; Caroline Brinton had
+announced in great vexation. &ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t time
+and we have no coach.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>But she had been calmly overruled and
+&ldquo;Twelfth Night&rdquo; it was to be, with daily rehearsals
+except on Saturdays, when there were
+two.</p>
+
+<p>Molly was cast for the part of Maria, the maid.
+And she was glad, chiefly because the costume
+was easy. Judy was to play Viola, Edith Williams,
+Malvolio, and the other parts were variously
+distributed, Margaret being Sir Toby
+Belch.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When a college girl reaches her junior year
+her mind is well trained to concentrate and memorize.
+Two years before, perhaps only Edith
+Williams, whose memory was abnormal, would
+have trusted herself to memorize a Shakespearean
+part. But the girls were amazed now at
+their own powers. Miss Pryor, teacher of elocution,
+was present at many of the rehearsals,
+criticizing and suggesting, and hers was the only
+outside assistance the juniors had in their ambitious
+production.</p>
+
+<p>It was probably through her that the accounts
+of their ability were noised abroad, and on the
+night of the play there was a great rush for seats.
+The president herself was there and many of the
+faculty. Professor Green had a front balcony
+seat looking straight down on the stage.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Goodness, but I&rsquo;m scared!&rdquo; exclaimed Molly,
+peeping through the hole in the curtain at the
+large assembly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Heaven help us all,&rdquo; groaned Nance, dressed
+as an attendant of the Duke.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t talk like that,&rdquo; Judy admonished them.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>
+&ldquo;We must make it go off all right. Molly, don&rsquo;t
+you forget and be too solemn. Your part calls
+for much merriment, as the notes in the book
+said.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you be so dictatorial,&rdquo; said Nance,
+under her breath, hoping instantly that Judy, in
+a high state of nerves and excitement, had not
+heard her.</p>
+
+<p>When the seniors began thumping on the floor
+with their heels and the sophomores commenced
+clapping, Molly&rsquo;s mind became a vacuum. Not
+even the first line of her part could she recall.</p>
+
+<p>At last the curtain went up and the play began.
+She had no idea how Judy had conducted
+herself. A girl near her said:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She certainly had an awful case of stage
+fright, but she&rsquo;ll be all right in the next act.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The words had no meaning to Molly, and she
+sat like a frozen image in the wings until Nance
+touched her on the shoulder and whispered:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Hurry up.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then she stepped into the glare of the footlights.
+Her blood ceased entirely to circulate.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span>
+Her hands became numb. Icy fingers seemed to
+clutch her throat, and when she opened her mouth
+to speak, no voice came. She remembered making
+a fervent, speechless prayer.</p>
+
+<p>In an instant her blood began to flow normally.
+She felt a wave of crimson surge into her cheeks,
+and she heard her own voice speaking to Margaret,
+stuffed out with sofa cushions to resemble
+Sir Toby Belch.</p>
+
+<p>When the scene was over there was a great
+clapping of hands. It sounded to Molly like a
+sudden rainstorm in summer. And, like a summer
+shower, it was refreshing to the young actors
+in the great comedy.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Good work, Molly,&rdquo; Margaret whispered. &ldquo;I
+think we carried that off pretty well. If only
+Judy doesn&rsquo;t get scared again the thing will go
+all right.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Did Judy have stage fright?&rdquo; demanded
+Molly, in surprise.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You mean to say you didn&rsquo;t know? She almost
+ruined the scene.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Poor old Judy,&rdquo; thought Molly, &ldquo;and just
+when she wanted to do her best, too.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy did improve considerably as the play progressed,
+but even a friendly audience has an unrelenting
+way of retaining first impressions; or
+perhaps it was that poor Judy, sensitive and high
+strung, imagined the audience was cold to her
+and so allowed her spirit to be quenched. There
+were no cries for &ldquo;Viola&rdquo; from the people in
+front, and there were many for Malvolio, Sir
+Toby and Maria.</p>
+
+<p>Again and again these three actors came forth
+and bowed their acknowledgment. During the
+intermission several of the freshmen ushers carried
+down bouquets of flowers. Jessie received
+two from admirers who appeared to keep a running
+account at the florist&rsquo;s in the village. A
+splendid basket of red roses and a bunch of
+violets were handed over the footlights for Molly,
+and when she was summoned from the wings to
+appear and receive these floral offerings she
+flushed crimson and remarked to the usher:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There must be some mistake. They couldn&rsquo;t
+be for me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>A ripple of laughter went over the entire
+house. There was another burst of applause
+which again brought Miss Molly Brown of Kentucky
+into prominence through no fault of her
+own.</p>
+
+<p>The card on the magnificent basket of roses
+made known to her the fact that Miss Millicent
+Porter had thus honored her. The card on the
+violets merely said: &ldquo;From a crusty old critic
+who believes in your success.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I thought Millicent Porter had a big crush on
+you,&rdquo; observed Margaret later in the green room.
+&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no doubt about it now after this noble
+tribute.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nonsense,&rdquo; said Molly. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s because she
+has so much money and likes to spend it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;On herself, yes, buying clothes and big lumps
+of silver to play with; but not on you, Molly, dear,
+unless she had been greatly taken with your
+charms.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly had seen a few college crushes and considered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span>
+them absurd, a kind of idol worship by
+a young girl for an older one; but because she
+had been so closely with her own small circle, she
+had escaped a crush so far.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll never believe it,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m much
+too humble a person to be admired by such a
+grand young lady. She sent the roses because
+she had to recall her invitation to dinner.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Only time will prove it, Miss Molly,&rdquo; answered
+Margaret.</p>
+
+<p>The play ended with a grand storm of applause
+and college yells. Not in their wildest dreams
+had the juniors hoped for such success.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s difficult to tell who was the best, they
+were all so excellent,&rdquo; the president was reported
+to have said.</p>
+
+<p>Finally, to satisfy the persistent multitude,
+each actor marched slowly in front of the curtain,
+and each was received with more or less enthusiasm.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Rah-rah-rah; rah-rah-rah; Wellington&mdash;Wellington&mdash;Margaret
+Wakefield,&rdquo; they yelled; or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span>
+&ldquo;What&rsquo;s the matter with Molly Brown? She&rsquo;s
+all right. Molly&mdash;Molly&mdash;Molly Brown.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>In the intoxicating excitement of this fifteen
+minutes nobody realized that Judy had withdrawn
+from the group of actors and hidden herself away
+somewhere behind the scenery. There was some
+speculation in the audience as to why Viola had
+not filed across the stage with the others, but
+since Judy&rsquo;s really devoted friends were all behind
+the scenes, there was no one to bring her
+out unless she chose to show herself with the
+others.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Wasn&rsquo;t it simply grand?&rdquo; cried Jessie, the
+last to taste the sweets of popularity. The hall
+was still ringing with:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Jessie&mdash;Jessie&mdash;she&rsquo;s all right!&rdquo; when she
+bowed herself behind the curtain and joined her
+classmates in the green room. Then there came
+cries of:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Speech! Speech! Wakefield! Wakefield!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Margaret, as composed as a May morning,
+stepped to the front of the platform and gave
+one of her most appropriate addresses to the joy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>
+of the audience and the intense amusement of the
+faculty.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Think of that child, only eighteen, and making
+such a speech! They are certainly a remarkable
+group of girls. So much individuality
+among them,&rdquo; said Miss Walker to Miss Pomeroy,
+at her side.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And rare charm in some of the individuals,&rdquo;
+added Miss Pomeroy. &ldquo;The little Brown girl,
+for instance, who, by the way, is as tall as I am,
+but so thin that she seems small, has magnetism
+that will carry her through many a difficulty in
+life. They tell me she is almost adored by her
+friends.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime the juniors, entirely unconscious
+of these compliments from high places, and
+perhaps it was quite as well they were, had just
+missed Judy from their midst.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Didn&rsquo;t she go before the curtain with the rest
+of us?&rdquo; some one asked.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But how strange, when she had the leading
+part.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I thought I heard them give her the yell.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Judy, Judy,&rdquo; called Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Here I am,&rdquo; answered a muffled voice from
+behind the scenery.</p>
+
+<p>Presently Judy appeared, showing a face so
+white and tragic that her friends were shocked.
+With a tactful instinct most of the girls hurriedly
+gathered their things together and disappeared,
+leaving only the intimates in the green room.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, Judy, dearest, why did you hide yourself,
+and you the leading lady of the company?&rdquo;
+exclaimed Molly reproachfully, when all outsiders
+had departed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t flatter me, Molly,&rdquo; Judy answered, in
+a hard, strained voice.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But you were,&rdquo; said Molly, &ldquo;and you acted
+beautifully.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I ruined the play,&rdquo; said Judy angrily. &ldquo;I
+ruined the entire business, and you made me do
+it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, Judy,&rdquo; cried Molly, &ldquo;you are talking
+wildly. What do you mean?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You did. You upset me completely when you
+said: &lsquo;don&rsquo;t be so dictatorial.&rsquo; I never heard you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span>
+make a speech like that before. And just as I
+was about to go on, too. It was cruel. It was
+unkind. If it had come from any one else but
+you&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Here&mdash;here,&rdquo; broke in Margaret. &ldquo;Really,
+Judy, you&rsquo;re losing your temper.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She never said it, anyhow,&rdquo; cried Nance. &ldquo;I
+said it myself.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She did say it, Nance. You&rsquo;re just trying to
+screen her,&rdquo; replied Judy, who had worked herself
+into a nervous rage.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Is this going to be a free fight?&rdquo; asked Edith,
+who always enjoyed battles.</p>
+
+<p>Molly was gathering up her things.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Not as far as I am concerned,&rdquo; she answered,
+in a trembling voice.</p>
+
+<p>As she went out she looked sorrowfully back
+at Judy, but not another word did she say.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Aren&rsquo;t you ashamed of yourself, Judy Kean?&rdquo;
+cried Nance. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re jealous and that&rsquo;s the
+whole of it,&rdquo; and she flung herself out of the
+door after Molly. The others quickly followed.
+Certainly sympathy was against Judy.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And what of poor Judy left all alone in the
+gymnasium?</p>
+
+<p>Torn with anger, remorse, jealousy and disappointment,
+she threw herself face downward
+on the empty stage.</p>
+
+<p>Presently the janitor came in and switched off
+the lights.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER VII.<br />
+
+<small>A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>Molly and Nance had little to say to each other
+that night as they undressed for bed. Nance
+was still filled with hot indignation over Judy&rsquo;s
+&ldquo;falling-off&rdquo; as she called it, and Molly had no
+heart for conversation. The door to Judy&rsquo;s bedroom
+at the other end of the sitting room was
+closed and they were not surprised when she did
+not call &ldquo;good night&rdquo; as was her custom. Nobody
+looked in on them. It was late and the
+Quadrangle was soon perfectly still.</p>
+
+<p>Under the sheets, her head buried in the pillows,
+Molly cried a long time, softly and quietly,
+like a steady downpour of rain. It seemed somehow
+that her beloved friend, Judy, had died, and
+that she was grieving for her. At last, worn
+out, she fell asleep. It was a very heavy sleep.
+She felt as if her arms were tied and she was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span>
+sinking down into space and, as is always the
+case with dreams of falling, she waked with a
+nervous leap as if her body had hit the bed and
+rebounded. As she fell she had dreamed that she
+heard a voice calling. Never mind what it said;
+already the word, whatever it was, was a mere
+pin point in her memory. It had flashed through
+her mind like a shooting star across the sky. It
+was brilliantly illuminating for the instant.
+Molly was sure that it meant a great deal. It
+was an important word, and it had an urgent
+significance. For the tenth of a second her mind
+had been wide awake, and now it was quite dark
+again.</p>
+
+<p>Molly leaped out of bed and began pulling on
+her clothes.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why am I dressing?&rdquo; she thought. &ldquo;It is
+because I must&mdash;<em>hurry!&rdquo;</em></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Hurry,&rdquo; that was the word. It came back to
+her now, quietly and significantly.</p>
+
+<p>Nance wakened and sat up in bed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What is it?&rdquo; she asked.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know. I must hurry. Don&rsquo;t stop
+me,&rdquo; answered Molly.</p>
+
+<p>Nance looked at her curiously.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve had a nightmare, Molly,&rdquo; she said.</p>
+
+<p>Molly glanced up vaguely as Nance switched
+on the light.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Have I? I don&rsquo;t know, but I must make
+haste, or I&rsquo;ll be too late.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Too late for what?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know yet.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Wake up, Molly. You&rsquo;re asleep. Nothing is
+going to happen. You are here, in your own
+room.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, yes. I understand, but I must hurry.
+Don&rsquo;t stop me, Nance. You may come if you
+like, but don&rsquo;t stop me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Nance had often heard that it was dangerous
+to awaken sleepwalkers too suddenly, and she
+believed now as she saw Molly slipping on her
+skirt and sweater that she was certainly asleep.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Dearest Molly,&rdquo; she insisted. &ldquo;This is college.
+You are in your own room. It&rsquo;s a quarter
+to twelve. Don&rsquo;t go out of the room.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Molly took no notice. Nance turned on another
+light and slipped across to Judy&rsquo;s room.
+She must have help, and Judy was the nearest
+person.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Judy&rsquo;s not in her room,&rdquo; she exclaimed suddenly,
+in a scared voice.</p>
+
+<p>Molly gave a slight shudder.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s Judy who needs me,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I was
+trying to remember. I couldn&rsquo;t make it out at
+first. Put on your things, Nance. Don&rsquo;t delay.
+Put out the light. We must hurry.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Nance got into a few clothes as fast as she
+could. She slipped on tennis shoes and an ulster
+and presently the two girls were standing in the
+corridor.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Where are we going, Molly?&rdquo; asked Nance,
+now under the spell of the other&rsquo;s conviction.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;This way,&rdquo; answered Molly, looking indeed
+like a sleepwalker as she glided down the hall to
+the main steps.</p>
+
+<p>If the girls had glanced back they would have
+noticed a figure creep softly after them.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But the gate is locked,&rdquo; objected Nance.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I know, but we&rsquo;ll find another way. Come
+on.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Down the steps they hastened noiselessly. At
+the bottom, instead of going straight ahead,
+Molly turned to the left and led the way to a sitting
+room for visitors on the ground floor of the
+tower. The windows of the Tower Room, as it
+was known, looked out on the campus. They
+were small, deep-silled, and closed with iron-bound
+wooden shutters like the doors into the
+cloisters. Mounting a bench, Molly opened the
+inside glass casement of one of the windows and
+drew back the bolt which secured the shutter.
+Then she hoisted herself onto the sill, crawled
+through the window, and holding by both hands
+dropped to the ground. Nance, of a more practical
+temperament, wondered how they would
+ever get back into the Tower Room; but blind,
+unquestioning faith is an infinitely stronger staff
+to lean upon than uneasy speculation, as Nance
+was one day to find out.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;When the night watchman makes his rounds,
+will he see the window open in the tower?&rdquo; she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span>
+thought. &ldquo;And if he does, what will he do?
+Give the alarm at once or try to find out our
+names and report us? If he reports us, what
+then? We may be expelled, or suspended or
+punished in some awful way.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>So Nance&rsquo;s thoughts busily shaped out these
+tragic events as she followed Molly out of the
+window and dropped to the gravel walk below.
+The tower clock struck twelve while the two girls
+flitted across the campus. It was a strange adventure,
+Nance pondered, and one she would
+never have undertaken, or even considered, alone.
+But then her instincts were not like Molly&rsquo;s. The
+inner voice which spoke to her sometimes was
+usually the sharp, reproving voice of a Puritan
+conscience. It spoke to her now, but she turned
+a deaf ear to it for once.</p>
+
+<p>It told her how absurd she would appear to
+other people in this dangerous midnight escapade;
+what risks she was running. Judy, of
+course, had spent the night with one of the other
+girls, it said. It troubled her mind with whispers
+of doubts and fears; it ridiculed and abused her,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span>
+but not once did it weaken her determination to
+follow Molly wherever she intended to go. And
+presently, when Molly quickened her footsteps
+into a run, Nance kept right at her elbow like a
+noonday shadow, foreshortened and broadened.</p>
+
+<p>Molly turned in the direction of the lake.
+Nance&rsquo;s heart gave a violent thump. She had
+believed all along that they were taking a short
+cut across to the gymnasium, instead of following
+the gravel walk.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Molly, you don&rsquo;t think&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; she began
+breathlessly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t talk now. Hurry,&rdquo; was Molly&rsquo;s brief
+reply.</p>
+
+<p>Across a corner of the golf course they flew,
+and before Nance could take breath for another
+dash through a fringe of pine trees she caught
+sight of the waters, as black as ink. She clutched
+Molly&rsquo;s arm.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Did you hear anything?&rdquo; she asked, in a
+frightened whisper.</p>
+
+<p>They waited a moment, straining their ears in
+the darkness.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>From the middle of the lake came the sound of
+a canoe paddle dipping into the water.</p>
+
+<p>Molly breathed a sigh of relief.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s all right,&rdquo; she said, and they hastened
+down to the platform of the boathouse.</p>
+
+<p>In another moment they had launched a small
+rowboat and were out on the lake.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Will Judy Kean never learn sense?&rdquo; Nance
+thought impatiently. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s just like a prairie
+fire. It only takes a spark to set her going and
+then she burns up everything in sight.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Nance had never been able to understand why
+Judy could not hold her passionate, excitable
+temperament more in control. She, herself, had
+learned self-denial at an early age. But that was
+because she had a selfish mother.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How did you ever guess she would be here,
+Molly?&rdquo; she asked, as the prow of the boat cut
+softly through the waters of the lake with a musical
+ripple.</p>
+
+<p>Nance was rowing, and Molly, who had never
+learned to handle oars, was sitting facing her.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know. I can&rsquo;t explain it. I dreamed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span>
+that some one said &lsquo;hurry,&rsquo; and the lake seemed
+to be the place to come to.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Some two hundred feet beyond they now made
+out the silhouette of a canoe. Judy&mdash;of course it
+was Judy; already they recognized the outline of
+her slender figure&mdash;kneeling in the bottom of the
+boat, had stopped paddling. She held up her
+head like a startled animal when it scents danger.
+It occurred to Nance, watching her over her
+shoulder as they drew nearer, that there was
+really something wild and untamed in Judy&rsquo;s
+nature. She remembered that, the first morning
+they had met her at Queen&rsquo;s, Judy had laughingly
+announced that she had been born at sea on a
+stormy night. But it was no joking matter,
+Nance was thinking, and she fervently wished
+that Judy would learn to quell her troubled
+moods.</p>
+
+<p>The next instant the two boats touched prows.
+The little canoe, the most delicate and sensitive
+craft that there is, quivered violently with the
+shock of the collision and sprang back. As it
+bounded forward again, Molly held out her hand.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span>
+Instinctively Judy grasped it, and the two boats
+drew alongside each other.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Crawl into our boat, Judy, dearest,&rdquo; said
+Molly. &ldquo;It will be easier to pull the canoe to
+shore if it&rsquo;s empty.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy prepared silently to obey. But a canoe
+is not a thing to be reckoned with at critical moments.
+Just as Judy raised her foot to step into
+the other boat, the treacherous little craft shot
+from under her, and over she toppled, headforemost
+into the waters. Fortunately, she was an
+excellent swimmer, and the star diver of the
+gymnasium pool. But the lake was not deep,
+and when she came up, sputtering and puffing,
+she found herself standing in water that was
+only shoulder high.</p>
+
+<p>Nance often thought, in looking back on this
+painful episode, that nothing they could have
+said to Judy would have brought her so completely
+to her senses as this cold ducking. Certainly,
+if Judy had actually planned to jump into
+the lake, her wishes were most ludicrously carried
+out, and the struggle she now made to climb<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span>
+back into the boat showed that she was not anxious
+to stay any longer than she could help in the
+icy bath. It was a sight for laughter more than
+for tears, sensible Nance pondered with a slight
+feeling of contempt&mdash;that of Judy, struggling
+and kicking to draw herself into the boat. Indeed,
+she almost managed to upset them, too;
+but she did tumble in somehow, shivering and
+wet but extremely contrite.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How did you know I was out here?&rdquo; was the
+first question she put, when, having seized the
+rope on the prow of the canoe, they headed for
+shore.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know. I only guessed,&rdquo; answered
+Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She was up and dressed before she even knew
+you were not in your room,&rdquo; announced Nance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I was a fool,&rdquo; exclaimed Judy, &ldquo;and I know
+now what good friends you are to have come for
+me. I don&rsquo;t know exactly what I intended to do
+out here,&rdquo; she went on brokenly. &ldquo;I felt ashamed
+to face any one, even mamma and papa. I
+might&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; she broke off, shivering. Rivulets<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>
+of water were pouring from her wet clothing
+into the bottom of the boat. She still wore the
+costume she had worn in the last scene of the
+play.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll give you my ulster as soon as we land,
+Judy,&rdquo; said Nance, rowing with long rapid
+strokes which sent the boat skimming over the
+water.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just a low-down worthless dog,&rdquo; went on
+Judy, taking no notice of Nance&rsquo;s interruption.
+&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no good trying to apologize, Molly.
+Words don&rsquo;t mean anything. But when the
+chance comes&mdash;and the chance always does come
+if you want it&mdash;I&rsquo;ll be able to show you how
+sorry I am for what I did, and how much I really
+love you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You showed me what a real friend you were
+last winter, Judy,&rdquo; broke in Molly, &ldquo;when you
+gave up your room at Queen&rsquo;s for my sake. I
+wasn&rsquo;t angry about what happened at the gym.
+I was hurt of course because I&rsquo;m a sensitive
+plant, but I knew it would be all right in the end
+because we are too close to each other now to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span>
+let a few hasty words come between us. But
+here we are at the boat landing.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Having tied the two boats in the boat house,
+which was never kept locked, they hurried back
+to college. Nance insisted upon Judy&rsquo;s putting
+on her ulster.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You know I&rsquo;m never cold,&rdquo; she said.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You girls will just kill me with kindness,&rdquo; exclaimed
+Judy humbly.</p>
+
+<p>But Nance did not even hear this abject
+speech. The question of how they were to get
+back into the Quadrangle was occupying her
+mind.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re taking an awful risk,&rdquo; she observed to
+Molly, in a low voice. &ldquo;There is no other way
+but the window, I suppose.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t think of any other way,&rdquo; answered
+Molly, &ldquo;unless we ring the bell over the gate and
+alarm the entire dormitory.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Suppose the night watchman has closed the
+window? What then?&rdquo; demanded Nance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, we&rsquo;ll just have to find some other way,
+then,&rdquo; answered her optimistic friend.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But the window in the Tower Room was wide
+open, just as they had left it.</p>
+
+<p>The doubting Nance still had another theory.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Suppose the night watchman has left it open
+on purpose to catch us when we come back?&rdquo; she
+suggested.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I do wish you would stop hunting up troubles,
+Nance,&rdquo; ejaculated Molly irritably. &ldquo;I never
+found supposing did any good, anyhow.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Nance, thus rebuked, said nothing more.</p>
+
+<p>Molly, boosted by the other girls, pulled herself
+onto the window sill and climbed into the
+room. She looked about her cautiously. But
+Nance&rsquo;s fears were groundless so far. The
+room was perfectly empty.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Let down a chair,&rdquo; whispered Judy.</p>
+
+<p>There were no small chairs about, however,
+and she was obliged to choose a bench.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How are we to get it back again?&rdquo; she asked,
+after Nance had clambered in, and Judy, halfway
+through, paused to consider this question.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Hurry, the watchman,&rdquo; hissed Nance, on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span>
+lookout at the door. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s coming down the
+side corridor.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The next instant Judy had leaped into the
+room, and the three girls were tearing along the
+hall and up the steps, Judy leaving a trail of
+water behind her. The watchman had seen
+them. They could hear the beat of his steps on
+the cement floor as he ran. The fugitives
+reached the upper corridor just as he arrived at
+the first landing on the stairs.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Kick off your pumps, Judy, and pick up your
+skirts. He&rsquo;ll trace us by the wet trail if you
+don&rsquo;t.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Another dash and they were in their sitting
+room, the door locked behind them. Oh, blessed
+relief!</p>
+
+<p>Judy, in her stocking feet, was holding up her
+skirts with both hands. Nance had seized one
+of the slippers and she thought that Molly had
+the other.</p>
+
+<p>But the final excitement of that eventful night
+was veiled in mystery.</p>
+
+<p>As they had burst into their sitting room,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span>
+some one ran swiftly across the room, through
+the passage into Judy&rsquo;s room and into the corridor.
+They dared not follow and run the risk
+of meeting the night watchman, probably standing
+at that moment at the end of the corridor
+trying to trace that path of water, which, thanks
+be to Nance&rsquo;s prudence, ended there and was lost
+on the green strip of carpet.</p>
+
+<p>Below in the Tower Room the windows of the
+casement flapped back and forth in the wind
+which was rising steadily, and on the path below
+stood that telltale bench.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Anyhow,&rdquo; said Molly, &ldquo;there&rsquo;s only one person
+who knows we were out to-night and, whoever
+she is, she can&rsquo;t tell without giving herself
+away.&rdquo;</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER VIII.<br />
+
+<small>COVERING THEIR TRACKS.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>When the dressing bell rang next morning,
+three heavy-eyed and extremely weary young
+women felt obliged to pull themselves together
+and appear at the breakfast table. Judy had
+caught cold, and to disguise this condition had
+plastered pink powder on her nose, and now held
+her breath almost to suffocation to avoid coughing
+in public.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Have you heard the news?&rdquo; demanded Jessie,
+hurrying in late and sitting next to Nance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, no. What is it?&rdquo; asked Nance calmly.</p>
+
+<p>Molly felt the color rising in her cheeks, and
+Judy buried her snuffles in a long letter from her
+mother.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s the greatest tale going around the
+Quadrangle! Everybody is talking about it,&rdquo;
+continued Jessie. &ldquo;One of the chambermaids<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span>
+started it, I think, because she told it to me just
+now.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What is it?&rdquo; asked Edith Williams impatiently.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Some of the Quadrangle girls were out last
+night gallivanting. They climbed through the
+Tower Room window, left a bench outside and
+the window open. I suppose the watchman
+frightened them before they could hide all
+traces.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That sounds like a wild freak,&rdquo; commented
+Katherine. &ldquo;What do you suppose they were
+doing?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;They might have been doing lots of things,&rdquo;
+replied Jessie mysteriously. &ldquo;The maid said the
+watchman thought they had been driving or motoring
+with some Exmoor boys.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Whew!&rdquo; ejaculated a sophomore. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry
+for them if they are found out. I happen to
+know Prexy&rsquo;s feelings about escapades like
+that.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why? Were you ever caught?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, of course not. Don&rsquo;t you see me sitting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span>
+here at the table? But my older sister was in
+the class with a girl who was caught. She was
+a campus girl.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What happened to her?&rdquo; demanded Judy, forgetting
+her cold in the interest of the story.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Bounced,&rdquo; answered the sophomore briefly.</p>
+
+<p>The Williamses and Jessie looked at Judy with
+mixed feelings of surprise; not because they noticed
+her cold or regarded it with any suspicion,
+but because, when they had parted company with
+her the night before she had been in the throes of
+a jealous rage and had spoken most insultingly
+to her best friend. Their glances shifted to
+Molly. The two girls were seated side by side.
+Judy was leaning affectionately against Molly&rsquo;s
+shoulder while they looked together at a picture
+post card sent by Mary Stewart from France.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;All bets are off,&rdquo; whispered Edith to her sister.
+&ldquo;They have made it up. Molly is an angel
+of forgiveness. We were wrong for once.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And Margaret was correct.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;A pound of Mexican kisses and two pounds
+of mixed chocolates,&rdquo; said Margaret in Edith&rsquo;s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span>
+other ear. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve won my bet, I hope you&rsquo;ll take
+notice.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We were just taking notice,&rdquo; answered Edith.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But there&rsquo;s some more of the story,&rdquo; piped
+out Jessie again. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you want to hear the
+most exciting part?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Heavens, yes. Did they catch them?&rdquo; asked
+several voices.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, no, but one of the girls was wet,&rdquo; announced
+Jessie impressively. &ldquo;She left a trail
+of water after her all the way up the steps.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I should think they could have traced her by
+that,&rdquo; said Margaret.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;They could have if she had kept on trailing,
+but she must have remembered and held up her
+skirt, for it stopped right there.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Wise lady,&rdquo; put in Katherine.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She must have been canoeing and not driving,
+then,&rdquo; observed Margaret. &ldquo;Else why the
+significant fact of wet clothes?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nice night to go canoeing in, cold and dark.
+Strange notion of pleasure,&rdquo; remarked Edith.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well, there&rsquo;s more still to come,&rdquo; announced<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span>
+Jessie, when they had finished commenting on
+this remarkable escapade.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;For heaven&rsquo;s sake, Jessie, you&rsquo;re like a serial
+story of adventure&mdash;a thriller in every chapter.
+What now?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well,&rdquo; said Jessie, &ldquo;you may well prepare for
+a thriller this time. The watchman found something.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What? What?&rdquo; they cried, and Nance, Judy
+and Molly joined in the chorus with as much excitement
+as any of the others.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He found a slipper.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy made an enormous effort to keep her hand
+from trembling, as she raised her coffee cup to
+her dry, feverish lips. Molly, as usual under excitement,
+changed from white to red and red to
+white. Nance alone seemed perfectly calm.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see how they can prove anything by
+that,&rdquo; she observed. &ldquo;There are probably fifty
+girls or even a hundred who wear the same size
+shoes here. Molly is the only girl I know of
+who wears a peculiar size, six and a half triple
+A.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well, &lsquo;one thing is certain and the rest is
+lies,&rsquo; as old Omar remarked,&rdquo; said Margaret,
+rising from the table, &ldquo;and that is, all juniors
+can prove an alibi last night. No junior would
+ever go gallivanting on the night of the junior
+play.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Hardly,&rdquo; answered Nance, who had risen to
+the occasion with fine spirit and tact. Molly&rsquo;s
+face resumed its normal color and Judy looked
+relieved.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The thing they will have to do,&rdquo; said Edith,
+&ldquo;is to find the other slipper. And if the owner
+of that slipper takes my advice she&rsquo;ll drop it down
+the deepest well in Wellington County.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly and Nance and Judy hurried through
+breakfast and rushed back to their apartment.
+They locked all the doors carefully and gathered
+in Judy&rsquo;s room.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We have nearly fifteen minutes before
+chapel,&rdquo; said Nance, speaking rapidly. &ldquo;Judy,
+are your things dry? Get them quickly. They
+may search our rooms. Miss Walker is pretty
+determined once she&rsquo;s roused, I hear.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Judy gathered up the stiff, rough-dry garments
+that had been hanging on the heater all night,
+while Molly found tossed in a corner the mate
+to the fatal slipper. Judy held up Viola&rsquo;s dress
+of old rose velvet.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s ruined,&rdquo; she exclaimed, &ldquo;and that&rsquo;s another
+complication. Suppose&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t suppose,&rdquo; interrupted Molly hastily,
+snatching the dress away from her. &ldquo;Hurry,
+Nance, where shall we put them?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>For a temporary safe hiding place they chose
+the interior of the upright piano. Then they
+hastily made their beds, set their dressing tables
+to rights and dashed off to chapel just as the
+matron appeared on an ostensible tour of inspection.</p>
+
+<p>It was possible that she was not being very
+vigilant with the juniors, however, that particular
+morning, knowing that they were one and all
+engaged in producing a very important play the
+night before. At any rate, she only glanced
+casually around, saw nothing incriminating and
+departed to the next room.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The president looked grave and worried at
+chapel, but, contrary to expectations, she had
+nothing to say after the prayer.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a bad sign,&rdquo; observed a student. &ldquo;When
+Prexy doesn&rsquo;t say anything, she means business.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Except for a few moments at lunch, the three
+girls did not meet in private consultation again
+until late in the afternoon. There was a busy
+sign on their study door. Molly smiled knowingly
+to herself, and gave the masonic tap.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good idea,&rdquo; she thought, &ldquo;and will keep
+out inquisitive people until we decide what to
+do.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She found Judy stretched on the sofa, feverish
+and coughing, while Nance was dosing her with
+a large dose of quinine and an additional dose of
+sweet spirits of niter.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re going to kill me, Nance,&rdquo; Judy was
+grumbling.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;For heaven&rsquo;s sake, be quiet,&rdquo; scolded Nance.
+&ldquo;You haven&rsquo;t any voice to waste. Molly, will
+you make her a hot lemonade? I think we had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span>
+better get her to bed and cover her up with all
+the comforts so as to bring on a perspiration.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Only one?&rdquo; inquired Judy.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Get up from there and go to bed,&rdquo; ordered
+Nance. &ldquo;The inspection is over and there won&rsquo;t
+be any chance of another one to-day. You&rsquo;ll
+have to miss supper to-night. We&rsquo;ll say you have
+one of your sick headaches.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy obediently got out of her things while
+Molly flew around making hot lemonade, and
+Nance hung a blanket over the heater and pulled
+down their three winter comforts off a shelf in
+the closet.</p>
+
+<p>Judy meekly allowed herself to be smothered
+under a mountain of covers, while she drank the
+lemonade with childish enjoyment.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You always make good ones, Molly, darling,
+because you put in enough sugar. I&rsquo;ll probably
+be melted into a fountain of perspiration like
+Undine, only she went away in tears,&rdquo; she complained
+presently.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the object of the treatment,&rdquo; answered
+Nance sternly. &ldquo;Whatever is left of you after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span>
+the melting process is over is quite well of the
+cold.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly could have laughed if she had not been
+thinking of something else very hard.</p>
+
+<p>The two girls sat down on the divan and began
+a subdued and earnest conversation.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What are we to do with these things, Molly?
+We can&rsquo;t leave them in the piano because the
+moment some one sits down to play we&rsquo;ll be discovered.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Murderers take up the planks in the floor and
+hide their bloodstained clothing underneath,&rdquo; observed
+Molly. &ldquo;But we can&rsquo;t do that, of course.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>They took the bundle from its hiding place and
+looked over the garments.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have an idea,&rdquo; announced Nance, who had
+many practical notions on the subject of clothes.
+&ldquo;Suppose we take the dress to the cleaner&rsquo;s in
+the village and have it steamed.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why can&rsquo;t we steam it ourselves over the tea
+kettle?&rdquo; demanded Molly. &ldquo;We can and we&rsquo;ll
+do it right now and press it on the wrong side.
+If it hadn&rsquo;t been so much admired, it wouldn&rsquo;t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span>
+matter so very much, but some one&rsquo;s sure to ask
+to see it or borrow it or something. How about
+the underclothes? Can&rsquo;t we smooth them out
+with a hot iron before they go to the laundry?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>They set to work at once to heat water and
+irons, and presently were engaged in restoring
+the old rose velvet to a semblance of its former
+beauty.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What are we going to do about that slipper?&rdquo;
+demanded Molly, pausing in her labors.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve made up my mind to that,&rdquo; replied Nance.
+&ldquo;We must bury it.&rdquo;</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER IX.<br />
+
+<small>THE GRAVE DIGGERS.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>Three times during the night Molly and Nance
+crept into Judy&rsquo;s room and looked at her anxiously.
+She seemed to be sleeping heavily, but
+she tossed about the bed with feverish restlessness,
+and her forehead was burning hot.</p>
+
+<p>Early in the morning the faithful friends were
+up again, tipping about like two wraiths of the
+dawn in their trailing dressing gowns.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll bathe her face and hands before she takes
+any tea,&rdquo; said Molly. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s awake. I saw her
+open her eyes when I peeped in just now.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy was awake and sitting bolt upright when
+they presently entered with the basin and towels.
+There was a strange look in her eyes. Molly
+remembered to have seen it before when Judy was
+in the grip of the wander thirst.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Here you are, Sweet Spirits of Niter,&rdquo; she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span>
+cried, in a hoarse, excited voice. &ldquo;Knowst thou
+the land of Sweet Spirits of Niter?&rdquo; she began
+singing. &ldquo;Knowst thou the Sweet Spirits? They
+are tall, slender, gray ladies done in long curving
+lines, like that.&rdquo; She illustrated her ideas of
+these strange beings by sketching a picture on an
+imaginary canvas. &ldquo;They lean against slim
+trees. They have soft musical voices and speak
+gently because they are sweet. You see? And
+the Land of Niter, what of it? It is a land of
+gray mists, always in twilight, and the Sweet
+Spirits who live in it are shadows. It is a sad
+land, but it is still and quiet and there are cool
+fountains everywhere. Sweet spirit, wouldst
+give me to drink of thy cup?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly and Nance laughed. They knew that
+Judy was delirious, but it was impossible not to
+laugh over her strange, poetic illusion regarding
+sweet spirits of niter. Setting down the basin
+and towel, they retreated to the next room.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;d better make her a cup of beef tea as
+quickly as we can,&rdquo; said Nance. &ldquo;That will
+quench her thirst and nourish her at the same<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span>
+time. Good heavens, Molly, what shall we do if
+she begins to talk about the slipper and the lake?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; replied Molly, lighting the
+alcohol lamp, while Nance found the jar of beef
+extract. &ldquo;I wish you hadn&rsquo;t given her so much
+physic, Nance.&rdquo; Molly had a deep-rooted objection
+to medicine, while Nance, on the other
+hand, was a firm believer in old-fashioned remedies.
+&ldquo;Her stomach was in no condition for all
+that stuff. It was utterly upset. Her gastric
+juices had been lashed into a storm and hadn&rsquo;t
+had time to subside.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Nance smiled at Molly&rsquo;s ignorance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You are getting the emotions and the stomach
+mixed, Molly, dear.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Now, Molly had her own ideas on this subject,
+but it was vain to argue with her friend, the
+actual proprietor of a real medicine chest marked
+&ldquo;Household Remedies,&rdquo; which contained more
+than a dozen phials of physics.</p>
+
+<p>Judy was, in fact, paying the penalty for her
+mental storm when on the night of the play she
+had run through the whole scale of emotions, beginning<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span>
+with stage fright and an awful fear and
+passing into mortification, disappointment, rage,
+remorse and finally sorrow, or it might be called
+self-pity, which inspired her to launch a canoe
+and paddle into the middle of the lake at midnight.
+It will never be known how near she
+came to jumping into the lake. It is difficult to
+reckon with an unrestrained, hypersensitive nature
+like hers, always up in the heights or down
+in the depths; sometimes capable of splendid
+acts of generosity and unselfishness, but capable
+also of inflicting cruel punishments for imagined
+offences.</p>
+
+<p>Nance was for more medicine.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Suppose I give her a big dose of castor oil,
+Molly,&rdquo; she suggested, while she stirred the tea.
+&ldquo;She had better take it before she drinks this.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Goodness, Nance, you&rsquo;ll kill her,&rdquo; exclaimed
+Molly, horrified. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you see that it is entirely
+a mental thing with Judy? What she needs
+is absolute quiet, and the quinine has probably
+excited her and made her delirious. She doesn&rsquo;t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span>
+need things to stimulate her. She&rsquo;s almost effervescent
+in her normal condition, anyhow.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Castor oil isn&rsquo;t a stimulant, child.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Perhaps not, but she&rsquo;d better not be upset
+any more,&rdquo; and in the end Molly had her way.</p>
+
+<p>Returning in a few moments to bathe Judy&rsquo;s
+face, she found the sick girl half out of bed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Get back into bed, Judy,&rdquo; she said firmly.
+&ldquo;You&rsquo;re to have a nice quiet day in here and no
+one to bother you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But the slipper. I&rsquo;m looking for the other
+slipper,&rdquo; began Judy, weeping. &ldquo;Oh, dear, I
+must find the slipper. Nance, Molly, the slipper,
+have you seen the slipper, the old oaken slipper,
+the iron-bound slipper that hangs in the well. If
+it&rsquo;s in the well now, drop it to the bottom. I hope
+it&rsquo;s a deep well, the deepest well in Well County.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>It was unkind to laugh, but Molly could not
+keep her countenance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I might have known,&rdquo; she thought, &ldquo;that
+Judy could be more delirious than anybody in the
+world.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy submitted to having her face bathed and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span>
+drank the beef tea without a murmur. She appeared
+greatly refreshed and quieted and said a
+few rational words about having had bad dreams.</p>
+
+<p>It was Sunday morning, frosty and bright.
+The bell of the Catholic Church in the village
+called devotees to early mass. It rang out joyfully
+and persuasively, reiterating its message to
+unbelievers. It was a cheerful sound and, in
+spite of Judy&rsquo;s troubles, they felt comforted.
+The steam heat began its pleasant matins in the
+pipes. The kettle on the alcohol stove hummed
+busily. Molly began to make preparations for
+breakfast. Although she was not self-indulgent,
+discomfort was never an acceptable state to her.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Get your bath, Nance,&rdquo; she ordered, &ldquo;and
+then you can come back and make the toast while
+I take mine.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Nance departed for the bathrooms with soap
+and towels, while Molly busied herself spreading
+a lunch cloth on one of the study tables and
+placing a blue china bowl full of oranges in the
+center. Then she carefully extracted four eggs
+from a paper bag in a box on the outer window<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span>
+ledge; cut four thin, even slices of bread to be
+inserted in Judy&rsquo;s patent electric toaster, and at
+intervals poured boiling water through the dripper
+into the coffee pot.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;If I were at home this morning,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I
+would be eating hot waffles and kidney hash.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly she looked up. Judy was standing
+in the doorway.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Molly,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I want my slipper.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly took her hand and gently led her back
+to bed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Judy, would you like a cup of delicious,
+strong, hot coffee?&rdquo; she asked, endeavoring to divert
+Judy&rsquo;s quinine-charged senses.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Very much, but the slipper&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; Judy began
+to whimper like a child.</p>
+
+<p>Molly hurried into the next room, found one of
+Nance&rsquo;s slippers and gravely handed it to Judy,
+who grasped it carefully with both hands as if
+it were something very precious and brittle.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;When I gave her your slipper, Nance, I felt
+something like the old witch who had kidnapped
+the Queen&rsquo;s infant and put a changeling in its<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span>
+place,&rdquo; Molly observed later, in telling about this
+incident to Nance. &ldquo;But there is nothing to do
+but humor her, I suppose, until the influence of
+the quinine wears off.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Where has she got it now?&rdquo; asked Nance,
+ignoring Molly&rsquo;s allusions to quinine.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What? The changeling slipper? Under her
+pillow.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Nance laughed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m thinking, Molly,&rdquo; she remarked, &ldquo;that
+to-day would be an excellent time to get rid of
+that other slipper. I don&rsquo;t feel as if I could sleep
+comfortably another night in these rooms with
+the guilty thing around. Until we dig a hole and
+bury it deep, we shall never have any peace of
+mind.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly was carefully peeling the shell from the
+end of an egg.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Do you think we could leave her alone this
+afternoon?&rdquo; she asked. &ldquo;How long does quinine
+continue its ravages?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, not long,&rdquo; answered Nance, in a most
+matter of fact voice. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s such a sensitive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span>
+subject, that is the trouble. Quinine doesn&rsquo;t usually
+make people take on so. I never met any
+one so excitable and high strung as Judy. She
+gets her nerves tuned up to such a high pitch
+sometimes that I wonder they don&rsquo;t snap in two.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nance, don&rsquo;t you think we ought to confess
+the whole thing to Miss Walker?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Do you think Judy would ever forgive us if
+we did?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly sighed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m afraid not,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Confessing
+would involve so much. We would have to go
+back so far to the original cause, those wretched
+Shakespeareans. It would be pretty hard on poor
+old Judy. But the slipper, Nance&mdash;it&rsquo;s such a
+ridiculous thing, our hiding that slipper. Where
+shall we hide it?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We must dig a grave and bury it,&rdquo; said
+Nance, &ldquo;and we must do it this afternoon and
+get the thing off our minds. Then all evidence
+will be destroyed and there will be no possible
+way of finding out about Judy.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You have forgotten about the visitor to our
+room in the night.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; admitted Nance, &ldquo;there is that visitor.
+Who was she? What did she want? You
+haven&rsquo;t missed anything, have you?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No,&rdquo; replied Molly. &ldquo;I have nothing valuable
+enough to steal except old Martin Luther,
+and he&rsquo;s quite safe.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She reached for the china pig on the bookshelves
+and shook him carefully. His interior
+gave out a musical jingle.</p>
+
+<p>Clothed and fed and comforted, the two girls
+leaned back in their Morris chairs, with extra
+cups of coffee resting on the chair arms, to consider
+the question of Judy&rsquo;s slipper. At last they
+came to a mutual agreement.</p>
+
+<p>Otoyo, the safest, discreetest and least inquisitive
+of their friends, was to be taken partly into
+their confidence and left to look after Judy while
+they went on their mysterious errand. Otoyo,
+who had the racial peculiarity of the Japanese of
+never being surprised at anything, accepted this
+position of trust without a comment. Few students<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span>
+took Sunday morning walks at Wellington,
+and therefore morning was the safest time for
+the expedition. Judy, reënforced with a soft-boiled
+egg and a cup of coffee, appeared perfectly
+rational and quiet. She surrendered the
+slipper without a murmur, and turning over on
+her side dropped off to sleep. A Not-at-Home
+sign was hung on the door and Otoyo was cautioned
+not to let any one into Judy&rsquo;s room. She
+was to say to all callers that Judy had a headache
+and was asleep.</p>
+
+<p>Dressed for a tramp, with Judy&rsquo;s slipper in
+one of the deep pockets of Nance&rsquo;s ulster, and a
+knife, fork and table spoon for digging purposes
+in the other, the two girls presently left Otoyo
+on the floor immersed in study. They had
+scarcely closed the door when Judy called from
+the next room:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Bring me that slipper, Otoyo.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>And the little Japanese, with a puzzled look on
+her face, obeyed.</p>
+
+<p>As they hastened down the corridor, hoping
+devoutly not to meet intimate friends, Molly and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span>
+Nance were stopped by the irrepressible Minerva
+Higgins.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Isn&rsquo;t this a stroke of luck?&rdquo; she exclaimed.
+&ldquo;You are going for a walk and so am I. I was
+just on the lookout for somebody. Girls here
+are so industrious Sunday mornings, I can never
+get any one to go walking until afternoon.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly was silent. At that moment she yearned
+for the courage of Nance, who with a word could
+scatter Minerva&rsquo;s cheeky assurance like chaff
+before the wind.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s lack of character, I suppose,&rdquo; she thought
+disconsolately. &ldquo;But I couldn&rsquo;t crush a fly, much
+less that presumptuous little freshman.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She stood back, therefore, and let Nance have
+a clear field for the struggle.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You are very kind to offer us your company,
+Miss Higgins, but we must beg to be excused to-day,&rdquo;
+said Nance calmly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I call that a nice, Sunday-morning, Christian
+spirit,&rdquo; cried Minerva, with an angry flash in
+her small, pig-like eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, no, Minerva,&rdquo; put in Molly gently. &ldquo;You<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span>
+must not think that way about it. Nance and I
+have some important business to discuss, that&rsquo;s
+all. You mustn&rsquo;t imagine it&rsquo;s unkind when older
+girls turn you down sometimes. You know it
+isn&rsquo;t customary here for a freshman to invite
+herself to join an older girl. I believe it isn&rsquo;t
+customary in any college. Don&rsquo;t be angry,
+please.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Hidden under layers of vanity, selfishness and
+stupid assurance, was Minerva&rsquo;s better self
+which Molly hoped to reach, and some day she
+would break through the crust, but not this
+morning.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t tell me anything about upper-class girls&mdash;conceited
+snobs! I know all about them,&rdquo; exclaimed
+Minerva angrily, as she marched down
+the corridor in a high state of rage.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t bother about her. She&rsquo;s a hopeless
+case, just as Margaret said,&rdquo; remarked Nance.</p>
+
+<p>Once off the campus, they followed the path
+along the lake and turned their faces toward
+Round Head as being the spot most apt to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span>
+deserted at that hour in the morning. It was not
+long before they were climbing the steep hill.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Where shall we lay it to rest, poor weary little
+<em>sole?&rdquo;</em> asked Nance, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s dig the grave on the Exmoor side,&rdquo; answered
+Molly. &ldquo;Behind one of those big rocks
+is a good spot. We&rsquo;ll be hidden from sight and
+the ground is softer there.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a name="molly002" id="molly002"></a>
+<img src="images/molly002.jpg" width="400" height="588" alt="THEY SET TO WORK TO DIG A SMALL GRAVE FOR JUDY&rsquo;S SLIPPER.&mdash;Page&nbsp;129." title="" />
+<br /><span class="caption">THEY SET TO WORK TO DIG A SMALL GRAVE FOR JUDY&rsquo;S SLIPPER.&mdash;<i>Page&nbsp;129.</i></span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Talking and giggling, because after all they
+were entirely innocent of any wrongdoing, they
+set to work to dig a small grave for Judy&rsquo;s slipper.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;When the earth casts up its dead on the Day
+of Judgment, Nance, do you suppose this slipper
+will seek its mate?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I hope it won&rsquo;t seek it any sooner,&rdquo; answered
+Nance dryly.</p>
+
+<p>At last the grave was ready. They laid the
+slipper in the hole, carefully covered it with
+earth, and concealed all evidences of recent disturbance
+with bits of grass and splinters of
+rock.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then Molly, leaning against the side of the
+boulder and clasping her hands, remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Let this be its epitaph:</p>
+
+<div class="centered"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0b">&ldquo;&lsquo;Under the wide and starry sky<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Dig the grave and let me lie;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Glad did I live and gladly die,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And I laid me down with a will.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0b">&ldquo;&lsquo;This be the verse you &rsquo;grave for me:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Here he lies where he longed to be;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Home is the sailor, home from the sea,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And the hunter home from the hill.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>Scarcely had the last words died on her lips
+when Nance gave a low, horrified exclamation.
+Molly glanced up quickly. Just above them in
+the shadow of another big rock stood Professor
+Green in his old gray suit. So still was he that
+he might have been a part of the geological formation
+of the hill, planted there centuries ago.
+Molly felt the hot blood mount to her face. How
+long had he been there? How much had he
+seen? What did he think? Forcing its way<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>
+through all these wild speculations came another
+thought: there was a brown coffee stain on one
+of his trouser legs. She tried to speak, but the
+words refused to come, and before she could get
+herself in hand, the professor coldly lifted his
+hat and walked away.</p>
+
+<p>In his glance she read <small>DISAPPOINTMENT</small> as
+plainly as if it had been written across his brow
+in letters of fire.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, Nance,&rdquo; she cried, and burst into tears.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He won&rsquo;t tell, even if he has seen,&rdquo; Nance
+reassured her. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t mind, Molly, dear. Come
+along. I&rsquo;m not afraid.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not that! It&rsquo;s not that!&rdquo; sobbed Molly.
+But then, of course, Nance wouldn&rsquo;t understand
+what it really was, because she hardly understood
+it herself. He believed, of course, that she
+had gone rowing with some Exmoor boys after
+ten o&rsquo;clock. He had heard the story of the slipper.
+Everybody had heard it. It was the talk
+of college. For a moment Molly felt a wave of
+resentment against Judy. Then her anger
+shifted to Professor Green.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;At least he might have given us a chance to
+explain,&rdquo; she exclaimed, as she followed Nance
+along the lake path back to the campus.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as they entered the room, a little while
+later, they saw by Otoyo&rsquo;s face that something
+had happened.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What is it?&rdquo; they demanded uneasily.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; ejaculated Otoyo, raising both hands
+with an eloquent gesture, &ldquo;it was that terrible
+Mees Heegins. You had but scarcely departing
+gone when there came to the door a rap-rap-rap&mdash;so.
+I thought it was you returning, and when
+I open, she push her way in, so.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Otoyo gave an imitation of Minerva forcing
+her way into the sitting room.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She say: &lsquo;I wish to see Mees Kean on a particular
+business.&rsquo; I say: &lsquo;Mees Kean has a sickness
+to her head.&rsquo; She say: &lsquo;Move away, little
+yellow peril. Don&rsquo;t interfere with me. I wish
+to inquire after her health.&rsquo; Then she make
+great endeavors to remove me from the door.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And what did you do, Otoyo?&rdquo; they asked
+anxiously.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Otoyo&rsquo;s face took on an expression half humorous
+and half deprecating.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It will not make you angry with little Japanese
+girl?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, of course not, child.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I employ jiu jitsu.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The girls both laughed, and Otoyo, relieved,
+joined in the merriment.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She receive no bruises, but she receive a
+shock, because it arrive so suddenlee, you see?
+So she quietlee walk away and say no more.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You adorable little Japanese girl,&rdquo; cried
+Molly, embracing her.</p>
+
+<p>Nance opened the door and peeped into Judy&rsquo;s
+room.</p>
+
+<p>She was sleeping quietly, the slipper clasped in
+both hands.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER X.<br />
+
+<small>A VISIT OF STATE.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>Judy still slept the sleep of the exhausted.
+Her tired forces craved a long rest after the
+storm that had lashed and beaten them. The
+girls crept about the room softly and spoke in
+low voices, and when they went down to the
+early dinner locked the door and took the key
+with them. Later, fearing callers, again they
+hung out a Busy sign and settled themselves
+comfortably for a peaceful afternoon. Nance,
+armed with a dictionary and notebook, was translating
+&ldquo;Les Misérables,&rdquo; a penitential task she
+had set for herself for two hours every Sunday.</p>
+
+<p>Molly was also engaged in a penitential task.
+She was endeavoring to compose a story on simple
+and natural lines. It was very difficult. Her
+mind at this moment seemed to be an avenue for
+bands of roving and irrelevant thoughts and refused<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span>
+to concentrate on the work at hand. She
+made several beginnings, as: &ldquo;One blustering,
+windy day in March a lonely little figure&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;
+With a contemptuous stroke of her pencil, she
+drew a line through the words and wrote underneath:
+&ldquo;It was a calm, beautiful morning in
+May&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Twirling her pencil, she paused to consider
+this statement.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, no, that won&rsquo;t do,&rdquo; she thought. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s
+entirely too commonplace.&rdquo; She glanced absently
+over at the book Nance was reading.
+&ldquo;Victor Hugo would probably have put it this
+way: &lsquo;It was the fifteenth of May, 17&mdash;. A
+young girl was hurrying along the Rue&mdash;&mdash;.
+She paused at the house, No.&nbsp;11.&rsquo; Oh, dear,&rdquo;
+pondered Molly, &ldquo;one has to tell something very
+important to write in that way. It&rsquo;s like sending
+a telegram. Just as much as possible expressed
+in the fewest possible words. Can the professor
+mean that? Would he mind if I asked him and
+then at the same time, perhaps&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; Again the
+wandering thoughts broke off. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s rather hard<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span>
+he should have misunderstood about this morning.
+Is there no way I can explain without involving
+Judy? Oh, dear! Oh, dear! How
+complicated life is, and what a complicated nature
+is Judy&rsquo;s.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>There were two quick raps on the door. Molly
+and Nance exchanged frightened glances. It
+was not the masonic tap of their friends, and no
+one else would have knocked on a door which advertised
+a Busy sign. There was, in fact, a note
+of authority in the double rap. Some instinct
+prevented Nance from calling out &ldquo;Come in,&rdquo; a
+matter later for self-congratulation. She rose
+and opened the door and President Walker entered.
+If Miss Walker had ever paid a visit to
+a student before, the girls had not heard of it.
+It was, so far as they knew, an entirely unprecedented
+happening and quite sufficient to make innocent
+people look guilty and set hearts to pumping
+blood at double-quick time.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I saw your Busy sign,&rdquo; said Miss Walker,
+glancing from one startled face to the other, &ldquo;but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span>
+I shall not keep you long. What a pretty room,&rdquo;
+she added, looking about her approvingly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Thank heavens, it&rsquo;s straight,&rdquo; thought Nance,
+groaning mentally.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Won&rsquo;t you sit down, Miss Walker?&rdquo; asked
+Molly, pushing forward one of the easy chairs.</p>
+
+<p>The President sat down. There was a plate
+of &ldquo;cloudbursts&rdquo; on the table. Would it be disrespectful
+to offer the President some of this delectable
+candy? Nance considered it would be,
+decidedly so. But Molly, a slave to the laws of
+hospitality, took what might be called a leap in
+the dark and silently held the plate in front of the
+President. If this turned out to be a visit of
+state it was rather a risky thing to do. But Miss
+Walker helped herself to one piece and then demanded
+another.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Delicious,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Did you make it, Miss
+Brown?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, Miss Walker.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>It had been purely a stroke of luck with Molly,
+who had no way to know that Miss Walker had
+a sweet tooth.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I must have that recipe. What makes it so
+light?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The whites of eggs beaten very stiff, and the
+rest of it is just melted brown sugar. It&rsquo;s very
+easy,&rdquo; added Molly, forming a resolution to make
+the President a plate of &ldquo;cloudbursts&rdquo; without
+loss of time.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Who is the third girl who shares this apartment
+with you?&rdquo; asked Miss Walker, unexpectedly
+coming back to business.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Julia Kean.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And where is she to-day?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Nance hesitated.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She is sick in bed to-day, Miss Walker.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Ahem! Cold, I suppose?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s more excitement than anything else,&rdquo; put
+in Molly. &ldquo;The junior play&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, yes. She was &lsquo;Viola,&rsquo; of course,&rdquo; said the
+President.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You see she had a bad attack of stage fright,&rdquo;
+continued Molly, &ldquo;and Judy is so excitable and
+sensitive. She exaggerated what happened and
+it made her ill.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And what did happen? She forgot her lines,
+as I recall. But that often occurs. Even professionals
+have been known to forget their parts.
+Ellen Terry is quite notorious for her bad memory,
+but she is a great actress, nevertheless.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The girls were silent. They wondered what
+in the world Miss Walker was driving at.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And then what happened next?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>They looked at her blankly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What happened next?&rdquo; repeated Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes. I want you to begin and tell me the
+whole thing from beginning to end.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly rested her chin on her hand and looked
+out of the window. This is what had been
+familiarly spoken of in college as being &ldquo;on the
+grill.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What do you want us to tell, Miss Walker?&rdquo;
+asked Nance with a surprising amount of courage
+in her tones.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I want to know,&rdquo; said the President sternly,
+&ldquo;where you were between twelve and one o&rsquo;clock
+on Friday night.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We were on the lake,&rdquo; announced Nance, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span>
+keen appreciation of the fact that when President
+Walker made a direct question she expected a
+direct answer and there was no getting around it.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Alone?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You mean to tell me that you three girls
+went rowing on the lake alone at that hour?
+What escapade is this?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Her voice was so stern that it made Molly
+quake in her boots, but Nance was as heroic as
+an early Christian martyr.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It was not a mad escapade. We did it because
+we had to,&rdquo; she answered.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Nance paused. This was the crucial point. It
+looked as if Miss Walker must be told about
+Judy&rsquo;s folly, or themselves be disgraced.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;They came for me,&rdquo; announced a hoarse voice
+from the door.</p>
+
+<p>It was such an unexpected interruption that all
+three women started nervously, but if Molly and
+Nance had been more observant they would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span>
+noticed the President stifle a smile which twitched
+the corners of her mouth.</p>
+
+<p>Judy, in a long red dressing-gown, her hair in
+great disorder and her eyes glittering feverishly,
+came trailing into the room. In one hand she
+grasped Nance&rsquo;s slipper and with the other she
+made a dramatic gesture, pointing to herself.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;They came for me,&rdquo; she repeated. &ldquo;I had
+been angry and said cruel, unjust things to Molly.
+Everybody went off and left me after the play.
+I was locked out and I was so unhappy, I wanted
+to be alone. Water always comforts me. You
+see, I was born at sea, and I took a canoe from
+the boat house and paddled into the middle of
+the lake. Then those two Sweet Spirits of Niter
+came for me, and the canoe upset and I&mdash;I
+dropped my slipper somewhere, 5-B is the number&mdash;I
+don&rsquo;t know who found it&mdash;here&rsquo;s its
+mate&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; Judy waved the slipper over her head
+and laughed wildly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The child&rsquo;s delirious,&rdquo; exclaimed Miss Walker,
+smiling in spite of herself.</p>
+
+<p>They persuaded Judy to get back into bed and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span>
+the President sent Nance flying for the doctor.
+Presently, when Judy had dropped off to sleep
+again, Molly finished the story of that exciting
+evening.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But, my dear,&rdquo; said the President, slipping
+her arm around Molly&rsquo;s waist and drawing her
+down on the arm of the chair, &ldquo;what prompted
+you to go to the lake and nowhere else?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I can never explain really what it was,&rdquo; replied
+Molly. &ldquo;I dreamed that someone said
+&lsquo;hurry.&rsquo; I wasn&rsquo;t even thinking of Judy when I
+started to dress. You see, we thought she had
+gone to bed. I hadn&rsquo;t thought of the lake, either.
+It was just as if I was walking in my sleep, Nance
+said. Then we found Judy wasn&rsquo;t in her room,
+and I knew she needed me. I remember we ran
+all the way to the lake.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Strange, strange!&rdquo; said Miss Walker.</p>
+
+<p>She drew Molly&rsquo;s face down to her own and
+kissed her. There were tears on the President&rsquo;s
+cheek and Molly looked the other way.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Sometimes, Molly,&rdquo; she said after a moment,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span>
+&ldquo;you remind me of my dear sister who died
+twenty years ago.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>It was a good while before Nance returned
+with Dr. McLean and in the interval of waiting
+Molly and Miss Walker talked of many things.
+Molly told her how they had buried the slipper
+on Round Head, and of how they had seen the
+Professor and been frightened. They talked of
+Judy&rsquo;s temperament and of what kind of mental
+training Judy should have to learn to control
+her wild spirits. From that the talk drifted to
+Molly&rsquo;s affairs, and then she asked the President
+to do her the honor of drinking a cup of tea in
+her humble apartment. The two women spent
+an intimate and delightful hour together, with
+Judy sound asleep in the next room, and no one
+to disturb them because of that blessed Busy sign.</p>
+
+<p>At last Dr. McLean came blustering in, and,
+seeing the President and Molly in close converse
+over their cups of tea, chuckled delightedly and
+observed:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;They are all alike, the women folk&mdash;the talk<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span>
+lasts as long as the tea lasts, and there&rsquo;s always
+another cup in the pot.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Have a look at your patient, doctor,&rdquo; said
+Miss Walker, &ldquo;and we&rsquo;ll save that extra cup in
+the pot for you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The doctor was not disturbed over Judy&rsquo;s delirium.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s joost quinine and excitement that&rsquo;s made
+her go a bit daffy,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Keep her quiet for
+a day or so. She&rsquo;ll be all right.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Imagine their surprise, ten minutes later, when
+Margaret Wakefield and the Williamses, peeping
+into the room, found Molly and Nance entertaining
+the President of Wellington and Dr. McLean
+at tea. The news spread quickly along the corridor
+and when the distinguished guests presently
+departed almost every girl in the Quadrangle
+had made it her business to be lingering near the
+stairway or wandering in the hall.</p>
+
+<p>Only one person heard nothing of it, and that
+was Minerva Higgins, who, after Vespers, had
+taken a long walk. Nobody told her about it
+afterward, because she was not popular with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span>
+Quadrangle girls and had formed her associations
+with some freshmen in the village. When
+it was given out that evening that Miss Walker
+had come to see about Judy, who had been quite
+ill, the talk died down.</p>
+
+<p>Having dropped the heavy load of responsibility
+they had been carrying for two days, Molly
+and Nance felt foolishly gay. Molly made Miss
+Walker a box of cloudbursts before she went to
+bed, while Nance read aloud a thrilling and highly
+exciting detective story borrowed from Edith
+Williams, whose shelves held books for every
+mood.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;By the way, Nance,&rdquo; observed Molly, when
+the story was finished, &ldquo;how do you suppose Miss
+Walker found it all out?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, Professor Green, of course,&rdquo; answered
+Nance in a matter of fact voice. &ldquo;There was
+never any doubt in my mind from the first moment
+she came into the room.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What?&rdquo; cried Molly, thunderstruck.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There was no other way. He saw us burying<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>
+the slipper and I suppose he thought it his
+duty to inform on us.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t feel it his duty to inform on Judith
+Blount when she cut the electric wires that night,&rdquo;
+broke in Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Perhaps he didn&rsquo;t think that was as wrong
+as rowing on the lake with boys from Exmoor.
+Besides, she was his relative.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly took off her slipper and held it up as if
+she were going to pitch it with all her force across
+the room. Then she dropped it gently on the
+floor.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed,&rdquo; she said.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XI.<br />
+
+<small>A SWOPPING PARTY AND A MOCK TRIAL.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>There was never any tedious convalescing for
+Judy; no tiresome transition from illness to
+health. As soon as she determined in her mind
+that she was well, she arose from her bed and
+walked, and neither friendly remonstrances nor
+doctor&rsquo;s orders could induce her to return.</p>
+
+<p>On Monday morning she appeared in the sitting
+room wearing a black dress with widow&rsquo;s
+bands of white muslin around the collar and
+cuffs. Molly and Nance were a little uneasy at
+first, thinking that the delirium still lingered, but
+Judy seemed entirely rational.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, Judy,&rdquo; exclaimed Molly, &ldquo;are you a
+widow?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I shall wear mourning for awhile,&rdquo; answered
+Judy solemnly, ignoring Molly&rsquo;s facetious question.
+&ldquo;It is my only way of showing that I am<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>
+a penitent. I can&rsquo;t wear sackcloth and ashes
+as they do in Oriental countries or flagellate my
+shoulders with a spiked whip like a mediæval
+monk; nor can I go on a pilgrimage to a sacred
+shrine. So I have decided to give up colors for
+awhile and wear black.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly kissed her and said no more. She knew
+that Judy went into everything she did heart
+and soul even unto the outward and visible symbol
+of clothes, and if wearing black was her
+way of showing public repentance she felt only
+a great respect for her friend&rsquo;s sincerity of
+motive.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But what are we to tell people when they ask
+if you have gone into mourning, Judy, because
+they certainly will?&rdquo; demanded Nance, taking a
+more practical and less romantic view of the situation.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Tell them I&rsquo;m doing penance,&rdquo; answered Judy,
+and thus it got out around college that Judy was
+making public amends for her angry words to
+Molly, and there was a good deal of secret amusement,
+of which Judy was as serenely unconscious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span>
+as a pious pilgrim journeying barefoot to a holy
+tomb.</p>
+
+<p>In the midst of these happenings there came
+a note one day from Mrs. McLean inviting the
+three young girls to the annual junior week-end
+house party at Exmoor. Their hosts were to be
+Andy McLean, George Green and Lawrence
+Upton and they were to stay at the Chapter
+House from Friday night until Sunday noon.
+It meant a round of gayeties from beginning to
+end, but to Molly it meant something almost out
+of reach.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Clothes!&rdquo; she exclaimed tragically, &ldquo;I must
+have clothes. I can&rsquo;t go to Exmoor looking like
+little orphan Annie.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>It was in vain that Judy and Nance offered
+to share their things with her. Molly obstinately
+refused to listen to them.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I won&rsquo;t need any colored clothes, anyhow,&rdquo;
+said Judy.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, you will, Judy. You just must come out
+of those widow&rsquo;s weeds for the house party,&rdquo;
+Molly urged.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Judy, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve made a vow and until
+that vow is fulfilled I shall never wear colors.
+I&rsquo;ve sent two dresses down to the Wellington
+Dye Works to be dyed black. Fortunately my
+suit is black already and so is my hat. Now, I
+have a proposition to make, Molly. I&rsquo;m in need
+of funds more than clothes just now and I&rsquo;ll sell
+you my yellow gauze for the contents of Martin
+Luther. He must be pretty full by now.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s plumb full,&rdquo; answered Molly proudly.
+&ldquo;I hadn&rsquo;t realized how much I had put in until
+I tried to drop a quarter in this morning, and
+lo, and behold, he couldn&rsquo;t accommodate another
+cent.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She held up the china pig and shook him.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How much should you think he&rsquo;d hold altogether?&rdquo;
+asked Judy. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to be getting
+the best of the bargain and perhaps Martin
+Luther is worth more than the dress.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; protested Molly. &ldquo;He could never
+be worth that much. I think he has about fifteen
+dollars in his tum-tum. I&rsquo;ve put in all the money<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span>
+I earned from cloudbursts and about ten dollars,
+changed up small, for tutoring.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy insisted on adding a blue silk blouse and
+a pair of yellow silk stockings to the collection
+to be sold.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll sell them to someone else if you won&rsquo;t buy
+them,&rdquo; she announced, &ldquo;and if you need a dress,
+you might as well take this one off my hands.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well,&rdquo; Molly finally agreed, &ldquo;we&rsquo;ll break
+open Martin, and count the money and, if there&rsquo;s
+anything like a decent sum, I&rsquo;ll buy the dress.
+Let&rsquo;s make a party of it,&rdquo; she added brightly.
+&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll cut the hickory-nut cake that came from
+home last night, and Nance can make fudge.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>It was like Molly&rsquo;s passion for entertaining to
+turn the breaking open of the china bank into a
+festival. Nance had once remarked it was one
+thing to have a convivial soul and quite another
+to have the ready provisions, and Molly never invited
+her friends to a bare board.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Try on the dress and let&rsquo;s see how you look
+in it, Molly dear,&rdquo; ordered Judy. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll open<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span>
+the bank to-night with due ceremony, but I want
+to see you in the yellow dress now.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The two girls were about the same height and
+build. Molly was not so well developed across
+the chest as her friend and was more slender
+through the hips. But the dress fitted her to
+perfection.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, you&rsquo;re a dream,&rdquo; cried Nance, when
+Molly presently appeared in the yellow dress.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Molly, you are adorable,&rdquo; exclaimed Judy.
+&ldquo;You always look better in my clothes than I do.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;They always fit me better than my own,&rdquo;
+said Molly, looking at herself in the mirror over
+the mantel. &ldquo;I feel like a princess,&rdquo; she ejaculated,
+blushing at her own charming image. &ldquo;Oh,
+Judy, I have no right to deprive you of this lovely
+gown. Your mother, I&rsquo;m sure, would be very
+angry.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Mamma is never angry,&rdquo; said Judy. &ldquo;That
+is why I am so impossible. Besides, I told you
+I needed the money. I have spent all my allowance
+and I won&rsquo;t get another cent for two weeks.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly took off the dress and laid it carefully<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span>
+in the box, stuffing tissue paper under the folds
+to prevent premature wrinkles. Her eyes dwelt
+lingeringly on the pale yellow masses of chiffon
+and lace.</p>
+
+<p>It would certainly be the solution of her
+troubles, and oh, the feeling of comfort one has
+in a really beautiful dress! She put the top on
+the box and pushed it away from her.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll decide in the morning, Judy. I can&rsquo;t make
+up my mind quite yet. It seems like highway
+robbery to take the most beautiful dress you
+have and the most expensive, too, I am certain.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I tell you I never liked the color,&rdquo; cried Judy.
+&ldquo;I&rsquo;m determined to wear black. When I have on
+black I feel superior to all persons wearing colors.
+It gives me dignity. There is a richness about
+robes of sable hue. Some day I&rsquo;m going to have
+a black velvet evening dress made quite plain
+with an immense train stretching all the way
+across the room. My only ornaments will be a
+great diamond star in my hair and a necklace
+of the same, and I shall carry a large fan made
+of black ostrich feathers.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The girls laughed at this picture of magnificence
+and as Molly hurried away to invite the
+guests to the spread she heard Nance remark:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;ll look like the bride of the undertaker
+in that costume, Judy.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Not at all. I shall look like the Queen of
+Night, Anna Oldham.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy went to the door and looked out. Molly
+was safely around the corner of the Quadrangle.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nance,&rdquo; she continued, &ldquo;don&rsquo;t you think Molly
+would let me give her the dress?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Nance shook her head.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I am afraid not. You know how proud she
+is. It&rsquo;s going to be hard to persuade her to buy
+it at that price. You know it&rsquo;s worth lots more.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy sighed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;If I could only do something,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;If
+I only had a chance.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Perhaps the chance will slip up on you, Judy,
+when you least expect it. That&rsquo;s the way chances
+always do,&rdquo; said Nance.</p>
+
+<p>It occurred to Judy, thinking over the matter
+of the yellow dress later, that it might be fun<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span>
+to have a &ldquo;Barter and Exchange Party,&rdquo; and if
+all the girls were swopping things Molly could
+be more easily persuaded to take the yellow dress.
+All guests therefore were notified to bring anything
+they wanted to swop or sell to the rooms
+of the three friends that night.</p>
+
+<p>It turned out to be a very exciting affair. The
+divans were piled with exchangeable property.
+Jessie Lynch brought more things than anybody
+else, ribbon bows, silk scarfs, several dresses and
+a velvet toque. Millicent Porter, who now spent
+more time in the Quadrangle than at Beta Phi
+House, to the surprise of the girls, brought a
+rather dingy collection of things which no one
+would either swop or buy. But she enjoyed herself
+immensely. Edith Williams made two trips
+to carry all the books she wished to exchange for
+other books, clothes, hats or money. But Otoyo
+Sen had the most interesting collection and was
+the gayest person that night. She was willing
+to exchange anything she had just for the fun
+of it.</p>
+
+<p>It was so exciting that they forgot all about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span>
+Martin Luther until the time arrived for refreshments
+and they gathered about the hickory-nut
+cake, now a famous delicacy at Wellington.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What surprises me is how pleased everybody
+is to get rid of something someone else is equally
+pleased to get,&rdquo; observed Margaret. &ldquo;Now, for
+instance, I have a black hat I have always
+hated because it wobbles on my head. I feel as
+if I had received a gift to have exchanged it for
+this green one of Judy&rsquo;s. And Judy&rsquo;s so contented
+she&rsquo;s wearing my black one still.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, but I am the fortunate one,&rdquo; said Otoyo.
+&ldquo;I have acquired an excellent library for three
+ordinary cotton kimonos.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But such lovely kimonos,&rdquo; exclaimed Edith.
+&ldquo;Katherine and I are in luck. Look at this pale
+blue dressing gown, please, for a French dictionary.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have the loveliest of all,&rdquo; broke in Molly,
+&ldquo;amber beads.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But they did not appear becomingly on me,&rdquo;
+protested Otoyo, not wishing to seem worsted
+in her bargains. &ldquo;And what do I receive in exchange?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span>
+A pair of beautiful knitted slippers for
+winter time, so warm, so comfortable.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;They were too little for me,&rdquo; announced
+Molly. &ldquo;It was no deprivation to exchange them
+for a beautiful necklace. Really, Judy, this was
+a most original scheme of yours.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But what about Martin Luther?&rdquo; asked someone.
+&ldquo;I thought this spread was really for the
+purpose of counting up the pennies he had been
+accumulating.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly took the china pig from the shelf and
+placed him on the table.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How shall I break him?&rdquo; she asked. &ldquo;Shall
+I crush him with one blow of the hammer, or
+shall I knock off his head on the steam heater?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Poor Martin!&rdquo; ejaculated Edith. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not
+a wild boar to be hunted down and exterminated.
+He&rsquo;s a kindly domestic animal who has performed
+the task set for him by a wise providence. I think
+he should choose his own death.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Every condemned man has a right to a lawyer,&rdquo;
+said Margaret. &ldquo;I offer my services to
+Martin Luther and will consult him in private.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll give him a trial by jury,&rdquo; broke in
+Katherine.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But what&rsquo;s he accused of?&rdquo; demanded Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s accused of withholding funds held in
+trust for you,&rdquo; put in Margaret promptly.</p>
+
+<p>There was a great deal of fun at the expense
+of Martin Luther and his mock trial. Katherine
+presided as Judge. There were two witnesses for
+the defense and two on the other side, and Margaret&rsquo;s
+speech for the accused would have done
+credit to a real lawyer. The jury, consisting of
+three girls, Otoyo, Mabel Hinton and Rosomond
+Chase&mdash;Millicent Porter had excused herself with
+the plea of a headache and departed&mdash;sat on the
+case five minutes and decided that the pig should
+be made to surrender Molly&rsquo;s fund in the quickest
+possible time and by the quickest possible means.</p>
+
+<p>It was almost time to separate for the night
+when Molly at last placed Martin Luther on a
+tray in the center of the table and with a sharp
+rap of the hammer broke him into little bits.</p>
+
+<p>If interest had not been so concentrated on the
+amount of money hidden in the pig, perhaps it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span>
+might have occurred to the company that Molly
+and her two friends had been playing a joke on
+them when they looked at the heap of ruins on
+the tray. But if this suspicion did enter the mind
+of anyone, it was dissolved at once at sight of
+Molly&rsquo;s white face and quivering lips.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My money!&rdquo; she gasped.</p>
+
+<p>What happened was this. When the china
+pig was demolished, there rolled from his ruins
+no silver money but a varied collection of buttons
+and bogus stage money made of tin. Only about
+a dollar in real silver was to be found.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What a blow is this!&rdquo; at last exclaimed Molly,
+breaking the silence.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But what does it mean?&rdquo; demanded Rosomond.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It means,&rdquo; said Nance, &ldquo;that someone has
+taken all Molly&rsquo;s savings out of the china pig and
+substituted&mdash;this.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She pointed to the pile of stage money.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But they couldn&rsquo;t have done it,&rdquo; cried Judy.
+&ldquo;How could they have fished it up through such
+a small slot?&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What a low, miserable trick!&rdquo; cried Katherine.</p>
+
+<p>It was a despicable action. Who among all
+the bright, intelligent students at Wellington
+could have been capable of such a dastardly
+thing? They agreed that it must have been a
+student. None of the college attendants could
+have planned it out so carefully.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Who else has missed things?&rdquo; asked Margaret
+with a sudden thought.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have,&rdquo; replied Jessie, &ldquo;but I never mentioned
+it because I&rsquo;m so careless and it did seem
+to be my own fault. I lost five dollars last week
+out of my purse. I left it on the window sill in
+the gym. and forgot about it. When I came back
+later the purse was there, but the money was
+gone.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How horrid!&rdquo; cried Molly, her soul revolting
+in disgust at anything dishonest.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;To tell you the truth I have not been able
+to find my gold beads for nearly two weeks,&rdquo; put
+in Judy. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t seen them since&mdash;&rdquo; she
+paused and flushed, &ldquo;since the night of our play.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span>
+I remember leaving them on my dressing table
+that morning.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly and Nance exchanged glances, recalling
+the mysterious visitor to their room that night.</p>
+
+<p>Several of the other girls had missed small
+sums of money and jewelry which they had not
+thought of mentioning at the time.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But how on earth was this managed?&rdquo; demanded
+Jessie, pointing dramatically to the
+broken china pig.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I suspect,&rdquo; replied Molly, &ldquo;that this is not
+the real Martin Luther. When I bought him
+there were several others just like him on the
+shelf at the store. Whoever did this must have
+bought another Martin and the stage money at
+the same time. They have a lot of it at the store,
+silver and greenbacks, too. I saw it myself when
+I bought Martin. They keep it for class plays,
+I suppose.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>There was a long discussion about what ought
+to be done. The housekeeper must be told, of
+course, next morning and a list of all missing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span>
+articles made out, headed by Molly&rsquo;s loss of almost
+fifteen dollars.</p>
+
+<p>It was rather a tragic ending to the jolly hickory-nut
+cake party. Molly tried to laugh away
+her disappointment about her savings, but she
+could not disguise to herself what it actually
+meant.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m afraid I can&rsquo;t buy your dress, Judy,&rdquo; she
+announced, when the company had disbanded.
+&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll mend up one of last year&rsquo;s dresses. It will
+be all right. It&rsquo;s a lesson to me not to place so
+much importance on clothes.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy said nothing, but she made a mental resolution
+that Molly should have that dress.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning the housekeeper was properly
+notified of what had happened and it was
+not long before the rumor spread that somewhere
+about college there dwelt a thief. So remote did
+such a person seem from the Wellington girls
+that the thief came to be regarded as a kind of
+evil spirit lurking in the shadows and gliding
+through the halls.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XII.<br />
+
+<small>ALARMS AND DISCOVERIES.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>Several things of importance to this history
+happened during the week before the house party
+at Exmoor.</p>
+
+<p>One morning, just before chapel, Molly was
+visited by several members of the Shakespearean
+Society, who presented her with a scroll of membership
+and fastened a pin on her blouse. They
+then solemnly shook hands and marched out in
+good order. By this token Molly became a full
+fledged member of that exclusive body. Margaret
+Wakefield, Jessie Lynch and Edith Williams
+were also taken into the society. Most of
+the other girls in the circle were elected to the
+various societies that day. Judy and Katherine
+became &ldquo;Olla Podridas,&rdquo; which, as all Wellington
+knows, is Spanish for mixed soup. Nance
+was elected into the &ldquo;Octogons,&rdquo; and all the girls<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span>
+belonged to one or the other of the two big Greek
+letter societies.</p>
+
+<p>If Judy had any feelings regarding the Shakespeareans,
+she was careful to keep them well hidden
+under her gay and laughing exterior.</p>
+
+<p>The Shakespeareans at Beta Phi House gave
+a supper for the new members, and later Millicent
+Porter, in a stunning, theatrical looking costume
+of old blue velvet, received them in her
+rooms. Margaret and Edith wore their best
+to this affair. The Shakespeareans were a dressy
+lot.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I wonder why, in the name of goodness, they
+ever asked me to belong,&rdquo; exclaimed Molly to
+herself, as she got into her white muslin, which
+was really the best she could do. &ldquo;I wish I could
+surprise somebody with something,&rdquo; her thoughts
+continued. &ldquo;College friends are just like members
+of the same family. I can&rsquo;t even surprise
+the girls with a shirtwaist. They are intimately
+acquainted with every rag I possess.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly enjoyed the Beta Phi party, however, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span>
+spite of her dress, which Millicent Porter had
+dignified by calling it a &ldquo;lingerie.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How much nicer you look than the other girls
+in more elaborate things,&rdquo; she said admiringly.</p>
+
+<p>Molly felt gratified.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t feel nicer,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I have a weakness
+for fine clothes. I love to hear the rustle
+of silk against silk. Your blue velvet dress is
+like a beautiful picture to me. I could look and
+look at it. There&rsquo;s a kind of depth to it like mist
+on blue water.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Millicent bridled with pleased vanity.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It is rather nice,&rdquo; she admitted modestly.
+&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a French dress made by the same dressmaker
+who designs clothes for a big actress.
+Don&rsquo;t you want to see some of my work? I have
+put it on exhibition to-night. I thought it would
+interest the new members. The girls here are
+quite familiar with it, of course.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly was delighted to see the craftsmanship
+of this unusual young woman, who appeared to
+be a peculiar mixture of pretentiousness and
+genius.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When, presently, she led Molly into the little
+den where her silver work was spread out on
+view it was almost as if she had turned into a
+little old man and was taking a customer into the
+back of his shop.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the other girls had followed and they
+now stood in an admiring circle around the table
+whereon were displayed rings and necklaces,
+buckles and several silver platters.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You are a wonder,&rdquo; cried Molly, deeply impressed.</p>
+
+<p>Millicent accepted this compliment with a complacent
+smile.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Papa and mamma think I am,&rdquo; she remarked,
+&ldquo;but I have artistic knowledge enough to know
+that this is only a beginning. When I am able
+to make a bas-relief of Greek dancing figures
+on a silver box, I shall call myself really great.
+At present I am only near-great.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What are you going to do with these things?&rdquo;
+asked Margaret.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, nothing. They just accumulate and I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span>
+pack them away. I don&rsquo;t have to sell any of
+them, of course.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you want to exhibit some of them at
+the George Washington Bazaar?&rdquo; asked Margaret.
+&ldquo;The Bazaar will sell them for you at
+ten per cent commission. The money goes to
+the student fund. You can have a booth if you
+like and dress up as Benvenuto Cellini or some
+famous worker in silver. I am chairman and
+can make any appointments I choose.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly could hardly keep from smiling over the
+expression on Millicent&rsquo;s face. The worker in
+silver and the dealer in antiques were struggling
+for supremacy in the soul of their descendant.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; she cried in great excitement, &ldquo;I will
+fix it up like a Florentine shop, full of beautiful
+old stuffs and curios. It will be the most beautiful
+booth in the Bazaar. And I will choose
+Miss Brown to assist me. You shall be dressed
+as a Florentine lady of the Renaissance. I have
+the very costume.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Now Margaret, as Chairman of the Bazaar,
+preferred all appointments to be made officially,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span>
+but seeing that Millicent was very much in earnest
+and that such a booth would greatly add to
+the picturesqueness of the affair, she made no
+objections.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There is one thing I would advise you to do,
+Miss Porter,&rdquo; she said when the plan was settled,
+&ldquo;and that is to keep your silver things under
+lock and key because there is a thief about in
+Wellington. You might as well know it, because,
+sooner or later, you&rsquo;ll lose something. We all of
+us have. My monogram ring went this morning.
+I left it on the marble slab in the wash
+room and when I came back for it not three minutes
+later it was gone.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, dear!&rdquo; exclaimed Molly, &ldquo;I do hate things
+like that to happen. Why will people do such
+things?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Millicent shrugged her shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Perhaps they can&rsquo;t help themselves,&rdquo; she answered.
+&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve lost a few little things myself,&rdquo;
+she added. &ldquo;But come into my room, Miss
+Brown, and let&rsquo;s talk about your costume. I
+have a gold net cap that will be charming.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>For the next half hour Molly was lost in the
+delights of Millicent&rsquo;s collection of beautiful theatrical
+costumes, pieces of old brocades and velvets.
+She drew them carelessly from a carved
+oak chest and tossed them on the bed in a shimmering
+mass of rich colors. Molly lingered so
+late over these &ldquo;rich stuffs&rdquo; that she was obliged
+to run all the way back to the Quadrangle and
+fell breathless and exhausted on a stone bench
+just inside the court as the watchman closed the
+gates.</p>
+
+<p>Nance and Judy were late, too. Nance had
+been to a secret conclave of the Octogons and
+Judy had been having a jolly, convivial time with
+the Olla Podridas. The three girls met in their
+sitting room as the last stroke of ten vibrated
+through the building. They were undressing in
+the dark stealthily, in order to avoid the eager
+eye of the housekeeper, who was not popular,
+when they heard a great racket in the corridor.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What&rsquo;s the matter? What&rsquo;s the matter?&rdquo;
+called several voices through half open doors.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The housekeeper making her rounds for the
+night passed them on the run.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been robbed! I&rsquo;ve been robbed!&rdquo; wailed
+the voice of Minerva Higgins. &ldquo;I won&rsquo;t stand
+having my things stolen from me. Who has
+dared enter my room?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What have you been robbed of?&rdquo; asked the
+matron sharply. She was a lazy woman and detested
+disturbances.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Two of my best gold medals I won at Mill
+Town High School. They were pure gold and
+very valuable.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Good riddance,&rdquo; laughed Judy. &ldquo;If anything
+in school could be spared, it is her gold medals.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re only in the same box with all the rest
+of us, Miss Higgins,&rdquo; called a student who
+roomed across the hall. &ldquo;Everybody in the
+Quadrangle has lost something.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;They haven&rsquo;t lost gold medals,&rdquo; cried Minerva.
+&ldquo;They haven&rsquo;t had them to lose. I could
+have spared anything else. I valued them more
+than everything I possess. They will be heirlooms<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span>
+some day for my children to show with
+pride.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>There were stifled laughs from several of the
+rooms, and someone called out:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Suppose you don&rsquo;t have any?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Then she&rsquo;ll leave &rsquo;em to her grandchildren,&rdquo;
+called another voice.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Poor, silly, little thing,&rdquo; exclaimed Molly, as
+the matron, intensely annoyed, went heavily past.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Old Fatty&rsquo;s gone now. Let&rsquo;s light a lamp,&rdquo;
+suggested Judy, who either felt intense respect
+or none at all for all persons. There was no
+moderation in her feelings one way or the other.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a queer thing about this thief-business,&rdquo;
+sighed Molly. &ldquo;It makes me uncomfortable. I
+can&rsquo;t think of anyone I could even remotely suspect
+of such a thing.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She must be a real klep.,&rdquo; observed Judy, &ldquo;or
+she never would want the fair Minerva&rsquo;s gold
+medals. They&rsquo;re of no use to anybody but
+Minerva.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Do you suppose Miss Walker will get another
+detective like Miss Steel?&rdquo; asked Nance. &ldquo;She<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span>
+was a fine one. The way she tipped around on
+noiseless felt slippers and listened outside people&rsquo;s
+doors was enough to scare any thief.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, yes,&rdquo; said Judy. &ldquo;She was the real thing.
+And she wanted everything quiet. If Minerva
+Higgins had set up a yowl like that at Queen&rsquo;s
+she would have been properly sat upon by Miss
+Steel.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>If Molly&rsquo;s mind had been especially acute that
+evening she would have noticed that her two
+friends were keeping up a sort of continuous duet
+as they lingered over their undressing. As it
+was, she barely heard their chatter because she
+was thinking of something far removed from
+thieves and detectives.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll be called down about the light if you
+don&rsquo;t hurry, girls,&rdquo; she cautioned. &ldquo;Why are you
+so slow?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;By the way, did you know there was a package
+over here on the table addressed to you,
+Molly?&rdquo; said Nance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, no; what can it be?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Filled with curiosity, Molly made haste to cut<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span>
+the string around a square pasteboard box.
+Whatever was inside had been wrapped in quantities
+of white tissue paper.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It feels like china,&rdquo; cried Molly, tearing off
+the wrappings. &ldquo;Why it&rsquo;s&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s after ten, young ladies,&rdquo; said a stern voice
+outside the door.</p>
+
+<p>Judy turned out the light.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s Martin Luther, girls,&rdquo; whispered Molly.</p>
+
+<p>Judy crept to her room and returned presently
+with a little electric dark lantern her father had
+given her. This she flashed on the china pig.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;One sinner hath repented,&rdquo; she whispered.
+&ldquo;It is Martin.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Nance reached for the hammer.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Break him open,&rdquo; she ordered. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s, see
+if the money&rsquo;s safe. He might be filled with stage
+money, too.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly struck Martin Luther with the hammer,
+muffling the sound with a corner of the rug. The
+flashlight revealed quantities of silver.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, girls!&rdquo; she exclaimed, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got it all back.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span>
+I&rsquo;m glad the thief repented and I&rsquo;m glad, oh, so
+glad, to get the money.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And now the sale is on again,&rdquo; said Judy,
+jumping about the room in a wild, noiseless dance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t resist it,&rdquo; ejaculated Molly. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll buy
+the dress if you really want to sell it, Judy.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>They looked carefully at the address on the
+box. It was printed with a soft pencil and merely
+said: &ldquo;Miss M. Brown.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I suppose the girl felt sorry,&rdquo; Molly remarked.
+&ldquo;But it&rsquo;s a pity she started up so soon
+again after her repentance and took Minerva&rsquo;s
+medals.&rdquo;</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XIII.<br />
+
+<small>&ldquo;THE MOVING FINGER WRITES.&rdquo;</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>The girls had agreed to pack all their clothes
+in one trunk and carry a suitcase apiece to the
+Junior Week-End Party at Exmoor. Nance was
+official packer and stood knee-deep in finery while
+she considered whether it was better to begin
+with party capes or slippers. Molly was studying
+and Judy was stretched on the divan idly swinging
+one foot.</p>
+
+<p>Otoyo poked her head in the door.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;May I ask advice of kind friends?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly looked up and smiled. She had once
+heard a preacher say that humility was as necessary
+to a well-rounded character as a sense of
+humor and she could see now what he meant.
+Otoyo was an excellent illustration. She was
+filled with humble gratitude for little kindnesses,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>
+never boasted and never forgot her perfect
+manners.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Indeed, you may, little one,&rdquo; spoke up Judy.
+&ldquo;Come right in and state your grievances.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, I have no grievances. I have only happinesses,&rdquo;
+said Otoyo. &ldquo;But I am packing and
+I wish to ask advices regarding clothes.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Clothes for what?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;For Exmoor,&rdquo; replied Otoyo, blushing and
+casting down her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, you dear little Jap, you didn&rsquo;t tell us,&rdquo;
+exclaimed Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have obtained the knowledge of it myself
+only this morning. Mrs. McLean has so kindly
+offered to look after little Japanese girl.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And who is your escort?&rdquo; they demanded in
+one chorus.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Professor Green,&rdquo; said Otoyo, trying not to
+show how intensely proud she felt of the honor.
+&ldquo;He is what you call &lsquo;a-lum-nus,&rsquo;&rdquo; she said,
+&ldquo;and he invites me to go with him, and Mr. Andrew
+McLean, junior, is making out a card of
+dances for me. Is it not wonderful? And is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>
+it not of great good fortune that I have now
+learned to dance?&rdquo; She began circling about the
+room. &ldquo;Only I can do it much better alone. Poor
+little Japanese girl will be frightened to dance
+with American gentleman.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The girls laughed again.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You are an adorable little person,&rdquo; exclaimed
+Molly, kissing her, &ldquo;and young American gentleman
+will be only too glad to dance with little
+Japanese girl.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Otoyo was now well provided with clothes,
+and there being still plenty of room in the trunk,
+they allowed her to pack two evening dresses and
+a diminutive black satin party wrap with their
+things.</p>
+
+<p>Molly was half sorry that Professor Green
+was going. Except at classes, she had never seen
+him since that Sunday morning on Round Head.
+Once he had smiled at her like an old friend
+when they had met in the main hall, but she was
+careful not to return the smile and bowed coldly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, I am disappointed,&rdquo; she had thought.
+&ldquo;I am glad Prexy found out about us that night,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>
+but he needn&rsquo;t have been the one to tell. I hope
+I shall be too much engaged in having a good
+time at Exmoor to see him. I am glad Lawrence
+Upton is going to look after me, because he always
+does so much for one. It was nice of Professor
+Green to take Otoyo. He is kind, of
+course.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>However, that afternoon when the trolley
+started with its load of Wellington guests for
+Exmoor&mdash;there were several other parties&mdash;Molly
+found herself seated between Mrs. McLean
+and Professor Green. How it had happened she
+could not tell. She had intended to sit anywhere
+but next the Professor, whom she regarded as
+a false friend. But there she was and the Professor
+was saying:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Miss Brown, you and I have been almost
+strangers of late. Are you working so hard that
+you have no time for old friends this winter?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly paused for an instant to consider what
+she should reply to this question. Then she said
+a thing so bitter and foreign to her nature that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span>
+the Professor gave a start of surprise and Molly
+felt that someone else must have said it.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have plenty of time for really <em>loyal</em> friends,
+Professor Green,&rdquo; she said in a frigid tone of
+voice. She turned her back and began to talk
+to Mrs. McLean, and for the rest of the trip the
+Professor devoted himself to Otoyo.</p>
+
+<p>Molly was in high spirits when she reached
+Exmoor. She was determined not to let her cruel
+speech ruin her good time. But through all the
+gayeties of that afternoon and evening, at the
+teas, the dinner and the Glee Club concert, the
+tang of its bitterness reached her. Across the
+aisle at the concert she could see Professor Green
+sitting by Otoyo, smiling gravely while the little
+Japanese girl entertained him, but never once
+did he look in Molly&rsquo;s direction. A lump rose
+in her throat and she dropped her gaze to the
+program.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It is never right to make mean speeches,&rdquo;
+she decided, &ldquo;no matter how much provocation
+one has.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Aren&rsquo;t you having a good time?&rdquo; asked Lawrence<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>
+Upton at her side. &ldquo;You look a little tired.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m having a lovely time,&rdquo; answered Molly,
+&ldquo;and I thought I was looking my best.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, you couldn&rsquo;t look any better. I think you
+are&mdash;well, the prettiest girl in the room. I meant
+there was a kind of sad look in your eyes.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t try to cover it up with compliments,&rdquo;
+answered Molly. &ldquo;When a thing&rsquo;s said, you
+can&rsquo;t change it, you know. It&rsquo;s like this:</p>
+
+<div class="centered"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0b">&ldquo;&lsquo;The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Moves on; nor all your Piety nor Wit<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Please don&rsquo;t be so severe, Miss Molly,&rdquo; said
+Lawrence humbly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t thinking of what you said, particularly,&rdquo;
+said Molly. &ldquo;I was thinking of any speech
+one might make and regret and never be able to
+recall.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You <em>are</em> sad,&rdquo; said Lawrence. &ldquo;I was certain
+of it. Will it make you any gladder to hear about
+to-morrow? You are engaged for every hour<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span>
+in the day. I had a great to-do keeping a little
+time for myself. Three fellows wanted to take
+you driving in the morning, but I reserved that
+privilege for yours truly. Dodo and I are going
+to drive you and Miss Judy over to Hillesdell
+after breakfast. Then there&rsquo;s the Junior Lunch.
+That&rsquo;s quite a big affair, you know. It&rsquo;s like a
+reception. Prexy always comes to that and any
+of the alumni who happen to be down. A crowd
+of them come usually. Andy&rsquo;s giving a tea in
+the Chapter rooms and there are some other teas,
+and then come the dinner and the ball.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;If there&rsquo;s anything left of us by then,&rdquo; said
+Molly, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>It was an intermission and everybody was visiting
+as they did at the Wellington Glee Club concerts.
+Molly, the center of a jolly crowd of young
+people, joined in the merriment and talk and all
+the time there was a taste of bitterness on her
+lips and in her ear a voice kept dinning over
+and over:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have plenty of time for really loyal friends,
+Professor Green.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>That night, when they had gone to bed in their
+rooms in the Chapter House, they were serenaded
+by a roving band of juniors. When at last the
+serenaders moved away and the house was still,
+Molly could not go to sleep.</p>
+
+<p>Dozens of times she repeated her cruel speech.
+She analyzed and parsed it, as she used to parse
+sentences years before in her first lessons in
+grammar. She named the subject, the predicate,
+the object, and modifying words. She tried to
+define the meaning of the word loyal. What
+were its synonyms? Faithful was one, of course.
+When she closed her eyes, she could see her
+speech written in red across a black background
+like a flaming sign. Was the Professor hurt or
+angry or both? She recalled every kindness he
+had ever done for her and there were many. She
+remembered with a burning blush what pains he
+and his sister had taken to make her have a happy
+Christmas a year ago. He had informed President
+Walker on her, of course, but he was only
+doing his duty. And she had made that cruel
+speech!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have plenty of time for really loyal friends,
+Professor Green.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Her mind traveled in a circle. She tossed and
+turned, trying one side until it ached and then
+trying the other; resting on her back for a moment
+and finding the position intolerable.</p>
+
+<p>At last she fell asleep and woke up stiff and
+weary in the morning, devoutly wishing the day
+were well over.</p>
+
+<p>She had hoped to see Professor Green in the
+morning, if only for a moment, but he had returned
+to Wellington, leaving the entertainment
+of Otoyo in charge of some of his brother&rsquo;s
+friends.</p>
+
+<p>Of what earthly pleasure is a beautiful corn-colored
+evening gown when one&rsquo;s heart is like
+a lump of lead and one&rsquo;s conscience heavy within?</p>
+
+<p>All her numerous partners at the ball could
+not console Molly, nor could the knowledge that
+she was looking her best as she floated through
+the dances in her diaphanous dress.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I know now how Judy felt after she was so
+unkind to me at the junior play,&rdquo; she thought,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>
+&ldquo;and, if heaven is kind to me, I hope never to
+say anything to hurt anyone again.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime there were those who were
+enjoying themselves to the utmost limit of enjoyment.</p>
+
+<p>Otoyo Sen, in a seventh heaven, was dancing
+with young Andy, who towered above her like
+a lighthouse over a cottage.</p>
+
+<p>Judy in her black dress was sparkling with
+vivacity. Her fluffy light brown hair gleamed
+yellow and her skin was cream white, against
+the dark folds of her chiffon frock. Could this
+be the same Judy who, only a few weeks ago, was
+contemplating&mdash;heaven knows what?</p>
+
+<p>Nance, with one eye on Andy, was also happy
+and light-hearted. How trim and charming she
+looked in her white silk dress!</p>
+
+<p>Molly found herself laughing and talking a
+great deal, and all the time she was thinking:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll be back to-morrow at noon. On Monday
+the holidays begin. Oh, if I can only see
+him before he goes!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>A great many young men came down to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span>
+station to see them off next morning. There was
+a din of farewells. On all sides girlish voices
+were calling:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Good-bye!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It was the jolliest dance!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I never had a better time in all my life!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Awfully nice of you to ask us.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly had joined in the chorus with the others
+and had grasped many outstretched hands and
+smiled and waved her handkerchief and listened
+to Otoyo in one ear, crying:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, Mees Brown, I do like the American
+young gentleman veree much,&rdquo; while Judy in
+the other was saying:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Wasn&rsquo;t it glorious fun? I never saw you
+look better. I have a dozen compliments for
+you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The car fairly crept back to Wellington, so
+it seemed to poor Molly. At last they arrived
+and a carry-all took them back to the Quadrangle.</p>
+
+<p>Without waiting to explain, she left her suitcase
+in the hall and ran to the cloisters. Pausing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span>
+at the door marked &ldquo;E.&nbsp;A. Green,&rdquo; she knocked
+urgently.</p>
+
+<p>There was no answer. A door farther down
+the corridor was opened and the professor of
+French looked out.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Professor Green has gone away,&rdquo; he said.
+&ldquo;He will not return until after the holidays.&rdquo;</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XIV.<br />
+
+<small>AN INVITATION AND AN APOLOGY.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>Millicent Porter invited Molly to go to New
+York with her for the holidays and visit in the
+grand Porter mansion. Molly understood it was
+a palace filled with tapestries and fine pictures.
+Millicent had mentioned all those things casually.
+They would go to the theaters and the opera and
+ride about in motor cars. But Molly was glad
+she had kept her head and declined.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have some work to do, Millicent,&rdquo; she said.
+&ldquo;I appreciate your invitation, but I can&rsquo;t accept
+it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You must,&rdquo; exclaimed Millicent, too accustomed
+to having her own way to take no for an
+answer. &ldquo;Is it clothes?&rdquo; she added. Somehow,
+she gave the impression of not being used to
+wealth.</p>
+
+<p>Molly hardly felt intimate enough with her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span>
+to go into the subject of her own poverty and answered
+briefly:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Not entirely.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Millicent was not famous for generosity and
+the basket of red roses sent to Molly on the night
+of the junior play had been her one outburst;
+but she was determined to have Molly go home
+with her at any cost.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Because,&rdquo; she continued, &ldquo;if it&rsquo;s a question
+of clothes, I can arrange that perfectly. My
+dresses will fit you if they are lengthened and&mdash;well,
+there&rsquo;ll be plenty of clothes. Don&rsquo;t bother
+about that. Your yellow dress is good enough
+for anything&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I should say it was,&rdquo; thought Molly, rather
+indignantly. &ldquo;Good enough for the likes of you
+or anybody else.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll lend you my mink coat and turban,&rdquo; went
+on this munificent young person, &ldquo;and I have a
+big black velvet hat that would look awfully well
+on you. Now, you must come, please. I want
+you to see my studio at the top of the house. To
+tell you the truth, I&rsquo;m rather lonesome in New<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span>
+York. I don&rsquo;t know any girls well, because I&rsquo;ve
+never stayed at one school long enough to make
+friends.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What&rsquo;s the reason of that?&rdquo; asked Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, I always get tired or something,&rdquo; answered
+the other carelessly. &ldquo;But say you&rsquo;ll
+come, do, please,&rdquo; she went on pathetically. Then,
+unable to stifle her grand airs, she said: &ldquo;I
+doubt if you have such fine houses as ours in
+the south.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, no,&rdquo; answered Molly, quickly, &ldquo;I doubt
+if we have. Our homes are very old and simple.
+The only works of art are family portraits. We
+have no tapestry or statuary. The house I was
+born in,&rdquo; she went on half-smiling to herself,
+&ldquo;was built by my great-grandfather. Most of
+the furniture came down from him, too. Some
+of it&rsquo;s quite decrepit now, but we keep it polished
+up. My earliest recollection is rubbing the
+mahogany. You would doubtless think our
+house very empty and plain. We have some old
+crimson damask curtains in the parlor, but the
+rest of the curtains are made of ten-cent dimity.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span>
+There is no furnace. We depend on coal fires
+in the bedrooms and wood fires in the other rooms
+and we nearly freeze if there&rsquo;s a cold winter.
+We have no plumbing. Every member of the
+family has his own tub and there are six extra
+ones for company. A little colored boy named
+Sam brings us hot water every morning for our
+baths. He gets it from a big boiler attached to
+the kitchen stove, and when we are done bathing
+he has to carry it all down again. Rather a nuisance,
+isn&rsquo;t it? But Sam doesn&rsquo;t mind. Oh, I
+daresay you&rsquo;d think our house was a kind of a
+hovel.&rdquo; Molly paused and looked at Millicent
+strangely. There was a hidden fire in her deep
+blue eyes. &ldquo;As for me,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;no palace
+in all New York or anywhere else could be as
+beautiful to me as my home.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Millicent looked uncomfortable.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Be it ever so homely, there&rsquo;s no face like one&rsquo;s
+own,&rdquo; cried Judy, who at that moment had come
+into the room and caught Molly&rsquo;s last words.
+&ldquo;What&rsquo;s all this talk about home?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I was just telling Millicent about the old-fashioned,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span>
+whitewashed brick palace wherein I was
+born,&rdquo; answered Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry you won&rsquo;t accept my invitation,&rdquo;
+said Millicent, taking no notice of Judy whatever.
+&ldquo;Perhaps, after you think about it awhile
+you&rsquo;ll change your mind.&rdquo; Her manner was
+heavy and patronizing, and implied without
+words:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;After you have had time to consider the honor
+I am paying you and the advantages of visiting
+in my splendid home, you cannot fail to accept.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You are very kind, Millicent, but I shall not
+reconsider it,&rdquo; announced Molly coldly. &ldquo;I have
+made up my mind to spend Christmas right here
+in the Quadrangle. I hope you&rsquo;ll have a beautiful
+time. Good-bye.&rdquo; They shook hands formally.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll try to see the best in her,&rdquo; she thought,
+&ldquo;but I&rsquo;d rather not see it at close hand. She
+grates on me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy waved an open letter with a dramatic
+gesture.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, Molly, dearest, I&rsquo;m glad you didn&rsquo;t accept.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span>
+It&rsquo;s my own selfish pleasure that makes
+me glad, but I&rsquo;m going to spend Christmas right
+here in the Quadrangle, too.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly looked at her friend&rsquo;s eager, excited face
+in surprise.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Do you mean your mother and father are
+coming here?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, no. They&rsquo;re on the Pacific Coast, you
+know, and will be detained until spring. It&rsquo;s
+too far for me to take the trip just for the few
+days I could spend with them, so I&rsquo;m going to
+stay here.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>A year ago Judy would have been in the depths
+of despair over a separation from her beloved
+parents at this holiday time. But whether she
+had gained poise by her recent sufferings or
+whether spending Christmas with her friend in
+the big empty Quadrangle appealed to her romantic
+nature, it would be difficult to tell. Through
+all the complexities of her nature her devotion
+to Molly was interwoven like a silver thread, and
+the shame and remorse she still felt in looking
+back on that unhappy evening when she had denounced<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span>
+her friend only seemed to draw the two
+girls more closely together.</p>
+
+<p>Molly gave her a joyous hug.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, Judy, I am so happy. I never dreamed
+of such a blessing as this. Even Otoyo is going
+away this year and hardly half a dozen girls
+are left in the Quadrangle. I am truly glad I
+had the courage to decline Millicent&rsquo;s invitation.
+It was only for one instant I was tempted to go,
+but she ruined it by a patronizing speech.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What a singular little creature she is,&rdquo; observed
+Judy. &ldquo;She has no charm, if she can beat
+on silver; and she&rsquo;s so awfully conscious of her
+wealth. I don&rsquo;t know how I could ever have admired
+her. I suppose I was lured in the beginning
+by her fine clothes and her grand way of
+talking.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She is very talented,&rdquo; Molly continued, &ldquo;but,
+as you say, she lacks charm. Perhaps she would
+have been different if she had been poor and
+obliged to turn her gifts to some use. After
+all, I think we are happier than rich girls. We
+are not afraid to be ourselves. We wear old<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span>
+clothes and we have an object in view when we
+work, because we want to earn money.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Earn money,&rdquo; repeated Judy. &ldquo;I only wish
+I could give papa the surprise of his life by earning
+a copper cent.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly was silent. Her own earning capacity
+had not been great that winter. She had kept
+herself in pin money by tutoring, but lately she
+had made an alarming discovery. When she had
+first started to college, teaching had been the ultimate
+goal of her ambitions. She intended to be
+a teacher in a private school and perhaps later
+have a school of her own, as Nance wished to do.</p>
+
+<p>Now, as her horizon broadened and her tastes
+and perceptions began taking form and shape,
+she found herself drifting farther and farther
+away from her early ambition. Something was
+waking up in her mind that had been asleep. It
+was like a voice crying to be heard, still immensely
+far away and inarticulate, but growing clearer
+and more insistent all the time.</p>
+
+<p>It made her uneasy and unsettled. She<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span>
+yearned to express herself, but the power had
+not yet arrived.</p>
+
+<p>The two girls went down to the village that
+afternoon to see the last trainload of students
+pull out of Wellington station, and later to make
+some purchases at the general store. It was
+Christmas Eve and the streets were filled with
+shoppers from the country around Wellington.
+Molly was trying to recall the words of a poem
+she had heard ages back, the rhythm of which
+was beating in her head, and Judy was endeavoring
+to explain to herself why she felt neither
+homesick nor blue on this the first Christmas ever
+spent away from her parents.</p>
+
+<p>They paused to look in at the window of a
+florist who did a thriving business in Wellington.
+A motor car was waiting in front of the shop.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We must have some Christmas decorations,
+too,&rdquo; exclaimed Judy about to enter, when the
+way was blocked by a crowd of people coming
+out. &ldquo;What pretty girls!&rdquo; continued Judy in a
+whisper, looking admiringly at two young women
+who came first.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The prettiest one, who had red hair not unlike
+Molly&rsquo;s and brown eyes, called over her shoulder:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Edwin, I shan&rsquo;t save you a seat beside me
+unless you&rsquo;re there to claim it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be there, Alice, never fear,&rdquo; answered
+Professor Green, hurrying after her with an armload
+of holly and cedar garlands.</p>
+
+<p>Molly stood rooted to the spot while the shoppers
+crowded into the car.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;If I could only tell him how sorry I am for
+that cruel speech,&rdquo; she thought.</p>
+
+<p>With a sudden determination, she rushed toward
+the car, calling:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Professor!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The girl named Alice looked around quickly,
+but apparently she did not choose to see Molly,
+and as the car moved off she began laughing and
+talking in a very sprightly and vivacious manner.</p>
+
+<p>Molly sighed. The longer an apology is delayed
+the more trivial and insignificant it becomes.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He probably has forgotten all about it,&rdquo; she
+thought. &ldquo;He seems happy enough with Alice,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span>
+whoever she is. Perhaps what I said hurt me
+more than it did him, but, oh, I do wish I had
+seen him before he went away. It would have
+been different then, I&rsquo;m sure.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She followed Judy into the flower store. Mrs.
+McLean was there with Andy.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, here are two lassies left over!&rdquo; cried
+the good woman.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What luck, mother!&rdquo; said Andy. &ldquo;Now
+we&rsquo;ll have some fun. We&rsquo;ll give a dinner and
+a dance, and Larry and Dodo will come over.
+We will, won&rsquo;t we, mother?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What a coaxer you are, Andy. You&rsquo;re still
+a lad of ten and not nineteen, I&rsquo;m sure.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you let him persuade you to give parties
+when you&rsquo;re not of a mind to do it, Mrs.
+McLean,&rdquo; put in Judy.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t miss the chance, my dear. I like
+it as much as he does. We&rsquo;ll have it to-morrow
+night and you&rsquo;ll come prepared to be as merry
+as can be and cheer up the doctor. He has been
+so busy of late he has forgotten how to enjoy
+himself.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t look as if we were going to spend
+such a quiet Christmas after all, Judy,&rdquo; laughed
+Molly, when Mrs. McLean and Andy had gone.</p>
+
+<p>Judy was engaged in selecting all the most
+branching and leafy boughs of holly she could
+find, while the florist looked on uneasily.</p>
+
+<p>That afternoon they spent an hour beautifying
+their yellow sitting room. And all the time
+Molly&rsquo;s mind was harking back to Christmas a
+year ago, when the Greens had busied themselves
+preparing such a delightful party for Otoyo and
+her.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And I said he was not a loyal friend,&rdquo; she
+said to herself. &ldquo;Oh, if I could only unsay those
+words!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She sat down at her desk and seized a pen.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What are you going to do?&rdquo; asked an inner
+voice.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I am going to write a note and tell him I&rsquo;m
+sorry, and then I&rsquo;m going over to the cloisters
+and slip it under his door. It will ease my mind,
+even if he doesn&rsquo;t get the note until he comes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span>
+back. He&rsquo;ll know then that I couldn&rsquo;t go to sleep
+Christmas Eve until I had apologized.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The note finished, she carefully addressed and
+sealed it. Judy was in her own room composing
+a joint letter to her mother and father, and did
+not see Molly when she slipped out of the room
+and hurried downstairs. Outside, the pale winter
+twilight still lingered and the sky was piled high
+with fleecy white clouds.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to snow,&rdquo; thought Molly, as she
+hurried along the arcade and opened the little
+oak door leading into the cloisters.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XV.<br />
+
+<small>A CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY THAT WAS NEVER TOLD.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>It was quite dark in the corridor whereon
+opened the cloister offices. All the teachers had
+gone away for the holidays and the place was
+as ghostly as a deserted monastery.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t say I&rsquo;d like to be here alone on a dark
+night, if it is such a young cloister. It seems
+to have been born old like some children,&rdquo; Molly
+thought.</p>
+
+<p>She coughed and the sound reverberated in
+the arched ceiling and came back to her an empty
+echo.</p>
+
+<p>Pausing at Professor Green&rsquo;s door, she stooped
+to shove the note underneath, when, to her surprise,
+the door opened at her touch and swung
+lightly back.</p>
+
+<p>With an exclamation, Molly started back, leaving
+the note on the floor. Leaning against one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span>
+of the deep silled windows, just where the fast
+fading light fell across his face, stood a tall,
+stoop-shouldered man. In the flashing glimpse
+Molly caught of him before she turned and fled,
+she noticed that he resembled an old gray eagle
+with a thin beak of a nose and a worn white
+face; and that his dark eyes were quite close together.
+The rest of him was lost in the black
+shadows of the room.</p>
+
+<p>Once out of the ghostly corridor and the heavy
+oak door shut between her and the strange visitor
+in the Professor&rsquo;s office, Molly paused and
+took a deep breath.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;In the name of goodness,&rdquo; she cried, &ldquo;what
+have I just seen? If he had stirred or blinked
+an eyelash or even appeared to breathe, I should
+at least have felt he was human.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The big empty hall of the Quadrangle seemed
+a cheerful spot in comparison with the cloister
+corridor. It was warm and light and from the
+seniors&rsquo; parlor came the sound of piano playing.
+But Molly never paused to look in and see what
+belated student was cheering herself with music.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span>
+Only her own sitting room with its gay holiday
+decorations and Judy twanging the guitar could
+recall her to a world of realities. Before she
+reached the door she had made up her mind that
+it would be just as well not to tell the excitable
+and impressionable Judy anything about the apparition
+or whatever it was in the Professor&rsquo;s
+study. It was really an act of self-denial, because
+it would have been decidedly interesting to discuss
+the episode with Judy.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I would have told Nance,&rdquo; she thought. &ldquo;She
+would have agreed with me, I am sure, that it
+couldn&rsquo;t have been a ghost because, of course,
+there are no such things. But if I tell Judy, I
+know perfectly well she will persuade me it was
+a ghost and we&rsquo;ll be frightened to death all
+night.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy, still wearing her widow&rsquo;s weeds, was
+singing a doleful ballad when Molly hurried in,
+called &ldquo;By the Bonnie Milldams o&rsquo; Binnorie.&rdquo;
+Molly was fond of this ancient song, but she was
+in no mood to listen to it just then.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="centered"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0b">&ldquo;&lsquo;The youngest stood upon a stane,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The eldest cam&rsquo; and pushed her in.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Oh, sister, sister, reach your hand,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And ye sall be heir to half my land;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Oh, sister, sister, reach but your glove,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And sweet William sall be your love.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>The guitar gave out a mournful twang.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Talk about impressionable people, I&rsquo;m worse
+than she is,&rdquo; thought Molly. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll shriek aloud
+if she doesn&rsquo;t stop this minute.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Just then the six o&rsquo;clock bell boomed out and
+Molly did give a loud nervous exclamation.</p>
+
+<p>Judy dropped the guitar on the floor. The
+strings resounded with a deep protesting chord
+and then subsided into resigned quietude.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Molly, what is the matter? You&rsquo;re as pale as
+a ghost.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly smiled at her own weakness. Having
+just made up her mind not to tell Judy, she was
+suddenly possessed with a fever to relate the entire
+incident from beginning to end.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;If you&rsquo;ll promise to put on your red dress<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span>
+to-night by way of celebration, and to cheer me
+up, I&rsquo;ll tell you a thrilling story, Judy.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But I&rsquo;ve made a vow and I can&rsquo;t break it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Did the vow stipulate that you couldn&rsquo;t wear
+colors Christmas Eve?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, not exactly.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well, then, get into your scarlet frock, because
+I&rsquo;ll never tell you if you wear that black
+one, and I&rsquo;ll put on some old gay-colored rag, too,
+and after supper I&rsquo;ll tell you a thrilling tale.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll put on the red dress,&rdquo; said Judy, &ldquo;if you
+promise never to tell Nance, but I can&rsquo;t wait until
+after supper to hear the story.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;ll have to. It&rsquo;s a long tale and there won&rsquo;t
+be time to dress and tell it, too.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well,&rdquo; consented Judy, &ldquo;because it&rsquo;s Christmas
+Eve, the very time to tell thrilling tales if
+they are true, I&rsquo;ll agree.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>And obediently she attired herself in the scarlet
+dress, while Molly put on a blue blouse that, by
+a happy chance, matched the color of her eyes as
+perfectly as if they had been cut from the same
+bolt.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Did it really happen to me,&rdquo; she kept thinking,
+&ldquo;or did I dream it after all?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>There was no chance to tell Judy the story
+after supper, because the two girls were summoned
+to the parlor almost immediately to see
+three callers, Andy, Dodo Green and Lawrence
+Upton.</p>
+
+<p>During the visit Molly seized the opportunity
+to ask the younger Green where his brother was
+spending his Christmas.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, he&rsquo;s making visits around the county,&rdquo;
+answered George Theodore carelessly. &ldquo;He always
+has enough invitations for three, but he
+was never known to accept any before. I don&rsquo;t
+know what&rsquo;s got into the old boy this year. He&rsquo;s
+getting as giddy as a débutante, going to parties
+and rushing around in motors. I have had to
+make two trips over to Wellington, first to get
+his evening clothes because he forgot to pack
+them, and then for his pumps and dress shirts
+I forgot myself. When the old boy goes into
+anything, he always does it in good style. He
+used to be a kind of dude about ten years ago.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span>
+But he&rsquo;s all the way to thirty now and he feels
+his age. Do you notice how bald he&rsquo;s getting?
+He&rsquo;ll be losing his teeth next.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad he&rsquo;s having such a good time,&rdquo; said
+Molly, disdaining the aspersions cast by George
+Theodore on his brother&rsquo;s age. &ldquo;I hope he is
+well and happy,&rdquo; she added in her thoughts. &ldquo;I
+am sure I don&rsquo;t begrudge him a jolly Christmas,
+considering what a jolly one he gave me last year.
+I am sorry I left the note, now. Like as not, he
+doesn&rsquo;t even remember what I said that day and
+when he reads the letter he won&rsquo;t know what I
+am talking about.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>At last the boys left. Judy was intensely relieved.
+She desired only one thing on earth: to
+hear Molly&rsquo;s ghost story. All her perceptions
+were on edge with curiosity, but she was determined
+to have all things in harmony for the telling
+of a Christmas Eve Ghost Story. So she
+restrained her inquisitiveness until they had
+slipped on dressing-gowns and were both comfortably
+installed in big chairs with a box of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span>
+candy and a plate of salted almonds between
+them.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And now, begin,&rdquo; she said, sighing comfortably.</p>
+
+<p>But Molly had scarcely uttered three words
+when she was interrupted by the arrival of packages
+from the late train brought up by the faithful
+Murphy.</p>
+
+<p>Even Judy&rsquo;s unsatisfied curiosity regarding the
+tale could not hold out against these fascinating
+boxes, and the story waited while they untied the
+strings and eagerly tore off the paper wrappings.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I suppose we ought to wait until to-morrow
+morning, but since we&rsquo;re just two lonely little
+waifs, I think we might gratify ourselves this
+once, don&rsquo;t you, Molly dear?&rdquo; asked Judy.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I certainly do,&rdquo; Molly agreed, &ldquo;seeing as it
+doesn&rsquo;t matter to anybody whether we look at
+them now or in the morning.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>It was a long time before they settled down
+again to the story, and Molly had not advanced
+a paragraph when there came another tap at the
+door. Evidently the Quadrangle gates were to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span>
+be kept open late that night or account of the
+arrival of holiday packages.</p>
+
+<p>This time it was a boy from the florist&rsquo;s, fairly
+laden with flower boxes.</p>
+
+<p>Andy had sent both the girls violets.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Very sweet and proper of him, I&rsquo;m sure, in
+the absence of Nance,&rdquo; laughed Judy.</p>
+
+<p>Lawrence Upton had sent Molly a box of
+American beauties.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And he could ill afford it, the foolish boy,&rdquo;
+ejaculated Molly.</p>
+
+<p>Dodo had expended all his savings on a handsome
+Jerusalem cherry tree for Judy. There was
+another box for Molly. It contained violets and
+two cards&mdash;Miss Grace Green&rsquo;s and Professor
+Edwin Green&rsquo;s.</p>
+
+<p>Molly blushed crimson when she read the
+names. For the thousandth time she covered herself
+with reproaches. She sat down and gathered
+the bouquets into her lap.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Judy,&rdquo; she cried contritely, &ldquo;what have I done
+to gain all these kind friends? I&rsquo;m sure I don&rsquo;t
+deserve it. The dears!&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But Judy was too much engaged with her own
+numerous gifts to contradict this self-depreciating
+statement.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I am really happy, Molly,&rdquo; she cried, &ldquo;even
+without mamma and papa it&rsquo;s been a lovely
+Christmas Eve.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>With one of those divinations which sometimes
+comes to us like a voice from another land, it suddenly
+occurred to Molly that whatever it was in
+Professor Green&rsquo;s office, whether ghost or human,
+perhaps the Professor might not like to have it
+discussed, and she resolved not to tell Judy or
+anyone else what she had seen.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And then,&rdquo; she continued, &ldquo;if he ever asks me
+whether I told, it will be a nice, comfortable feeling
+to say I haven&rsquo;t.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>At last, having put the flowers back in the
+boxes and restored some order to the room, Judy
+sat down and folded her hands.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And now, go on with the story.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My dear child, so much has happened since
+then and I&rsquo;m so weary, I don&rsquo;t think I can make
+it the frightful tale I had intended.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, it was all a joke?&rdquo; asked Judy, whose enthusiasm
+had about spent itself in other outlets.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, partly a joke. I went down to the cloisters
+to leave a Christmas note for Professor
+Green at his office and saw a ghostly looking figure
+there.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Is that all? Well, anybody might look like
+a phantom in that gloomy place. I&rsquo;ve no doubt
+the ghostly figure took you for another.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve no doubt it did,&rdquo; answered Molly, laughing,
+and with that they kissed and went to bed.</p>
+
+<p>Long after midnight Molly rose and slipped
+on her dressing-gown. Creeping out of her room,
+she flitted along the corridor, turned the corner
+and hurried up the other side of the Quadrangle.
+At the very end of this hall was a narrow passage
+with a window which commanded a view
+of the courtyard and the windows of the cloister
+studies.</p>
+
+<p>Softly raising the blind, she looked out. In one
+of the studies a dim light was burning. She
+counted windows. It was Professor Green&rsquo;s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span>
+office, she was certain. While she looked the
+light went out.</p>
+
+<p>Back to her bed she flew with a feeling that
+somebody was chasing her.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s one thing certain,&rdquo; she thought, drawing
+the covers over her head, &ldquo;ghosts never need
+lights.&rdquo;</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XVI.<br />
+
+<small>MORE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS AND A COASTING
+PARTY OF TWO.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>All the bells in Wellington were ringing when
+the girls awoke Christmas morning. The sweet-toned
+bell of the Chapel of St. Francis mingled
+its notes with the persistent appeal of the Roman
+Catholic bell across the way, while on the next
+street the bell of the Presbyterian Church sent
+out a calm doctrinal call for all repentant sinners
+to be on hand sharp for the ten o&rsquo;clock service.
+And in this confusion of sound came the tinkle
+of sleigh bells like a note of pleasure in a religious
+symphony.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Merry Christmas!&rdquo; cried Judy, running into
+the room with an armful of parcels done up with
+white tissue paper and tied with red ribbons.
+&ldquo;Here are the presents Nance and the others left
+for you. &lsquo;My lady fair, arise, arise, arise!&rsquo;&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Merry Christmas!&rdquo; cried Molly, bounding
+out of bed and rushing to find the presents she
+had been commissioned to take care of for Judy.</p>
+
+<p>The two girls climbed under the covers and
+began to open their gifts.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Dear old Nance!&rdquo; ejaculated Judy. &ldquo;How
+well she knows my wants. She&rsquo;s given me an
+address book because she disapproved of my
+keeping addresses on old envelopes.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a name="molly003" id="molly003"></a>
+<img src="images/molly003.jpg" width="400" height="588" alt="&ldquo;AND SHE&rsquo;S GIVEN ME A PAIR OF SILK STOCKINGS,&rdquo; CRIED
+MOLLY.&mdash;Page&nbsp;213." title="" />
+<br /><span class="caption">&ldquo;AND SHE&rsquo;S GIVEN ME A PAIR OF SILK STOCKINGS,&rdquo; CRIED
+MOLLY.&mdash;<i>Page&nbsp;213.</i></span>
+</div>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And she&rsquo;s given me a pair of silk stockings,&rdquo;
+cried Molly, &ldquo;because she knows my luxurious
+tastes run to such things.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Edith Williams is the class joker,&rdquo; remarked
+Judy, laughing. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s sent me a novel by Black
+and she&rsquo;s written on the fly leaf, &lsquo;For the first
+six months the Merry Widow read only novels
+by Black.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Weren&rsquo;t they dears?&rdquo; broke in Molly. &ldquo;They
+knew we&rsquo;d be lonely and they wanted to make
+us laugh Christmas morning. Look what Edith
+sent me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>It was a small round basket of sweet grass,
+no doubt purchased at the village store, and inside<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span>
+on pink cotton was a pasteboard medal.
+Printed around the outer edge of the medal was
+the following announcement: &ldquo;Awarded to
+Pallas Athene Brown for the Best General Average
+in Good Manners and Amiability by the Wellington
+High School.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>There was a hole punched in one end of the
+medal with a blue ribbon run through it. On
+one of Edith&rsquo;s cards in the box was written:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;To be worn on great occasions.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The two girls received other amusing presents.
+If their friends had hoped to cheer them on their
+lonely Christmas morning, they had succeeded
+wonderfully well. Judy especially was in the
+wildest spirits. It was a custom of hers to describe
+her feelings exactly as a chronic invalid
+recounts his sensations.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m all aglow with good cheer. I could dance
+and sing. It must be a sort of Christmas spirit
+in the air. I do adore to get presents. I think
+I have more curiosity in my nature than you,
+Molly. Why don&rsquo;t you open the rest of yours?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly was lost in admiration of a beautiful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span>
+little copy of Maeterlinck&rsquo;s &ldquo;<cite>Pelléas et Mélisande</cite>&rdquo;
+sent to her by Mary Stewart.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Because I like to eat my cake slowly,&rdquo; she
+answered, &ldquo;and get all the fine flavor without
+choking myself to death. Oh,&rdquo; she cried, taking
+the tissue paper off a small parcel, &ldquo;how lovely
+of your mother, Judy, to send me this beautiful
+lace collar!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just like the one she sent me,&rdquo; answered
+Judy, as pleased as a child over Molly&rsquo;s enthusiasm.
+&ldquo;But do look in the other boxes. What&rsquo;s
+that square thing? If it were mine, I should be
+palpitating with curiosity.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>If Judy had guessed what the square box contained,
+she would not have been so eager to precipitate
+an embarrassing situation.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Very well, Mistress Judy, we&rsquo;ll find out immediately
+what&rsquo;s inside. Where did it come
+from, anyway?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s not the slightest inkling of who sent
+it,&rdquo; answered Judy, examining the address printed
+in a sort of script. &ldquo;Whoever sent it knew how<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span>
+to do lettering, certainly. But the postmark is
+smeared.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly cut the string and removed the brown
+paper wrapping. The article inside the box was
+folded in a quantity of tissue paper.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It has as many coverings as a royal Egyptian
+mummy,&rdquo; exclaimed Judy impatiently.</p>
+
+<p>It had indeed. After stripping off several
+layers of paper it was necessary to cut another
+string before the rest of the paper could be removed.</p>
+
+<p>At last, however, another china Martin Luther
+emerged from his tissue paper shell. The two
+girls gasped with surprise and consternation.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Will wonders never cease?&rdquo; ejaculated Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure it&rsquo;s just another joke the girls are
+playing on us,&rdquo; broke in Judy with some excitement.
+&ldquo;Here&rsquo;s a card. What does it say?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>On a pasteboard card, written in the same
+script as the address, was the following mystifying
+message:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Was it kind to put such temptation in the
+way of the weak?&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What does it mean, Judy?&rdquo; asked Molly. &ldquo;I
+seem to be groping in the dark.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy shook her head.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You can search me,&rdquo; she said expressively.
+&ldquo;Why don&rsquo;t you break a hole in him and see?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No sooner said than done,&rdquo; answered Molly.
+&ldquo;But I really feel like a butcher. This is the third
+time I&rsquo;ve destroyed a pig.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She cracked the bank on the head of her little
+iron bed, but only a silver quarter rolled out on
+the floor. The rest of the money was in bills,
+three five dollar bills, which had been compactly
+folded and pushed through the slit in the pig&rsquo;s
+back.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Fifteen dollars and a quarter!&rdquo; ejaculated
+Molly. &ldquo;That was just about what the original
+sum was, but I suppose in silver it was too heavy
+to come through the mails.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She lay back on her pillows, her brows
+wrinkled into a puzzled frown.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a curious performance,&rdquo; she said, after a
+brief silence. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy at the foot of the bed, half buried in tissue<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span>
+paper and Christmas presents, glanced out
+of the window at the snowy landscape. There
+was a strange expression on her face and two
+little imps of laughter lurked in her wide gray
+eyes. Molly looked at her a moment, but Judy
+would not meet her gaze.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Julia Kean,&rdquo; broke out Molly, suddenly, &ldquo;do
+you know whom you look like this moment?
+Mona Lisa. You have the same mysterious smile
+as if you knew a great deal more than you intended
+to tell. Now just turn around and look
+me in the eyes.&rdquo; Molly crawled from under the
+covers and put her hands on her friend&rsquo;s
+shoulders. &ldquo;Who sent me that first Martin
+Luther with all the small change?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy&rsquo;s lips curled into an irresistible smile.
+There was something very mellowed and soft
+about her face, like an old portrait, the colors
+of which had deepened with the years.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You aren&rsquo;t angry with me, Molly, dearest?&rdquo;
+she asked, laying her cheek against Molly&rsquo;s.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Angry? How could I be angry, you adorable
+child?&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You see it was just taking money out of one
+pocket to put it in the other, and it was the only
+way I could think of to make you take the yellow
+dress. You wouldn&rsquo;t accept it as a gift. Of
+course, I never dreamed the real thief would repent.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The two friends looked into each other&rsquo;s eyes
+with loving confidence.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Dear old Judy!&rdquo; cried Molly, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know
+what I have done to deserve such a friend as
+you. And what an imagination you have! Who
+but you would ever have conceived such a notion?
+And to think, too, that I would never have known,
+if the real person who took the money hadn&rsquo;t
+had an attack of conscience.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It would certainly have remained a secret forever
+unless Nance had confessed it on her death
+bed,&rdquo; laughed Judy. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s that close, I imagine
+her first confession would be her last one.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll wear the dress to-night, Judy, just to
+show you how much I appreciate the gift,&rdquo; announced
+Molly.</p>
+
+<p>Judy put on a broad lace collar that morning<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span>
+and a lavender velvet bow, by way of lightening
+her mourning.</p>
+
+<p>There was a good deal to do during the day,
+getting the rooms straightened and writing
+letters.</p>
+
+<p>All morning the snow fell so softly and quietly
+that the Quadrangle seemed to be isolated in a
+still white world of its own. Not even the campus
+houses could be seen through the thick curtain
+of flakes. Molly could picture to herself
+no more delightful occupation than to stay indoors
+all day and read one of her new Christmas
+books. Nothing could have been more cheerful
+than the little sitting room with its Christmas
+greens and vases of flowers.</p>
+
+<p>Curled up in one of the big chairs, Molly&rsquo;s
+mind wandered idly from the open pages of the
+book in her lap to the recent inexplicable happenings.
+Who was the mysterious visitor in the
+Professor&rsquo;s study? After all, it was none of her
+business, but she felt some natural curiosity
+about it. Who was the girl who had stolen the
+china pig?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to know,&rdquo; she admonished herself.</p>
+
+<p>Nevertheless, it was impossible not to make a
+few random conjectures.</p>
+
+<p>Judy, restlessly beating a tattoo on the window,
+was thinking the same thing.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Molly,&rdquo; she burst out, after a long silence,
+&ldquo;I have an idea who that girl is. Have you?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, but I&rsquo;d rather not mention her name.
+It&rsquo;s too dreadful. And you know how I feel
+about circumstantial evidence.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;All I say is,&rdquo; announced Judy, &ldquo;that it&rsquo;s a
+certain person who makes the loudest noise about
+losing her own things.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well, she&rsquo;s repented,&rdquo; said Molly, &ldquo;so let&rsquo;s
+try and forget it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>There was another brief but eloquent silence.
+Judy pressed her face against the window pane.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I did think,&rdquo; she observed presently, &ldquo;that
+those boys would come to take us out for a sleigh
+ride or a coast or something this afternoon. But
+we can&rsquo;t wait around here all day for them. It
+would be paying them too much of an honor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span>
+Why not go coasting ourselves? I&rsquo;ll get Edith&rsquo;s
+sled and we&rsquo;ll walk over to Round Head.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That would be fine,&rdquo; said Molly, with all the
+enthusiasm she could muster. Reluctantly she
+laid aside her book and began to dress for the
+walk.</p>
+
+<p>When two intimate associates are not mutually
+agreed, the more selfish one never dreams of the
+sacrifices of the other. Molly had no taste for
+battling with the snow, and when in half an
+hour they found themselves plunging through
+the drifts on their way to the steep coasting hill,
+she turned a wistful inward eye back toward the
+comforts of the yellow-walled sitting room. The
+Morris chair, the prized antique rug and the
+Japanese scroll with the snow-capped Fujiyama
+and the sky-blue waters called to her insistently.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Isn&rsquo;t this glorious, Molly?&rdquo; ejaculated Judy,
+fired with the energy of her enthusiasms.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Dee-lightful,&rdquo; replied poor Molly, brushing
+the snow out of her eyes with admirable pretense
+at cheerfulness. However, the snowfall began
+to diminish and when they reached Round Head<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span>
+the storm had apparently spent itself. Molly
+felt the glow of exercise she really needed and
+she admired the splendid panorama of the snow-clad
+valley stretching before them.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It is beautiful,&rdquo; she admitted, &ldquo;and what fun,
+Judy, to go whizzing down Round Head! It will
+be the longest coast I have ever taken in my
+life.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Clambering up the side of the hill had not been
+as difficult as they had expected, because the
+wind had swept that part of it clear of drifts
+and the way was plain. When at last they
+reached the top, Molly was no longer sorry that
+Judy had dragged her from &ldquo;The Idylls of the
+King&rdquo; and the comforts of an easy chair.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re not afraid, Molly?&rdquo; asked the reckless
+Judy, looking with the glittering eye of anticipation
+down the long track of white over
+which they would presently be flying.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see why I should be,&rdquo; answered Molly
+evasively. &ldquo;Even if we fall off, it will be on
+a bed of snow as soft as a down comfort.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come along, then,&rdquo; cried Judy, &ldquo;we&rsquo;ll have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span>
+the sensation of our lives. And we might as
+well make it a good one, because it&rsquo;s beginning
+to snow again and we&rsquo;d better not try it a second
+time.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy had coasted down Round Head before
+and knew just the spot on the hill where the
+Wellington girls were accustomed to start the
+long slide on bobs and sleds.</p>
+
+<p>Sitting behind Judy, Molly closed her eyes and
+the sled commenced its journey. For some moments
+it skimmed along at a reasonable speed,
+but as it gained in impetus, she had the sensation
+of riding on the tail of a comet.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Look out for the bump,&rdquo; called Judy with
+amazing calm and forethought, considering the
+circumstances.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a name="molly004" id="molly004"></a>
+<img src="images/molly004.jpg" width="400" height="556" alt="THE NEXT THING SHE KNEW SHE WAS BURIED DEEP IN A SNOW
+DRIFT, AND JUDY WAS WHIZZING ON ALONE.&mdash;Page&nbsp;224" title="" />
+<br /><span class="caption">THE NEXT THING SHE KNEW SHE WAS BURIED DEEP IN A SNOW
+DRIFT, AND JUDY WAS WHIZZING ON ALONE.&mdash;<i>Page&nbsp;224</i></span>
+</div>
+
+<p>But the warning had no meaning for Molly,
+whose experience in coasting was of a very mild
+and unexciting character. The shock of the rise
+caused her to lose her hold, and the next thing
+she knew she was buried deep in a snow drift
+and Judy was whizzing on alone into the unknown.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I never did really enjoy coasting,&rdquo; thought
+Molly, climbing out of the drift and shaking herself
+vigorously like a wet dog. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s all right
+if nothing happens, but something always does
+happen and then it&rsquo;s a regular nuisance.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Already the tracks of the sled were covered
+by the fast falling snow and it was impossible
+to see just where the tumble had occurred on
+the hillside.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Judy,&rdquo; called Molly, hurrying down the hill;
+while at the same moment Judy was calling
+Molly as she hastened back.</p>
+
+<p>The two girls passed each other at no great
+distance apart, but they might have been as
+widely separated as the poles for all they could
+see or hear in the blinding snowstorm.</p>
+
+<p>After calling and searching in vain, Judy
+started back to Wellington, feeling sure that her
+friend had gone that way; and Molly, who was
+gifted with no bump of location whatever, blindly
+groping in the snowstorm turned in the opposite
+direction.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XVII.<br />
+
+<small>THE WAYFARERS.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>Human beings have been variously compared
+by imaginative persons to pawns on a chessboard;
+storm-tossed boats on the sea of life; pilgrims
+on a weary way, and other things of no resemblance
+whatever to the foregoing.</p>
+
+<p>Molly, marching stoically along the lonely
+road under the impression that she was on her
+way to Wellington when she was really turned
+toward Exmoor, might have fitted into any of
+those comparisons rather more literally than was
+intended.</p>
+
+<p>She was certainly a storm-tossed pilgrim if
+not a boat; the way was decidedly weary and as
+pawn, pilgrim or ship, whichever you will, she
+was about to come in contact with another of
+life&rsquo;s pawns, pilgrims or ships, to the decided<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span>
+advantage of the one and amazement of the
+other.</p>
+
+<p>This new pawn, pilgrim or ship was now advancing
+down the road, and Molly, mindful of
+the fact that she was not getting anywhere when
+she felt sure that by this time she should at least
+have reached the lake, was not sorry to see a
+human being.</p>
+
+<p>The stranger looked decidedly like the pilgrim
+of romance. He wore an old black felt hat with
+a broad slouching brim and a long Spanish cape
+reaching below his knees; his staff was a rosewood
+cane with a silver knob.</p>
+
+<p>He was about to pass Molly without even
+glancing in her direction when she stopped him.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Would you mind telling me if it&rsquo;s very far
+from Wellington?&rdquo; she asked. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m afraid I&rsquo;m
+lost.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Do you imagine you are going to Wellington?&rdquo;
+he demanded, looking up.</p>
+
+<p>Instantly Molly recognized him. He was the
+man she had seen the night before in Professor
+Green&rsquo;s study.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I did think so,&rdquo; she answered meekly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I would advise you to go in the opposite direction,
+then,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Exmoor lies that way.&rdquo;
+He pointed down the road with his stick.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How stupid of me!&rdquo; exclaimed Molly. &ldquo;I
+was coasting and tumbled off the sled. I was
+completely dazed, I suppose, when I crawled out
+of the drift.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The two walked along in silence. Molly gave
+the man a covert glance. He was very distinguished
+looking and vaguely reminded her of
+someone.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You are one of the students of Wellington?&rdquo;
+he asked presently.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; answered Molly respectfully.</p>
+
+<p>The stranger smiled.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You are from the south. I never heard a
+girl across the boundary line use &lsquo;sir.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I am,&rdquo; she answered briefly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And from what part, may I ask?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;From Carmichael Station, Kentucky.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The man stopped as if he had been struck a
+blow in the face.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Carmichael Station, Kentucky,&rdquo; he repeated
+in a half whisper. Drawing a leather wallet from
+his inside pocket, he took out a folded legal cap
+document and opened it. &ldquo;Ahem. Not far to
+go,&rdquo; he said in a low voice, running down a list
+with one finger. &ldquo;Your name&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Brown.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Mildred Carmichael Brown, I presume.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, Mary. My sister&rsquo;s named Mildred.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The old man refolded the document, put it
+carefully back in the wallet, which he returned
+to his pocket. Then he resumed his walk, muttering
+to himself.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Strange! Strange!&rdquo; Molly heard him say.
+&ldquo;Here in a snowstorm, in the wilderness, on
+Christmas day, too, I should happen to meet&mdash;I
+can&rsquo;t get away from them,&rdquo; he cried angrily,
+waving his cane. &ldquo;Victims, victims! Everywhere.
+They rise up and confront me when I&rsquo;m
+sleeping or waking&mdash;like ghosts of the past&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>His mutterings gradually became inarticulate
+as he wrapped his cape around him and stalked
+through the snow.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Hunted&mdash;hunted&mdash;hounded about&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; he began
+again. Suddenly he stopped, took off his hat
+and held his face up to heaven as if he were about
+to address some unseen power.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m tired,&rdquo; he cried. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had enough of
+these wanderings; these eternal haunting visions.
+Let me have peace!&rdquo; He shook his cane impotently
+at the overcast skies.</p>
+
+<p>It was then that Molly recognized him. On
+that very day but one, a year ago, had she not seen
+Judith Blount stand under a wintry sky and defy
+heaven in the same rebellious way?</p>
+
+<p>Judith&rsquo;s father had come back from South
+America and was hiding in the Professor&rsquo;s room
+at Wellington! And how like they were, the father
+and daughter; the same black eyes, too close
+together; the same handsome aquiline noses, and
+the same self-pitying, brooding natures.</p>
+
+<p>Evidently, Mr. Blount had suffered deeply.
+Molly thought he must be very poor. Looking
+at him closely, she noticed the shabby gentility of
+his appearance; the shiny seams of his Spanish
+cape which had been torn and patched in many<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span>
+places; his old thin shoes, split across the toes,
+and his worn, travel-stained hat.</p>
+
+<p>She wondered if he had any money. She suspected
+that he was very hungry and her soul was
+moved with pity for the poor, broken old man who
+had once been worth millions.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Mr. Blount,&rdquo; she began.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How did you know my name?&rdquo; he cried, shivering
+all over like a whipped dog. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t mention
+it, did I? I haven&rsquo;t told any one, have I?
+I came down here in disguise.&rdquo; He laughed
+feebly. &ldquo;Disguised as a broken old man. I went
+to Edwin&rsquo;s rooms,&rdquo; he wandered on, forgetting
+that he had asked Molly a question. &ldquo;You know
+where they are?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly nodded her head. She knew quite well
+that the Professor lodged in one of the former
+college houses built on the old campus, used long
+ago before the Quadrangle had been built flanking
+the new campus.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The housekeeper recognized me as a relation
+and I waited in his room some hours,&rdquo; went on
+the old man in a trembling voice.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And where did you spend the night?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;In the cloister study. I found the key on his
+desk. It was marked &lsquo;cloister study.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But where did you eat?&rdquo; asked Molly gently.</p>
+
+<p>The melting sympathy in her eyes and voice
+encouraged the old man to pour out his woes.
+Evidently it was a great relief to him to talk after
+his miseries and hardships.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been living off apples,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Very
+fine apples. There was a big basket of them on
+Edwin&rsquo;s study table.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But there&rsquo;s an inn in the village,&rdquo; she exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>He smiled grimly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have come all the way from Caracas to Wellington,&rdquo;
+he said. &ldquo;I was poor when I started;
+yes, miserably, wretchedly poor. I am an old
+man, old and broken. I want peace, do you understand?
+Peace.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>They had reached the lake and in fifteen minutes
+would arrive at the Quadrangle. Mr. Blount
+was leading the way, occasionally hitting the
+ground savagely with his cane.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Molly thrust her hand into her blouse and
+drew out a chamois skin bag which hung by a
+silk tape around her neck. Since the pilfering
+had been going on at Wellington she carried
+what little money she had with her during the
+day and hid it under her pillow at night.</p>
+
+<p>Extracting ten dollars from the bag, she hurried
+to the old man&rsquo;s side and touched him on the
+shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Mr. Blount, I&rsquo;m under great obligations to
+your cousin. He has been very kind to me&mdash;always&mdash;and
+I&rsquo;d like you to&mdash;I&rsquo;d&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>It was difficult to know what to say. Was it
+not strange for her, a poor little school girl, to
+be offering money to a man who had so recently
+been a millionaire?</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Won&rsquo;t you take this money?&rdquo; she began
+again, resolutely. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anyone will recognize
+you at the inn. It&rsquo;s just a little country
+place and you will be quite comfortable there
+until I find Professor Green. I may get word
+to him to-night, or to-morrow at any rate.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Blount eyed the money as a hungry dog<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span>
+eyes a bone. Evidently hunger and fatigue had
+got the better of his pride. He took the bill and
+touched it lovingly. Then he put it in his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re a nice girl,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I thank you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Would you like to see George Green?&rdquo; asked
+Molly timidly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, no, no!&rdquo; he answered fiercely. &ldquo;Not that
+young fool. I don&rsquo;t suppose Judith is here?&rdquo; he
+added presently in a tremulous voice.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, sir. She&rsquo;s in New York for the holidays.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>They shook hands and separated. Mr. Blount
+took the path down the other side of the lake
+across the links to the village and Molly followed
+the path on the college side. As she cut through
+the pine woods she heard a shout.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Molly Brown, where have you been? We
+have had a search for you!&rdquo; cried Judy, rushing
+up, followed by the three boys.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I reckon I&rsquo;ve been a good deal like the pig
+who thought he was going to Cork when he was
+really going to Dublin,&rdquo; laughed Molly. &ldquo;If I
+hadn&rsquo;t asked the way, I suppose I&rsquo;d have been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span>
+almost to Exmoor by this time. I am a poor person
+to find my way about. My brother used to
+tell me to take the direction opposite to the one
+my instincts told me to take and then I&rsquo;d be going
+right.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;In other words, first make sure you&rsquo;re right
+and then take the other way,&rdquo; said Lawrence
+Upton, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;d make a good explorer, Miss Molly,&rdquo;
+remarked Andy McLean. &ldquo;You might discover
+the South Pole and think all the time it was the
+North Pole.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That would be of great benefit to humanity,&rdquo;
+answered Molly, &ldquo;but you may be sure I&rsquo;d stop
+and ask a policeman before I reached the
+equator.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s your proper punishment for cutting
+church this morning,&rdquo; here put in George Green.
+&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know whether it was because it was a
+good excuse to go sleighing, but a lot of people
+were at the ten service. Even old Edwin came
+in the trail of Alice Fern.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What a pretty name!&rdquo; said Molly. &ldquo;It sounds
+so woodsy.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She&rsquo;s a cousin,&rdquo; George went on, &ldquo;and a winner,
+too. They&rsquo;ve got a jim-dandy place ten miles
+the other side of Wellington, Fern Grove. We
+spent last New Year&rsquo;s with them and had a
+cracker-jack time.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;George Theodore Green!&rdquo; ejaculated Judy,
+&ldquo;I never heard so much slang. I wonder you are
+allowed inside Exmoor.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, I cut it out there. I only use it when it&rsquo;s
+safe.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I regard that as a slight on present company,&rdquo;
+broke in Andy. &ldquo;I think you&rsquo;ll just have
+to take a little dose of punishment for that, Dodo.
+Get busy, Larrie.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>There was a wild scramble in the snow, and
+finally Dodo, who had developed into a big, strapping
+fellow, stronger than either of his friends,
+intrenched himself behind a tree and began
+throwing snowballs with the unerring aim of
+the best pitcher on the Exmoor team. Molly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span>
+hastened on to the Quadrangle, while Judy with
+true sportsman taste waited to see the fun.</p>
+
+<p>Molly went straight to the telephone booths in
+the basement corridor. By good fortune, the
+haughty being who presided at the switchboard
+was hovering about waiting for a long distance
+call from a &ldquo;certain party&rdquo; in New York.</p>
+
+<p>That she alone in all the world was concerned
+in this call and that she wished to have this corner
+of the globe entirely to herself for the full
+enjoyment of it were very evident facts when
+Molly asked for &ldquo;Fern-16-Wellington.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not working to-day,&rdquo; announced the operator
+shortly, arranging her huge Psyche knot at
+the mirror beside her desk.</p>
+
+<p>Molly looked into the girl&rsquo;s implacable face.
+No feminine appeal would melt that heart of
+stone, but perhaps the magic name of man might
+fix her.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Would you do it to oblige Professor Green?
+I have an important message for him.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I guess that&rsquo;s different,&rdquo; announced the owner
+of the Psyche knot, with a high nasal accent.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span>
+&ldquo;Why didn&rsquo;t you say so at first? I guess Professor
+Green is about the nicest gent&rsquo;man around
+here.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Sitting down at the switchboard, she slipped
+on the headpiece with a professional flourish.
+Then, with a hand-quicker-than-the-eye movement,
+she pushed several organ stops up and
+down, stuck the end of a green tube into a hole
+and remarked in a high pitched voice that had
+great projective powers:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Wellington Exchange? Hello! Yes, I know
+it&rsquo;s Christmas. On hand for a long distance, are
+you? Oh, you-u-u. Well, say, listen. To oblige
+a certain party&mdash;a very attractive gent&rsquo;man&mdash;call
+up &lsquo;Fern-16-Wellington.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then there was a detached monologue about
+a certain party in you know where&mdash;same
+gent&rsquo;man that was down Thanksgiving time.
+Suddenly, with professional alertness, the telephone
+girl stopped short.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Fern-16-Wellington? Here&rsquo;s your party.
+Booth 3,&rdquo; she added to Molly, in a voice so radically
+different that Molly had a confused feeling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span>
+that the young person who operated the Wellington
+switchboard might be a creature of two personalities.
+She retired timidly to the booth.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Is this the residence of Miss Alice Fern?&rdquo;
+she asked.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It is,&rdquo; came the voice of a woman from the
+other end.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I would like to speak to Professor Edwin
+Green.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s very much engaged just now. Is it
+important?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I think it is,&rdquo; hesitated Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What name?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Now what earthly difference does it make
+to her what my name is?&rdquo; Molly reflected with
+some irritation. &ldquo;Would you please tell him it&rsquo;s
+a message from the University?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll tell him nothing until you tell me your
+name.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Could this be Miss Alice Fern? Molly was
+fairly certain it was. Perhaps she also had two
+personalities.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t do any good to tell my name. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span>
+have nothing to do with the message. I&rsquo;m only
+delivering it for someone else. But if you want
+to know, it&rsquo;s &lsquo;Brown.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Mrs. or Miss Brown?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly Molly heard the Professor&rsquo;s voice
+quite close to the telephone saying:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Alice, is that someone for me?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, an individual of the illuminating name
+of Brown wishes to speak to you. I don&rsquo;t see
+why they can&rsquo;t leave you alone for one day in
+the year.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly smiled. Why was it that down deep
+in the unexplored caverns of her soul there lurked
+an infinitesimally tiny feeling of relief that Miss
+Alice Fern was plainly a vixen?</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How do you do, Professor Green? This is
+Molly Brown.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How do you do? Is anything the matter?&rdquo;
+answered the Professor in rather an anxious
+tone.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I wanted to tell you that Mr. Blount is here.
+Old Mr. Blount.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The Professor seemed too surprised to answer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span>
+for a moment. Or it might have been that Miss
+Alice Fern was lingering at his elbow and embarrassed
+him.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Where?&rdquo; he asked.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He spent last night in the cloister study.
+Now, he&rsquo;s at the inn. He asked me to let you
+know. I met him on the road. He&rsquo;s very unhappy.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How did he happen to be in the study?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;He&mdash;he had no money.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And now he&rsquo;s at the inn? Has he seen anyone
+but you?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No.&rdquo; Molly blushed hotly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll come right over. Thank you very much.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Now, Edwin, what a nuisance!&rdquo; broke in the
+voice of Miss Fern.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Good-bye. Thank you again. I really must,
+Alice. Very impor&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The receiver had been hung up and the connection
+lost.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, these cousins!&rdquo; Molly reflected with a
+laugh as she hurried up to her room.</p>
+
+<p class="star">**********</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>There was a gay party at the McLeans&rsquo; that
+night and one unexpected guest arrived just before
+dinner. It was Professor Green. They
+squeezed him in somehow at the end of the table
+with the doctor, and the two made merry together
+like school boys. Molly had never seen
+the Professor of English Literature in such joyous
+spirits. After dinner, when the dancing commenced,
+he sought her out and led her to a secluded
+sofa in the back hall. She began at once
+by asking about Mr. Blount, but the Professor
+was not listening.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s one of the prettiest dresses I&rsquo;ve seen
+you wear,&rdquo; he interrupted. &ldquo;Yellow is not becoming
+to most people, but it is to you. Probably
+because it has the same golden quality that&rsquo;s
+in your hair.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad you like it,&rdquo; said Molly, turning red
+under his steady gaze.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I found your note on my study floor,&rdquo; he
+went on.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I was afraid you wouldn&rsquo;t remember what
+I was talking about, after all,&rdquo; she exclaimed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span>
+&ldquo;But I had to write it. I have never really been
+happy since I said that cruel thing to you. I was
+so wretched the day afterward, and when I
+rushed to find you in your study, you were gone!&rdquo;
+she broke off with a tearful glance into his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>The Professor beamed upon her.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;So you were unhappy,&rdquo; he said, as if the
+statement was not entirely unpleasing.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, yes. I know now that you were quite
+right to tell Miss Walker about that silly episode
+of the burying of the slipper.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But I never told her. I know the story, of
+course, and the explanation. The President told
+me herself.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But who did tell, then?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That I can&rsquo;t say.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>It was now Molly&rsquo;s turn to beam on the Professor.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I am glad you didn&rsquo;t tell her,&rdquo; she exclaimed
+in tones of great relief. &ldquo;You see, you didn&rsquo;t
+inform on Judith Blount that time, and I was
+hurt. I couldn&rsquo;t help from being. I was really
+awfully sore.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My dear child,&rdquo; said the Professor hurriedly,
+&ldquo;promise hereafter to regard me as a faithful
+friend. Never doubt my sincerity again.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I promise,&rdquo; answered Molly, feeling intensely
+proud without knowing why.</p>
+
+<p>Then the talk drifted to Mr. Blount.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And you haven&rsquo;t mentioned meeting him?&rdquo;
+he asked. &ldquo;Not even to Miss Kean?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly shook her head.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You are a very unusual young woman, Miss
+Brown. It&rsquo;s important to keep Mr. Blount&rsquo;s
+presence here a secret. If word got out that he
+had come back, there would be a great hue and
+cry in the papers. I have him with me now at
+my rooms until Richard gets here. The family
+will be very grateful to you for your kindness
+to him.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Lawrence Upton was coming down the hall to
+claim Molly for a dance.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Are you going back to the Ferns&rsquo; to-morrow?&rdquo;
+she asked hurriedly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I think not,&rdquo; answered the Professor with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span>
+the ghost of a smile. &ldquo;I am detained here on
+business.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The next morning Molly received a short note
+from Professor Green, inclosing a ten dollar bill.</p>
+
+<p>There was a postscript which said:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve opened a barrel of greenings. Better
+come around and get some.&rdquo;</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XVIII.<br />
+
+<small>HEALING THE BLIND.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>&ldquo;But, Madeleine, I never touched an iron in
+my life. I wouldn&rsquo;t know how to go about it,&rdquo;
+protested Judith Blount.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s high time you learned then, child. It&rsquo;s
+a very useful piece of knowledge, I assure you.
+You may begin on handkerchiefs first. They
+are easy, just a flat surface, and it doesn&rsquo;t matter
+if you scorch one, especially as it&rsquo;s your own.
+Test the iron like this, see. Pick it up with the
+holder, wet your finger and touch the bottom.
+If it gives out a sizzly sound, it&rsquo;s fairly hot and
+may be used on something damp. It will surely
+scorch dry material. Always sprinkle. Rough-dry
+things can&rsquo;t be ironed decently unless they
+have been sprinkled and allowed to get damp
+through and through.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Madeleine Petit&rsquo;s unceasing flow of conversation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span>
+did not stop while Judith took her first lesson
+in ironing.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You see,&rdquo; continued Madeleine, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve made
+quite a name for myself for doing up fine things
+and I really need an assistant, Judith. And,
+since you need the money, and I like you better
+than any girl in college, I want you to help me.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judith winced at the mention of poverty, but
+her face softened when Madeleine spoke of
+friendship.</p>
+
+<p>After all, was it not good to have a friend, a
+real tried and devoted friend who had nothing
+to gain but friendship in return? Yes, Madeleine
+did talk a great deal. We all have our
+faults. Judith&rsquo;s was a temper. She knew that.
+But Madeleine was good company, nevertheless,
+much better company than those false friends of
+Beta Phi days. She was charming and pretty
+and she had a heart of pure gold. Moreover, she
+was a lady, if she did talk so much.</p>
+
+<p>Judith loved Madeleine. For the first time
+in her life she felt the stirrings of a really deep
+affection for another girl. It had quickened her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span>
+parched soul like the waters of a freshet flowing
+through a thirsty land. Madeleine had first
+gained the respect of the proud, discontented
+girl by being always good-naturedly firm, and
+now she had gained her love.</p>
+
+<p>Furthermore, Judith felt for the first time the
+pleasure of doing something for someone else.
+It was a matter of infinite secret joy to her that
+she had been able to help Madeleine with her
+studies. In a way she had constituted herself
+tutor to the little Southern girl; had criticized
+her themes; given her a boost in the dreaded
+French Literature and carried her over the
+blighting period of mid-year examinations.
+Madeleine had spent Christmas with the Blounts
+at a boarding house in New York and had given
+them a taste of Southern conversation, humor
+and anecdotes that had made that dreary time
+for them to blossom with new enjoyments.</p>
+
+<p>And now Judith was learning to iron. At first
+she handled the iron quite awkwardly, but in a
+few minutes she became interested and the pile
+of handkerchiefs rapidly decreased.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Of course, it isn&rsquo;t as if either one of us expects
+to have to iron handkerchiefs always,&rdquo;
+went on Madeleine, &ldquo;but it doesn&rsquo;t hurt us to
+know how, just the same, and I have always
+found that doing common things well only made
+one do uncommon things better. Now, I intend
+to be a Professor of Mathematics. I don&rsquo;t know
+where nor how, but those are my intentions.
+There&rsquo;s no ironing of jabots connected with
+mathematics, but somehow I feel that ironing
+jabots well makes me more proficient in mathematics.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;By the way, have you settled on anything to
+do yet? It&rsquo;s time you began to think about it,
+unless you decide to take a Post Grad. course
+and be with me next year. That would be perfectly
+grand, wouldn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Madeleine&rsquo;s small pretty hands paused an instant
+in their busy fluttering over the garments
+she was sprinkling, and she smiled so sweetly
+upon Judith that the black-browed young woman
+felt moved beyond the power of speech and could
+only smile silently in reply.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Oh, heavens, it was good to have a friend!
+Madeleine had come at a time when she most
+needed her; when the whole world was nothing
+but a black, hideous picture and life was a dreary
+waste. Not her mother, not Richard, not Cousin
+Edwin, could take the place of Madeleine.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You know I always said I wouldn&rsquo;t work
+for a living, Madeleine,&rdquo; she answered presently,
+gulping down these new, strange emotions.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My dear, we all say such things, but it&rsquo;s only
+talk. And, after all, it&rsquo;s better to work than to
+be an object of charity. Think of making your
+own money; having it come in every month&mdash;say
+a hundred dollars, or even more&mdash;earned by
+you? Why, it&rsquo;s glorious. It&rsquo;s better than running
+across a gold mine by accident or inheriting
+a fortune, because you have done it yourself.
+I intend to earn a great deal of money. I shall
+rise from being a teacher to having a splendid
+school of my own. It will be the most fashionable
+school in the South and all the finest families
+will send their daughters there. And what will
+you be in my school, Judith? Because you must<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span>
+commence now to work up to that eminence.
+Will you be part owner with me?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judith laughed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re an absurd, adorable, sweet child,&rdquo; she
+said, and went on ironing busily.</p>
+
+<p>After all, life was not so desperately unpleasant.</p>
+
+<p>There was a knock on the door. Judith put
+down the iron hastily and retreated to the window.
+She had not yet reached the point where
+she was willing for others to see her engaged
+in this menial work.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come in,&rdquo; called Madeleine, without stopping
+an instant.</p>
+
+<p>To Judith&rsquo;s relief, however, it was Mrs.
+O&rsquo;Reilly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;A note for you, Miss Blount, and the man&rsquo;s
+waiting for an answer.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judith tore open the envelope impatiently. It
+was a bill of two years&rsquo; running, amounting to
+nearly forty dollars, from the stationery and
+candy shop.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>On the bottom she was requested to remit at
+once.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Tell the man&mdash;anything, Mrs. O&rsquo;Reilly. I
+can&rsquo;t see him. That&rsquo;s all.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Certainly, Miss,&rdquo; said the Irish woman with
+a good-natured smile.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;These poor young college ladies was in hard
+luck just like the men sometimes,&rdquo; she thought
+as she turned away.</p>
+
+<p>Judith sat down and began to think. Richard
+was having a great struggle to keep her at college,
+her mother and himself at the boarding
+house, and her father in a sanitarium. It would
+really be unkind to burden him with that bill;
+but what was to be done?</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Is it that old stationery man again?&rdquo; asked
+Madeleine, who had inherited a profound contempt
+for dunning shopkeepers.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, it is, and I don&rsquo;t know what to do.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why don&rsquo;t you put an advertisement in the
+&lsquo;Commune&rsquo;? You have no idea how it will bring
+in work. And then hang out a shingle, too.
+People have got to learn to recognize you as a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span>
+wage-earning person before they come around
+and offer you things to do.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But what can I do? I don&rsquo;t know how to
+iron well enough to take in laundry, like you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>A voice outside called:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Is this Miss Madeleine Petit&rsquo;s room?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come in. Can&rsquo;t you see the name on the
+door?&rdquo; answered Madeleine. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s only one
+Petit at Wellington and I&rsquo;m the lady.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Millicent Porter now entered.</p>
+
+<p>She looked smaller and more shriveled than
+ever in a beautiful mink coat and cap and a velvet
+dress of a rich shade of blue that breathed
+prosperity in every fold.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;This is the region where signs are out asking
+for work, isn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo; she asked in a pleasantly
+patronizing, unctious voice.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t ask for work. We announce that
+we do it and the work comes,&rdquo; replied Madeleine,
+eyeing the visitor with a kind of humorous pity.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Be that as it may,&rdquo; said Miss Porter, &ldquo;I have
+some work I want done and I&rsquo;m looking for a
+very competent and reliable person to do it.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Judith winced at the word &ldquo;reliable.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t a servants&rsquo; agency, you know, Miss
+Porter,&rdquo; answered the spunky Madeleine. &ldquo;Those
+words are generally used when one engages a
+cook or a housemaid. What is the work like?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to give an exhibition of my silver
+work at the George Washington Bazaar. I may
+sell some of it if I can get the price, and what I
+want is a skillful and re&mdash; or rather clever&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;
+Madeleine blinked both eyes rapidly at the substitution&mdash;&ldquo;person
+to help me get it in order.
+Most of it is awfully tarnished and it will need
+a good deal of polishing.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How much will you pay a skillful, clever person?&rdquo;
+demanded Madeleine, determined to drive
+a good bargain and shrewdly guessing the kind
+of person she had to deal with.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll pay ten dollars,&rdquo; answered Millicent glibly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What are the pieces like?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, there are chains, necklaces, platters and
+bowls, and a lot of ivory things I have picked
+up in Europe that must be carefully washed.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll do the work for fifteen dollars,&rdquo; announced
+Madeleine. &ldquo;No less.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judith could hardly preserve a grave countenance
+while this bargaining was going on between
+the rich Miss Porter and her funny little
+Southern friend.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s too much,&rdquo; declared Millicent.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Not at all. The work requires care and, as
+you say, reliability. It might be stolen, you
+know.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Madeleine snapped her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Very well, then,&rdquo; said Millicent in a resigned
+tone of voice. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great deal to pay, but I
+suppose I can&rsquo;t do any better. I hear you do
+everything well, Miss Petit.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Miss Blount will do this,&rdquo; answered Madeleine.
+&ldquo;If I do things well, she does them better.
+Now, where do you want them cleaned? Down
+here or up at your place?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, I would never let them out of my studio,&rdquo;
+cried Millicent. &ldquo;She must come there, where
+she can be under my eye.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; objected Judith, and paused at a
+glance from Madeleine.</p>
+
+<p>It would be a crushing blow to her pride for
+her to go back to her old rooms and rub tarnished
+silver for this perfectly insufferable Millicent
+Porter. Yet fifteen dollars loomed up as quite
+a considerable sum, and, with five dollars added,
+could be paid to the stationery man on account.</p>
+
+<p>Did Judith realize in her secret soul that the
+bitter dose she was now swallowing was only
+a dose of the same medicine she had once forced
+others to swallow?</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Very well, then,&rdquo; said Madeleine, &ldquo;we&rsquo;ll give
+you as much of Friday and Saturday as will be
+necessary. We&rsquo;ll take a lunch up on Friday so
+that we won&rsquo;t have to come back for supper&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She waited a moment, wondering if Millicent
+would not invite them to supper at the Beta Phi.
+Hospitality was so much a part of her upbringing
+that it was impossible to conceive it lacking
+in others.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I thought Miss Blount was to do the work.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She will. I shall work under her as assistant
+rubber.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>So, the bargain was clinched and Millicent departed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Disgusting little reptile!&rdquo; cried Judith when
+the sounds of her footsteps died away in the hall
+and the door banged behind her.</p>
+
+<p>Could Judith forget that she herself had once
+belonged to that overbearing class?</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t get all stirred up, Judith, it&rsquo;s bad for
+your digestion,&rdquo; ejaculated Madeleine. &ldquo;That
+girl is nothing but a mere ripple on the surface.
+She&rsquo;s ridiculous, but there&rsquo;s no harm in her. I
+am really sorry for her, because she doesn&rsquo;t belong
+anywhere. She could never make a friend,
+and she will never know what it is to be really
+liked. She thinks she&rsquo;s a genius because she&rsquo;s
+learned how to beat out a few tawdry silver
+chains, and as soon as she finishes one she locks
+it up in a box and takes it out about once a
+decade to look it over. Why, she&rsquo;s just a poor,
+starved, little creature without a spark of generosity<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span>
+in her soul. What does she know about
+living and happiness?</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You and I know how to live,&rdquo; Madeleine continued,
+flourishing her iron. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re in the procession.
+We&rsquo;re moving on, learning and progressing.
+We&rsquo;re going up all the time. I tell
+you the highest peak in the Himalayas is not
+higher than my ambitions. And I intend to take
+you with me, Judith, and when we get to the
+top we&rsquo;ll look back and see poor, little Millicent
+Porter, shriveled to nothing at the bottom!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judith gave a strange, hysterical laugh. Suddenly
+she flew across the room and embraced
+her friend.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You could make me do anything, Madeleine,&rdquo;
+she cried. &ldquo;Scale the Himalayas or cut a tunnel
+through them.&rdquo; Taking her friend&rsquo;s small,
+charming face between her two hands, she looked
+her in the eyes: &ldquo;Madeleine,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;did
+you know I used to be a blind girl? You have
+healed me. I am beginning to see things as they
+are.&rdquo;</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XIX.<br />
+
+<small>A WARNING.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>The girl who had been blind and could see
+and Madeleine of the unconquerable soul
+appeared in Millicent&rsquo;s sumptuous apartment
+promptly at three o&rsquo;clock on Friday afternoon.</p>
+
+<p>They carried with them a suitcase containing
+the implements of their labor, taken chiefly from
+Madeleine&rsquo;s rag bag: some old stockings; several
+wornout undervests and polishing cloths
+made from antiquated flannel petticoats; also a
+bottle of ammonia and two boxes of silver polish.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well, here we are,&rdquo; announced Madeleine,
+unconcernedly, when Millicent had opened her
+door to them. &ldquo;I hope you have the things out
+and ready. Our time is valuable.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Of no avail were Millicent&rsquo;s pompous and important
+airs. Madeleine insisted on treating her
+as a familiar and an equal.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I have put you in the den. You will be less
+disturbed and you can use the writing table to
+spread things on. Please be care&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Have you made an inventory?&rdquo; interrupted
+Madeleine.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No,&rdquo; faltered Millicent. Why was it that
+this poverty-stricken little person took all the
+wind out of her sails?</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Make it please at once in duplicate. Keep
+one yourself and give us the other.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; began Millicent.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, we will not touch a thing until the inventory
+is made. No &lsquo;competent, reliable&rsquo; person
+would think of doing work like this without
+an inventory. We&rsquo;ll wait in the other room until
+you have made it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>There was nothing to do but proceed with the
+inventory. It was plain that Madeleine knew
+the manner of person she was dealing with.</p>
+
+<p>While the two girls waited in the big sitting
+room, now a studio, Madeleine drew a book from
+her ulster pocket and began to study. The little
+Southerner was never idle one moment of her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span>
+waking day and the other seven hours she put
+in sleeping very soundly. Judith began to look
+about her.</p>
+
+<p>The room was little changed from the old days,
+except that it was even richer in aspect. There
+were some splendid old altar pieces on the walls
+and a piece of beautiful old rose brocade hung
+between the studio and the den. But, after all,
+what did it come to? Was anyone really fond
+of Millicent with all her wealth? Why, Judith,
+poor and forgotten, had made a friend. She felt
+small tenderness toward the rest of the world,
+but she loved Madeleine.</p>
+
+<p>Molly Brown came into the room at this stage
+in Judith&rsquo;s reflections.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Why, hello, girls!&rdquo; she exclaimed cordially,
+shaking hands with the silver-rubbers. &ldquo;Where
+is Millicent?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She is making an inventory of her valuables
+before we begin to clean them,&rdquo; replied Madeleine,
+smiling sweetly and blinking both eyes at
+once. &ldquo;We insisted, because it would have been
+unprofessional not to have had one.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The idea!&rdquo; said Molly. &ldquo;No, it wouldn&rsquo;t.
+Besides, you&rsquo;re not professionals.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, we are,&rdquo; insisted Madeleine. &ldquo;Everything
+we do for money is professional work.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, very well,&rdquo; laughed Molly, &ldquo;and I suppose
+you&rsquo;ll polish them up so carefullee that some
+day you&rsquo;ll be admirals in the Queen&rsquo;s Navee.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nothing less,&rdquo; said Madeleine. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my
+theory exactly.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, Molly,&rdquo; called the voice of Millicent from
+the den, &ldquo;please come and help me with this
+stupid thing. I can&rsquo;t seem to get it straight.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>And that was how Molly came to be admitted
+into Millicent&rsquo;s inner sanctum where she kept her
+most valued possessions under lock and key.</p>
+
+<p>The top of a heavy oak chest rested against
+the wall and inside was a perfect mine of silver
+articles, many of them Millicent&rsquo;s own work;
+there was also a quantity of small ivory figures
+collected by her in her travels.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll lift out the things and call their names
+and you can copy each one twice, like this: one
+silver necklace&mdash;grape-vine design.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Molly sat down and began to make the list.
+They were nearly finished when Rosomond
+Chase&rsquo;s voice was heard in the next room.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Millicent, please come out for a moment. I
+want to see you on business.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly, left alone, went on with the list, taking
+each article from the box and noting it carefully
+twice on the inventory.</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime Millicent and her friend were
+having a secret conference in the bedroom, while
+Madeleine and Judith silently waited in the
+studio. The two silver-rubbers were presently
+startled by the apparition of Molly standing in
+the doorway. She had the look of one fleeing
+before a storm, her face very pale and her eyes
+dilated with horror. She started to speak, but
+checked herself and closed the door behind her.
+Then, hurrying into the room, she said in a low,
+strained voice:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Madeleine, I would not advise you to do any
+work for Miss Porter.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The two girls exchanged a long look.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Do you really mean that?&rdquo; asked Madeleine.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I was never more in earnest in my life.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But, can&rsquo;t you explain?&rdquo; demanded Judith
+Blount.</p>
+
+<p>Molly shook her head and rushed from the
+room.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come on, Judith,&rdquo; said Madeleine, slipping
+on her ulster.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But, this is absurd!&rdquo; objected Judith again.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Child,&rdquo; exclaimed her friend, &ldquo;don&rsquo;t you
+know human nature well enough to understand
+that a girl like Molly Brown would never have
+given a piece of advice like that without knowing
+what she was talking about?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She&rsquo;s jealous because she would like to earn
+the money herself.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nonsense,&rdquo; said Madeleine. &ldquo;She is not that
+kind. You know perfectly well that she is the
+most generous-hearted, unselfish girl in Wellington.
+She wouldn&rsquo;t injure a fly if she could help
+herself, and I think we had better take her advice.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>But Judith was stubborn.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve come to do the work. Why go?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Having once committed herself to this menial
+labor, she wished to see it through. After all,
+whatever Molly had against Millicent Porter
+couldn&rsquo;t concern them, and in the end Madeleine
+reluctantly gave in.</p>
+
+<p>Presently Millicent and Rosomond came into
+the room.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What became of Molly Brown?&rdquo; demanded
+Millicent suspiciously.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She couldn&rsquo;t wait,&rdquo; answered Madeleine
+briefly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Was there anything the matter with her?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She seemed in perfectly good health as far as
+I know, but you had better hurry up with the
+inventory, Miss Porter. We are losing time.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Rosomond <a name="helped" id="helped"></a>helped Millicent with the remainder
+of the list, and by four o&rsquo;clock Madeleine
+and Judith were installed in the den hard
+at work. All afternoon and evening they toiled
+and the next morning they appeared soon after
+breakfast and started in again.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;This is easier than cracking rock, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span>
+pay is considerably better, but I am just as tired
+between the shoulders as a common laborer,&rdquo;
+Madeleine exclaimed, rubbing the last tray until
+she could see her own piquant little face reflected
+in its depths.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;As for me, I feel as if I had been drawn and
+quartered,&rdquo; complained Judith. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s worth
+more than fifteen dollars. We should have asked
+twenty.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I would have asked it, if I had thought she
+could have been induced to part with so much
+money, but I saw that fifteen was her limit.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judith laughed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re a regular little bargain driver,&rdquo; she
+said admiringly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, not always,&rdquo; answered Madeleine.
+&ldquo;Only when I meet another one.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well, I am glad we undertook it, and I am
+gladder still we have finished it,&rdquo; said Judith.</p>
+
+<p>They arranged the silver on half of the table,
+and the small army of carved ivory ornaments,
+for which Millicent seemed to have a passion, on
+the other half. Then, removing the loose gloves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span>
+which had protected their hands, they put on
+their things and marched into the next room
+with expectant faces. For the first time in all
+her life Judith had earned a sum of money, and
+the humblest wage-earner was not more anxious
+for his week&rsquo;s pay than she was.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Will you please inspect the work, Miss Porter,
+and give us our money? We are tired and
+want to go home,&rdquo; said Madeleine.</p>
+
+<p>Millicent was propped up against some velvet
+cushions in the window seat. There was an expression
+of nervous worry on her thin sallow
+face, and around her on the floor lay the scattered
+bits of a note she had read, re-read, and
+torn into little pieces.</p>
+
+<p>She was in a very bad humor, and her warped
+nature was groping for something on which to
+vent its accumulated spleen. She rose from the
+window seat, swept grandly into the next room
+and glanced at the tableful of silver and ivory.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It looks fairly well,&rdquo; she said; for Millicent
+was one of those persons who grudged even her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span>
+praise. &ldquo;What was the amount I promised to
+pay?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I dare say you haven&rsquo;t forgotten it so soon,&rdquo;
+answered the intrepid Madeleine. &ldquo;Fifteen dollars.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, was it so much? Will this evening do?
+I haven&rsquo;t that sum on hand just now. I&rsquo;ll have
+to go down to the bank.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;A check will do, then,&rdquo; said Madeleine, sitting
+down in one of the carved chairs.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I never pay with checks. I only pay cash. I
+would prefer to draw out the money and pay you
+this evening.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Nonsense,&rdquo; exclaimed Madeleine. &ldquo;Besides,
+you know very well that the bank closes on Saturdays
+at noon, and it&rsquo;s now nearly four o&rsquo;clock.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;So it does. Then you will have to wait until
+Monday.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We won&rsquo;t wait until Monday,&rdquo; ejaculated
+Madeleine. &ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t been rubbing silver
+for our health. You&rsquo;d better look around in
+your top drawer and see if you can&rsquo;t scrape fifteen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span>
+dollars together, because I tell you plainly
+if you don&rsquo;t you&rsquo;ll regret it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How regret it?&rdquo; asked the other suspiciously.
+&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not obliged to pay it until Monday, and I
+won&rsquo;t,&rdquo; she added stubbornly.</p>
+
+<p>It was growing late. The girls were exhausted
+and hungry. They had eaten no lunch except
+crackers and cheese. At last Judith, utterly
+crushed with disappointment, drew Madeleine
+aside.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Suppose we leave her,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t
+stand it any longer.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Without another word they took their departure,
+<a name="leaving" id="leaving"></a>leaving Millicent still in the window seat
+looking pensively out on the campus. They were
+hardly outside before she sprang to the door and
+locked it. Then she hastened to the den and began
+to pack feverishly and with trembling nervous
+hands. Wrapping each article of silver in
+tissue paper, she placed it in the chest on a bed
+of raw cotton. When the table was entirely
+cleared, she closed and locked the chest and, addressing
+a tag, wired it to the handle.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Next she drew a trunk from the big closet
+and packed it with her best clothes. This done,
+she crept downstairs to the telephone and engaged
+Mr. Murphy to call that night for an express
+box and a trunk.</p>
+
+<p>The Beta Phi girls were all at a Saturday
+night dance at one of the other houses when Mr.
+Murphy called. Millicent explained to the matron
+that her rooms were too crowded and she
+was sending some of her things back to New
+York.</p>
+
+<p>As quietly as possible she drew her other two
+trunks from the closet, and by three in the morning
+the rooms were entirely dismantled and all
+drapery and pictures carefully packed away.
+These also she locked and tagged with the precision
+of one who intends to lose nothing, no
+matter what&rsquo;s to pay. One more task remained.
+This was performed in the privacy of the den
+behind closed doors. When it was done there
+stood on the table a square box addressed in artistic
+lettering to &ldquo;Miss M. Brown, No.&nbsp;5 Quadrangle.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Placing her watch on her pillow, Millicent
+now rested for several hours without sleeping.
+At last, at seven o&rsquo;clock, dressed for a journey,
+with suit case, umbrella and hand bag, she crept
+softly downstairs and plunged into the early
+morning mists.</p>
+
+<p>Not once did she glance back at the two gray
+towers as she hastened down to the station, and
+when the seven-thirty train for New York pulled
+in, she boarded it quickly and turned her face
+away from Wellington forever.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XX.<br />
+
+<small>THE PARABLE OF THE SUN AND WIND.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>If Molly had been carrying a stick of dynamite
+she could not have held it more gingerly
+than the square box she was taking to President
+Walker on Monday morning.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That was the reason I never liked her,&rdquo; she
+thought, mentioning no names even in her own
+mind. &ldquo;I wonder if it is true that she couldn&rsquo;t
+help it. It must be, when she was so rich. What
+could she want with Minerva&rsquo;s medals or Margaret&rsquo;s
+initialed ring? Both M&rsquo;s, though,&rdquo; she
+thought, half smiling.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, Miss Brown,&rdquo; cried a voice behind her,
+and Madeleine Petit came tearing across the
+campus as fast as her little feet could carry her.
+&ldquo;Is it true that Millicent Porter has run away
+from college?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m afraid it is,&rdquo; answered Molly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;She owed us fifteen dollars,&rdquo; cried Madeleine
+tragically. &ldquo;She promised to pay this morning,
+and I have just heard rumors that she has disappeared,
+bag and baggage.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You <em>did</em> do the work for her?&rdquo; asked Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Yes, really, against my will. I knew you
+would never advise without having something to
+advise about. But Judith was determined, and
+the only reason I gave in was because she had
+never done any work before, and I thought it
+would be good for her to make a start. She was
+so happy over earning the money. It was really
+wonderful to see how she brightened up. And
+when we couldn&rsquo;t get a cent out of Miss Porter
+on Saturday afternoon, poor old Judith was so
+disappointed that she cried. Think of that.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;What a shame,&rdquo; exclaimed Molly, appreciating
+Judith&rsquo;s feelings with entire sympathy. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m
+sure I should have cried if I had done all that
+hard work and then couldn&rsquo;t collect.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But what are we to do? Must we sit back
+quietly and let the rich trample the poor? Don&rsquo;t
+you think she is coming back?&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I think not,&rdquo; answered Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Did you find out something those few minutes
+you were in the den?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Molly nodded her head.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Is she&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The two girls exchanged frightened glances.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And her father a millionaire, too! Well, I
+never,&rdquo; cried Madeleine. &ldquo;I think I&rsquo;ll just drop
+him a letter,&rdquo; which she accordingly did that very
+day. But she never received an answer, and
+the debt still remains unpaid.</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime Molly was closeted with Miss
+Walker for ten minutes.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s strange,&rdquo; said the President. &ldquo;I just
+had a letter this morning from an old friend at
+the head of a private school warning me about
+this unfortunate girl who was a pupil there.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>But Molly was loath to discuss the matter,
+and still more loath to keep stolen property in
+her private possession. She placed the box on
+the President&rsquo;s desk and hastened away as soon
+as she politely could. That afternoon there appeared<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span>
+on the bulletin board the following unusual
+announcement:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>&ldquo;All those who have lost property during the
+winter may possibly be able to obtain it by applying
+to the Secretary of the President.&rdquo;</p></div>
+
+<p>That the thief had been apprehended at last
+was of course understood. Putting two and two
+together, the Wellington girls concluded that
+Millicent Porter must have had some important
+reason for fleeing early in the morning without
+explanations, leaving two trunks and a debt of
+honor behind her. The trunks were afterwards
+expressed, according to directions left in her
+room.</p>
+
+<p>But, for the honor of Wellington, open conversation
+on the subject was not encouraged, and
+most of the talk was in whispers behind closed
+doors.</p>
+
+<p>A crowd of the girls from the Quadrangle,
+where most of the pilfering had been carried on,
+went together to claim their property on Monday
+evening. Those who had lost money returned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span>
+disappointed. The box of restored goods
+contained none whatever. But the other articles
+were duly claimed and distributed, with the exception
+of one.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Does any one know to whom this belongs?&rdquo;
+asked the secretary, placing a photograph in a
+beautiful silver frame on the top of the desk.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It must be yours, Nance,&rdquo; announced Edith
+Williams, with a teasing smile.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It is not,&rdquo; said Nance emphatically.</p>
+
+<p>The other girls, now gathered around the picture,
+began to laugh.</p>
+
+<p>Undoubtedly the small lanky boy in kilts in
+the photograph was Andy McLean.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Perhaps it is Mrs. McLean&rsquo;s,&rdquo; suggested
+some one.</p>
+
+<p>Margaret, examining the frame with the eye
+of an experienced detective, remarked in her
+usual authoritative tone:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The design on the frame is Japanese.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Otoyo,&rdquo; cried Judy, and the little Japanese,
+lingering near the door, crept timidly up and
+claimed the picture. Her face was a deep scarlet,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span>
+as, with drooping head, she rushed from the
+room.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Bless the child&rsquo;s heart, who&rsquo;d have thought
+she had a boy&rsquo;s picture,&rdquo; laughed Katherine
+Williams.</p>
+
+<p>That very night Otoyo returned the photograph
+to Mrs. McLean, and with many tears
+confessed that she had removed it from the
+drawer without so much as asking permission.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My sweet lass,&rdquo; exclaimed the doctor&rsquo;s wife,
+kissing her, &ldquo;you shall have a good picture of
+Andy if you like, taken just lately. I am only
+too happy that you admire his picture enough
+to put it in that beautiful frame. I&rsquo;m sure I
+think he&rsquo;s a braw lad, the handsomest in three
+kingdoms; but I am his mother, you know, and
+not accountable.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Together the two women fitted the latest
+photograph of the callow youth into the frame.
+Otoyo presently bore it triumphantly back to
+her room and placed it on the mantel shelf
+where all the world could see it. That night she
+slept with an easy conscience and a thankful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span>
+heart. Her one dishonest deed was wiped out
+forever.</p>
+
+<p>The untangling of one snarl in the skein of
+affairs generally leads to the untangling of many
+others. So it happened that Molly and Judy, by
+the turn which events had taken, were able to
+clear up a mystery that had puzzled them for
+months.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I feel, Judy,&rdquo; remarked Molly, one day, &ldquo;that
+we ought to do something nice for Minerva Higgins,
+because of&mdash;you know what. We mentioned
+no names and never breathed it even to
+each other except vaguely Christmas day, you
+remember. But we did suspect her, and thinking
+is just as bad as talking when you think a
+thing like that, so cruel and horrible.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy nodded her head thoughtfully.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But she will never know we are making reparation,
+Molly,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It will have to be
+purely for our own private satisfaction.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Of course,&rdquo; replied Molly. &ldquo;That is what I
+meant. We did her a wrong in our minds, and
+in our minds we must undo it.&rdquo;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And how, pray?&rdquo; demanded Judy.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well, let me see. Couldn&rsquo;t we ask her here
+some night with just the three of us, and make
+her fudge and be awfully sweet and interested?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I suppose we could, if we made a superhuman
+mental and physical effort,&rdquo; answered Judy
+lazily. &ldquo;And it would take both. Why not let
+well enough alone?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But it isn&rsquo;t &lsquo;well enough,&rsquo; Judy, and we&rsquo;ve
+had an ugly thought about her for weeks.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Do you call those practical jokes she played
+on us last autumn pretty?&rdquo; demanded Judy, who
+had no liking for Minerva.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No, but she has learned better now. Anyhow,
+Judy, I want to try an experiment. Do
+you remember the allegory of the sun and the
+wind and the man wrapped in his cloak? The
+wind made a wager with the sun that he could
+make the man take off his cloak, and he blew
+and blew with all his might, and the more he
+blew the closer the man wrapped his coat about
+him. Then the wind gave up and the sun came
+out and tried his method of just shining very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span>
+brightly and cheerfully, and presently the man
+was so hot he took off his coat.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy laughed.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Meaning, I suppose, that we have been trying
+the human gale method instead of the merry
+little sunshine way. All right, Molly, dearest,
+bring on your Minerva and I&rsquo;ll be as gentle as
+a May morning. But don&rsquo;t let the Gemini come,
+because we could never carry it through if they
+were present.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>It was agreed that the three friends, Molly,
+Nance and Judy, should entertain the vain little
+freshman at an exclusive party all to themselves.
+Other persons were advised to keep away.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Hands off,&rdquo; exclaimed Judy. &ldquo;Stay away
+from our premises this evening, ladies, because
+we are going to try an experiment with explosives,
+and it might be dangerous.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>It was unfortunate that, on the very evening
+that Minerva Higgins had arranged to go to
+the three friends, somebody played a practical
+joke on her and she was in an extremely bad
+humor. Although she had regained her two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span>
+medals, she was always losing things and crying
+her losses up and down the corridor. She usually
+found the articles mislaid in her own room,
+but she had a suspicious nature and was generally
+on the lookout for thefts. That afternoon
+she had rushed into the corridor crying:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;My water pitcher has been stolen from me.
+I will not have people going into my room and
+taking my things.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;As if anybody wanted her old water pitcher,&rdquo;
+remarked Margaret, in a tone of disgust.</p>
+
+<p>Edith Williams smiled mysteriously.</p>
+
+<p>Presently Minerva and the matron, much
+bored, passed the door.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Come on, let&rsquo;s go and see the fun,&rdquo; suggested
+Edith.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How do you know there will be any fun?&rdquo;
+demanded Margaret.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s likely to be.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>They strolled slowly up the corridor, and as
+they passed the door the matron was saying:</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Really, Miss Higgins, I must request you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span>
+not to raise any more false alarms like this.
+There is your water pitcher.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>She pointed to the chandelier where the
+pitcher had been hoisted on a piece of cord. A
+good many other girls had gathered about Minerva&rsquo;s
+door, and a ripple of laughter swept along
+the hall.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Edith, did you play that joke?&rdquo; asked Margaret
+later.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Judy was a party to it, and Katherine and
+several others,&rdquo; answered Edith evasively. &ldquo;We
+thought it high time to put an end to burglar
+alarms. Minerva Higgins has come to be a public
+nuisance.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Margaret smiled. Her dignity would never
+allow her to enter into what she called &ldquo;rowdy
+jokes.&rdquo; However, it did not mar her enjoyment
+of the story about them afterward.</p>
+
+<p>But it was an angry, sullen Minerva who presented
+herself at the door of No.&nbsp;5, Quadrangle,
+that evening at eight o&rsquo;clock. She had left off
+her medals and she had not worn the indigo blue.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span>
+Judy was relieved at this, but Molly and Nance
+considered it a bad sign.</p>
+
+<p>The first half-hour of the reparation party
+dragged slowly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve piped for Minerva and she will not
+dance; we&rsquo;ve mourned for her and she will not
+mourn. It&rsquo;s a hopeless case,&rdquo; Judy remarked
+in an aside to Nance.</p>
+
+<p>But Molly had formed a resolution and she
+was determined to carry it through.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Behind that Chinese wall of vanity, Minerva
+has a little soul hidden somewhere and I&rsquo;m going
+to reach it to-night if I have to blast with
+dynamite,&rdquo; she thought.</p>
+
+<p>Nance was stirring fudge on the chafing dish
+and Judy was occupying herself strumming
+chords on the piano. Molly led Minerva to the
+divan and sat down beside her.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Are you glad you came to college, Minerva?&rdquo;
+she asked, wondering what in the world to talk
+about.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;No,&rdquo; answered the other emphatically. &ldquo;I
+detest college. Except that the studies are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span>
+higher, I think Mill Town High School is better
+run. I don&rsquo;t like college girls, either. They are
+all conceited snobs.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Perhaps you will like it better when you are
+a sophomore and have more liberty,&rdquo; suggested
+Molly. &ldquo;The first year one can&rsquo;t look forward
+to much pleasure. But a freshman is always under
+inspection, you see. If she accepts the situation
+without complaining and is nice and obliging
+and modest, it&rsquo;s like so much treasure laid
+by for her the next year when she finds how
+popular she is with the other girls.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not like that in Mill Town. A freshman
+is just as good as anybody else,&rdquo; snapped
+Minerva.</p>
+
+<p>Judy, overhearing this statement, blinked at
+Nance, who smiled furtively and went on stirring
+fudge.</p>
+
+<p>Molly still persisted with the patience of one
+who looks for certain success.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The most interesting part of being a freshman,&rdquo;
+she continued, &ldquo;is that a girl begins to find<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span>
+out about herself, and by the time she&rsquo;s a sophomore
+she knows what she really wants.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, but I knew perfectly well what I wanted
+before I came,&rdquo; interrupted Minerva in a lofty
+tone, &ldquo;I want to study the dead languages.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But there is something you want more than
+that,&rdquo; broke in Molly. &ldquo;You want to be
+popular.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Minerva gave her a suspicious glance, but
+Molly was beaming kindly upon her with all the
+warmth of her affectionate nature.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;How do you know that?&rdquo; she demanded in
+a somewhat softened tone.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It was not hard to guess. You said you were
+disappointed with the girls here because they
+seemed to be snobs. Now if you hadn&rsquo;t minded
+it very much, you never would have mentioned
+it. Don&rsquo;t you think the girls are just a little
+afraid of you? You see, they had heard you
+were the brightest girl in your school and when
+they saw all the medals and you talked to them
+on such deep subjects, they were scared off. They
+thought, perhaps, you wouldn&rsquo;t care for them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span>
+because they didn&rsquo;t know enough. After all, people&rsquo;s
+feeling toward you is just a reflection of
+what you feel toward them. If you are interested
+and admire and love them, they are pretty
+sure to feel the same toward you. You see, I
+know you can be just as nice and human and
+everyday as the rest of us&mdash;&rdquo; Molly laid her hand
+on Minerva&rsquo;s&mdash;&ldquo;but the others haven&rsquo;t had a
+chance yet to find out.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Minerva&rsquo;s stiff figure relaxed a little and she
+leaned against Molly confidingly.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I do want to be liked,&rdquo; she whispered. &ldquo;All
+my life I&rsquo;ve wanted it more than anything in
+the world. But even at Mill Town the girls were
+afraid of me, just as you say they are here. I
+might as well own up, as you have guessed it
+already.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But it&rsquo;s only a question of time now before
+you make lots of friends,&rdquo; said Molly, &ldquo;You are
+so clever that you&rsquo;ll find out how to make them
+like you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But how?&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Well,&rdquo; said Molly, &ldquo;I think people who are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span>
+sympathetic and who listen more than they talk
+generally have a good many friends. I&rsquo;m afraid
+I&rsquo;ve talked more than I listened this evening,&rdquo;
+she added, pinching Minerva&rsquo;s cheek.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;But you&rsquo;ve talked about me,&rdquo; answered
+Minerva. Suddenly her face turned very red
+and her eyes filled with tears. &ldquo;I shall not wear
+the medals any more,&rdquo; she whispered unsteadily.
+&ldquo;And&mdash;there is something I want to confess.
+I&mdash;I waited for you that night you were on the
+lake, and I sent an unsigned note to Miss Walker
+the next day to get even with you because you
+wouldn&rsquo;t let me go walking with you.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Judy, at the piano, was singing a vociferous
+medley, and Nance was joining in.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s all right,&rdquo; whispered Molly. &ldquo;It was
+much better for her to know because we would
+have been misrepresented always unless someone
+had told her, and we couldn&rsquo;t exactly tell her
+ourselves. But I think it&rsquo;s awfully nice of you
+to confess, Minerva. Now, we shall be better
+friends than ever.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The two girls kissed each other. The cloak<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span>
+of vanity had slipped off and the smartest-girl-in-Mill-Town-High-School
+became her real natural
+self.</p>
+
+<p>Until a quarter before ten the four girls
+laughed and talked pleasantly together, while the
+convivial fudge plate was passed from one to
+the other. But never once did Mill Town High
+School or comparative philology come into the
+conversation.</p>
+
+<p>When at last the evening was at an end and
+Minerva had departed, Nance and Judy led Molly
+gravely to the divan.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Now, tell us how you did it,&rdquo; they demanded
+in one voice.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I only told her the truth,&rdquo; answered Molly,
+&ldquo;but I didn&rsquo;t put it so that it would hurt her. I
+said the reason why the girls were stand-offish
+was because they were afraid of her learning
+and her gold medals.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Marvelous, brilliant creature!&rdquo; cried Judy,
+embracing her friend, while Nance laid a cheek
+against Molly&rsquo;s.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;You are a perfect darling, Molly,&rdquo; she said.</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XXI.<br />
+
+<small>THE JUNIOR GAMBOL.</small></h2>
+
+
+<div class="centered"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0a">&ldquo;Hail, Wellington, beloved home!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hail, spot forever dear!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">We greet thy towers and cloisters gray,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thy meadows fresh in spring array;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">We greet thee, Wellington, to-day;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thy hills and dales; thy valleys green;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thy wood and lake&mdash;tranquil, serene;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">We greet thee far and near.&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>Molly and Judy were responsible for the words
+of these stirring lines, which with three other
+verses were sung by the junior class to the air
+of &ldquo;Beulah Land,&rdquo; the music having been
+adapted to the words rather than the words to
+the music.</p>
+
+<p>The entire junior class, a long, slender line
+of swaying white stretched across the campus,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span>
+lifted its voice in praise of Wellington that May
+Day morning at the Junior Gambol. In the center
+waved the class flag of primrose and lavender.
+In the background was the gray pile of
+Wellington and in the front stretched the level
+close-cut lawn of the campus, fringed by the
+crowd of spectators. It was an impressive sight
+and when the fresh young voices united in the
+class song of &ldquo;Hail, Wellington!&rdquo;, Miss Walker
+was moved to tears.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The dear children!&rdquo; she exclaimed to Professor
+Green at her side, &ldquo;really I feel all choked
+up over their devotion.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Winding in and out in an intricate march, the
+class moved slowly across the campus until it
+reached the sophomores grouped together in one
+spot. Here they paused while the President of
+the juniors made a speech and presented the
+President of the sophomores with a small spade
+wreathed in smilax, a symbol of learning, or
+rather of the delving for learning which that
+class had in prospect in another year. Next the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[291]</a></span>
+juniors approached the seniors and sang one of
+the Wellington songs, &ldquo;Seniors, Farewell.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then the line broke up and moved to the center
+of the campus, where stood a May pole. An
+orchestra, stationed under one of the trees, began
+playing an old English country dance, and
+the juniors seized the streamers and tripped in
+and out with the graceful dignity suitable to their
+new, uplifted position of seniors about-to-be.</p>
+
+<p>Not one of the Wellington festivals could so
+stir her daughters of the present or the past,
+now grouped on the edge of the campus, as this
+Junior May-Day Gambol.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Perhaps it is so sad because it is so beautiful,&rdquo;
+Miss Pomeroy observed to Miss Bowles,
+teacher in Higher Mathematics, wiping her eyes
+furtively. But Miss Bowles, not being an ex-daughter
+of Wellington, and having a taste for
+more prosaic and practical pleasures, regarded
+the scene with only a polite and tolerant interest.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Who is to be the May Queen?&rdquo; asked Mrs.
+McLean, standing in the same group with Miss
+Walker and Professor Green.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[292]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>As each succeeding year brought around the
+Junior Gambol the good woman hastened to view
+it with undiminished interest.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It would be difficult to say,&rdquo; answered Miss
+Walker. &ldquo;In a class of such unusual individuality
+it will be very hard to select one who deserves
+it more than another.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a question of popularity more than intelligence,&rdquo;
+observed the Professor. &ldquo;I think I
+might hazard a guess,&rdquo; he added in a lower tone,
+but his voice was drowned in a burst of music.
+The juniors were singing an old English glee
+song, &ldquo;To the Cuckoo.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="centered"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0b">&ldquo;&lsquo;Hail, beauteous stranger of the grove,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thou messenger of spring,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Now heaven repairs thy rural seat<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And woods thy welcome ring.&rsquo;&rdquo;<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>Many guesses were hazarded regarding the
+junior May Queen, not only among the crowds
+of spectators, but in the class itself.</p>
+
+<p>The votes for the Queen were cast by secret
+ballot in charge of a committee of three. Wellington<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[293]</a></span>
+traditions required that the name of the
+chosen one should be kept in entire secrecy until
+the clock in the tower struck noon on May Day.
+Then the junior donkey was led forth garlanded
+with flowers. He had officiated on this occasion
+now for ten years. This was the great moment
+when the identity of the most popular girl in the
+junior class was established for all time, and it
+was an important moment, because the one selected
+was generally chosen as Class President
+the next year.</p>
+
+<p>And now, as the tower clock boomed twelve
+deep strokes, there was a stirring among the
+spectators and a craning of necks. Three juniors
+appeared at the end of the campus, leading
+the aged donkey, who flicked his tail and walked
+gingerly over the turf. He wore a garland of
+daffodils and lilacs and moved sedately along,
+mindful of the importance of his position.</p>
+
+<p>The three girls were Nance Oldham, Caroline
+Brinton and Edith Williams. One of them carried
+a wreath of narcissus and the other two
+held the ribbon reins of the donkey.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>According to the time-honored rule, they approached
+their classmates with grave, still faces.
+It was really a solemn moment and the juniors
+waiting in an unbroken line never moved nor
+smiled.</p>
+
+<p>The spectators held their breath and for a moment
+Wellington was so still that every human
+thing in it might have been turned to stone.</p>
+
+<p>Why was it so exciting, this choosing of the
+May Queen?</p>
+
+<p>No one could tell, and yet it was always the
+same. Even Miss Bowles felt a lump rise in
+her throat. Many of the alumnæ shamelessly
+wept, and Professor Green, watching the three
+white figures move slowly in front of the line of
+juniors, wondered if no one else could hear the
+pounding of his pulses.</p>
+
+<p>Presently the committee came to a stop. The
+Professor thrust his hands into his pockets and
+drew a deep breath.</p>
+
+<p>Nance stepped forward and placed the wreath
+on somebody&rsquo;s head. The spectators could see
+that she was quite tall and slender, and that she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span>
+shrank back with surprise and shyness as she was
+led forth and bidden to mount the donkey, which
+she did with perfect ease and grace, as one who
+has mounted horses all her life.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Who is it?&rdquo; cried a dozen voices. &ldquo;They look
+so much alike.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Scores of opera glasses and field glasses were
+raised.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s Molly Brown, of course,&rdquo; cried a girl.</p>
+
+<p>The Professor smiled happily.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Of course,&rdquo; he repeated, thrusting his hands
+deeper into his pockets.</p>
+
+<p>And now the ban of silence was lifted. The
+orchestra played; the audience cheered and the
+three classes gave their particular yells in turn,
+while the juniors, marching two by two, followed
+Molly Brown, riding the donkey, around the entire
+circuit of the campus.</p>
+
+<p>As for Molly Brown, she hung her head and
+blushed, looking neither to the right nor to the
+left.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;The sweet lass, she might be a bride, she is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[296]</a></span>
+so shy!&rdquo; ejaculated Mrs. McLean as the procession
+moved slowly by.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Hurrah for Miss Molly Brown of Kentucky!&rdquo;
+yelled a group of Exmoor students.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;&lsquo;Here&rsquo;s to Molly Brown, drink her down,&rsquo;&rdquo;
+sang the entire student body of Wellington.</p>
+
+<p>It was a thing that happened every year and
+there were those who had seen it thirty times
+or more, and still the spectacle was ever new.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I think I must be dreaming,&rdquo; Molly was saying
+to herself. &ldquo;Of course, I might have known
+Nance and Judy would have voted for me and
+perhaps one or two others,&mdash;but so many&mdash;and
+what have I done to deserve it? I have hardly
+seen anything of Caroline Brinton and her
+crowd. &lsquo;Oh Lord, make me thankful for these
+and all thy mercies,&rsquo;&rdquo; she added, repeating the
+family grace, which somehow seemed appropriate
+to this stirring moment.</p>
+
+<p>After the triumphal march, Molly with the
+class officers, flanked by the rest of the class, held
+an informal reception on the lawn. This was
+followed by the Junior Lunch, quite an elaborate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[297]</a></span>
+affair, served in the gymnasium, decorated for
+the occasion by the sophomores.</p>
+
+<p>Lawrence Upton was Molly&rsquo;s guest for the
+day. Many of the girls had asked Exmoor students,
+but Nance had been visited with a disappointment
+that was too amusing to be annoying.</p>
+
+<p>Otoyo Sen, on the sophomore committee for
+decorating the gymnasium, and therefore entitled
+to ask a guest, had not let the grass grow under
+her little feet one instant. The moment the committee
+had been selected, she sent off a formal,
+polite note to Andy McLean, 2nd, inviting him
+to be her guest.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Oh, Nance, that&rsquo;s one on you,&rdquo; cried Judy,
+when she heard this bit of news. &ldquo;You always
+thought Andy was so much your property that
+no one would ever think of treading on your preserves.
+It&rsquo;s just like Japan, creeping quietly in
+and taking possession.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I suppose Andy will be hurt because I didn&rsquo;t
+get there first,&rdquo; replied Nance, laughing good-naturedly.
+&ldquo;I suppose I shall have to ask Louis
+Allen, but I don&rsquo;t think it will do Andy any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[298]</a></span>
+harm to know there are other fishes in the sea.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I guess it won&rsquo;t,&rdquo; answered Judy. &ldquo;Nance
+is learning a thing or two,&rdquo; she added to herself.</p>
+
+<p>But all&rsquo;s fair in love and war, and there was
+no more charming figure on the campus that day
+than little Otoyo in a pink organdy and a large
+hat trimmed with pink roses. On her face was
+an expression of shy, discreet triumph as of one
+who has gained a victory by stratagem.</p>
+
+<p>The Junior Gambol came to an end at six that
+evening, and the tired students repaired to their
+rooms to rest and relax after eight hours of
+continuous entertaining. The eight friends of
+old Queen&rsquo;s days had gathered in No.&nbsp;5 of the
+Quadrangle, where refreshments were being
+handed around, chiefly lemonade and hickory-nut
+cake. Eight limp young women in dressing-gowns
+draped themselves about the divans and
+in the arm chairs to discuss the joys of the day.</p>
+
+<p>Molly, at the window, was reading something
+written on a card tied to the stem of an exceedingly
+large yellow apple. It was Professor Edwin
+Green&rsquo;s card, and the inscription thereon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[299]</a></span>
+read: &ldquo;The first of the three golden apples was
+won to-day. Congratulations and best wishes.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Untying the card, she slipped it into her portfolio.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Shall I divide it or eat it alone?&rdquo; she asked
+herself, and, without waiting for the second
+voice to answer, she seized Judy&rsquo;s silver knife
+and divided the apple into eight sections, which
+she passed around the company.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;Did this come from the Garden of Hesperides,
+Molly?&rdquo; asked Edith Williams, always ready
+with her classic allusions.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if it did,&rdquo; answered
+Molly, smiling mysteriously.</p>
+
+<p>There was much to talk about that evening.
+It was the moment for reminiscences and they
+reviewed the past year with all its excitements
+and pleasures. When Millicent Porter had departed
+from Wellington in dishonorable flight,
+her place in the Shakespeareans had been immediately
+filled, and Judy Kean was the girl selected;
+which goes to show that after a good
+deal of suffering and when the edge is taken<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[300]</a></span>
+off the appetite, we generally get what we once
+earnestly desired. Judy was not excited over
+the honor paid her, but she acquitted herself
+creditably in the beautiful performance of &ldquo;A
+Winter&rsquo;s Tale,&rdquo; which the society eventually produced.</p>
+
+<p>She sat on the floor now, leaning against
+Molly, whom, next to her father and mother,
+she loved best in all the world. Without realizing
+it herself, Judy&rsquo;s character had been wonderfully
+developed and strengthened by the events
+of that winter and she looked on the world with
+a new and broader vision.</p>
+
+<p>It was nearly bedtime; the night was warm
+and still and through the open windows came
+the sound of singing. The girls were silent for
+a while, too weary to make any more conversation.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And next year we&rsquo;ll be hoary old seniors,&rdquo;
+suddenly announced Judy, following up a train
+of thought.</p>
+
+<p>Several in the company sighed audibly. Already
+the thought of parting from each other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[301]</a></span>
+and from their beloved Wellington cast a shadow
+before it.</p>
+
+<p>But this sorrowful last year was to be filled
+with interest and happy times, as you will see
+who read the next volume of this series, entitled
+&ldquo;<span class="smcap">Molly Brown&rsquo;s Senior Days</span>.&rdquo;</p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="l1"/>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<div class="tnote">
+<p><b>Transcriber&rsquo;s note:</b></p>
+<p>Besides some minor printer&rsquo;s errors the following
+corrections have been made: on page 265 and 269 &ldquo;Madeleine&rdquo; has been
+changed to &ldquo;Millicent&rdquo; (<a href="#helped">helped Millicent with the remainder</a>) (<a href="#leaving">leaving
+Millicent still in the window seat</a>). Otherwise the original has been
+preserved, including inconsistent spelling and hyphenation. Additional:
+&ldquo;Rosomond Chase&rdquo; was called &ldquo;Rosamond&rdquo; in the first book of this series,
+&ldquo;Molly Brown&rsquo;s Freshman Year.&rdquo;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOLLY BROWN'S JUNIOR DAYS***</p>
+<p>******* This file should be named 36717-h.txt or 36717-h.zip *******</p>
+<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br />
+<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/6/7/1/36717">http://www.gutenberg.org/3/6/7/1/36717</a></p>
+<p>Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.</p>
+
+<p>Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Molly Brown's Junior Days, by Nell Speed,
+Illustrated by Charles L. Wrenn
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Molly Brown's Junior Days
+
+
+Author: Nell Speed
+
+
+
+Release Date: July 12, 2011  [eBook #36717]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOLLY BROWN'S JUNIOR DAYS***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan, eagkw,
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 36717-h.htm or 36717-h.zip:
+      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/36717/36717-h/36717-h.htm)
+      or
+      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/36717/36717-h.zip)
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: DID I FRIGHTEN YOU? I AM SORRY.--_Page 35._]
+
+
+MOLLY BROWN'S JUNIOR DAYS
+
+by
+
+NELL SPEED
+
+Author of "Molly Brown's Freshman Days," "Molly
+Brown's Sophomore Days," etc., etc.
+
+With Four Half-Tone Illustrations by Charles L. Wrenn
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+New York
+Hurst & Company
+Publishers
+
+Copyright, 1912,
+by
+Hurst & Company
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+  CHAPTER                                                     PAGE
+
+      I.  DAUGHTERS OF WELLINGTON                                5
+
+     II.  MINERVA HIGGINS                                       18
+
+    III.  IN THE CLOISTERS                                      32
+
+     IV.  A LITERARY EVENING                                    44
+
+      V.  VARIOUS HAPPENINGS                                    57
+
+     VI.  "THE BEST LAID SCHEMES"                               74
+
+    VII.  A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE                                  89
+
+   VIII.  COVERING THEIR TRACKS                                105
+
+     IX.  THE GRAVE DIGGERS                                    116
+
+      X.  A VISIT OF STATE                                     134
+
+     XI.  A SWOPPING PARTY AND A MOCK TRIAL                    147
+
+    XII.  ALARMS AND DISCOVERIES                               163
+
+   XIII.  "THE MOVING FINGER WRITES"                           175
+
+    XIV.  AN INVITATION AND AN APOLOGY                         187
+
+     XV.  A CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY THAT WAS NEVER TOLD          200
+
+    XVI.  MORE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS AND A COASTING PARTY OF TWO  212
+
+   XVII.  THE WAYFARERS                                        226
+
+  XVIII.  HEALING THE BLIND                                    246
+
+    XIX.  A WARNING                                            259
+
+     XX.  THE PARABLE OF THE SUN AND WIND                      272
+
+    XXI.  THE JUNIOR GAMBOL                                    289
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+  Did I frighten you? I am sorry                     _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                               PAGE
+  They set to work to dig a small grave for Judy's slipper      129
+
+  "And she's given me a pair of silk stockings," cried Molly    213
+
+  The next thing she knew she was buried deep in a snow drift,
+  and Judy was whizzing on alone                                224
+
+
+
+
+Molly Brown's Junior Days
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+DAUGHTERS OF WELLINGTON.
+
+
+No. 5 in the Quadrangle at Wellington College was in a condition of
+upheaval. Surprising things were happening there. The simultaneous
+arrival of six trunks, five express boxes and a piano had thrown the
+three orderly and not over-large rooms into a state of the wildest
+confusion.
+
+In the midst of this mountain of luggage and scattered boxes stood a
+small, lonely figure dressed in brown, gazing disconsolately about.
+
+"I feel as if I had been cast up by an earthquake with a lot of other
+miscellaneous things," she remarked hopelessly.
+
+It was Nance Oldham, back at college by an early train, and devoutly
+wishing she had waited for the four-ten when the others were expected.
+
+"This is too much to face alone," she continued. "If it had been at
+Queen's it never would have happened. Mrs. Markham wouldn't have allowed
+six trunks and a piano and five boxes to be piled into one room. And
+mine at the very bottom, too. If it wasn't a selfish act, I think I'd
+leave everything and go call on Mrs. McLean--but, no, that wouldn't do
+on the first day." Nance blushed. "But Andy's there to-day." She blushed
+again at this bold, outspoken thought. "I shall get the janitor to come
+up here and distribute these things," she added presently, with New
+England determination not even to peep at a picture of pleasure behind
+a granite wall of duty.
+
+The doors of No. 5 opened on a broad, high-ceiled corridor, the side
+walls of which were wainscoted halfway up with dark polished wood. On
+either side of this corridor ranged the apartments and single rooms of
+the Quadrangle, one row facing the campus, the other the courtyard. An
+occasional upholstered bench or high-backed chair stood between the
+frequent doors and gave a home-like touch to the long gallery. They had
+been the gift of a rich ex-graduate.
+
+Nance, closing the door of No. 5, paused and looked proudly down the
+polished vista of the hallway, which curved at the far end and continued
+its way on the other side of the Quadrangle.
+
+The sound of voices and laughter floated to her through the half open
+doors of the other rooms. With a smile of contentment, she sat down in
+one of the high-backed chairs.
+
+"Dear old Wellington," she said softly, "other girls love their homes,
+but I love you." Thus she apostrophized the classic shades of the
+university while her gaze lighted absently on a large laundry bag
+stuffed full standing just outside one of the doors. It was different
+from the usual Wellington laundry bag, being of a peculiar shape and of
+material covered with Japanese fans.
+
+"It's Otoyo's. Of course, she must have been here since Monday. I heard
+she had spent the summer down in the village."
+
+She hastened along the green path of carpet running down the middle of
+the corridor and paused at the room of the Japanese laundry bag.
+
+"Otoyo Sen," she called. "Why don't you come out and meet your friends?"
+
+The Japanese girl was seated on the floor gazing at a photograph. She
+rose quickly and flew to the door, thrusting the picture behind her.
+
+"Oh, I am so deeply happee to see you again, Mees Oldham," she
+exclaimed.
+
+"She has learned the use of adverbs," thought Nance, kissing Otoyo's
+round dark cheek.
+
+"You see I have been studying long time. I now speak the language with
+correctness. Do you not think so?" said Otoyo, apparently reading
+Nance's thoughts.
+
+"Perfectly," answered Nance. "But tell me the news. Is Queen's not to be
+rebuilt?"
+
+"No, no. Queen's is to remain flat on the ground. She will not be
+erected into another building."
+
+"And have you had a happy summer? Was it quite lonesome for you, poor
+child?"
+
+"No, no," protested Otoyo, still hiding the photograph behind her.
+"Those who remained at Wellington were most kind to little Japanese
+girl."
+
+"And who remained, Otoyo?"
+
+"Professor Green was here long time. I studied the English language
+under him. He is a great man. It is an honorable pleasure to learn from
+one so great."
+
+"He is, indeed. And who else? Any of the rest of the faculty?"
+
+"No, no. They had all departing gone."
+
+Nance smiled. There was still a relic of last year's English.
+
+"Mrs. McLean and her family remained at Wellington through the entire
+summer," went on Otoyo fluently.
+
+"And were they nice to you, Otoyo?"
+
+"Veree, exceedinglee."
+
+"Was Andy well?"
+
+"Quite, quite," replied the Japanese girl, backing off from Nance and
+slipping the photograph into a book.
+
+Not for many a day did Nance find out that it was a portrait of that
+youth himself, taken at the age of eight in Scotch kilties and a little
+black velvet hat with two streamers down the back.
+
+Suddenly Otoyo became very voluble. She changed the subject and talked
+in rapid, smooth English. Could she not see the new rooms of her
+friends? She understood everybody was coming down on the four-ten train.
+It would be very crowded. She had found a new laundress whom she could
+highly recommend.
+
+Nance looked at her curiously as they strolled back to the other rooms.
+Something was changed about the little Japanese girl. She seemed older
+and much less timid.
+
+It was Miss Sen who found the man to move the trunks, and who helped
+Nance unpack her things and lay them in half the chest of drawers; and
+it was Otoyo, also, who, with the skill of an artisan, removed all the
+nails from the express box tops so that they might be unpacked
+immediately by their owners. At lunch time she led Nance into the great
+dining hall of the Quadrangle where more than a hundred girls ate their
+meals three times a day. There was no attention she did not show to
+Nance, and all because her conscience was heavy within her on account of
+the one dishonorable act of her life. How could she know that among the
+scores of photographs taken of young Andy from his babyhood to his
+present age, Mrs. McLean would never miss one small, faded picture out
+of the pile thrust into a cabinet drawer?
+
+At last it came time to meet the four-ten, and Nance, looking spic and
+span in fresh white duck and white shoes and stockings, was rather
+surprised to find Otoyo also attired in a pretty white dress, her face
+shaded with a Leghorn hat trimmed with pink roses.
+
+"Why, Miss Sen," she exclaimed, "how did you learn so soon to dress
+yourself in this charming American style?"
+
+"At a garden party at Mrs. McLean's I learned a very many things," said
+Otoyo, "and by the purchasing agent I have obtained dresses of summer,
+of duckling, lining and musling; also this hat and two others very
+pretty."
+
+Nance laughed.
+
+"You mean duck, linen and muslin, child," she said.
+
+When the four-ten train to Wellington pulled into the station it seemed
+as if every student in the university must be crowded inside. They
+leaned from the windows and packed the doorways, overflowing onto the
+platforms.
+
+The air vibrated with high feminine shrieks of joy. Only the poor little
+freshies were silent in all this jubilation of reunions. Suddenly Nance,
+spying Molly Brown and Judy Kean, rushed to meet them, Otoyo following
+at her heels like a toy spaniel after a larger dog. There was a long
+triangular embrace.
+
+"Well, here we are, _and juniors_," was Judy's first comment. "Nance,
+you're looking fine as silk. No sign of travel on that snowy gown."
+
+"There oughtn't to be," said Nance. "I just put it on half an hour ago."
+
+"And look at our little Jap," cried Molly, hugging Otoyo. "Look at
+little Miss Sen, all dressed up in a beautiful linen."
+
+"Little Miss Sen has been learning a thing or two," said Nance. "She's
+been to parties, she's been studying English under a famous professor;
+she's been buying duckling, lining and musling dresses through a
+purchasing agent with very good taste, and she's got a photograph she
+looks at in private and hides away when any one comes into the room. Oh,
+you needn't think I didn't see you!"
+
+Otoyo blushed scarlet and hung her head.
+
+"Oh, thou crafty one," Judy was saying, when four of the old Queen's
+girls pounced on them with suit cases and satchels. "Why, here are the
+Gemini," Judy continued, embracing the Williams sisters. "Burned to a
+mahogany brown, too. Where did you get that tan? You look like a pair
+of--hum--Filipinos."
+
+"Don't be making invidious remarks, Judy," put in Katherine. "Learn to
+see the beautiful in all things, even complexions."
+
+In the meantime Margaret Wakefield, looking five years older than her
+real age because of her matured figure and self-possessed air, was
+shaking hands all around, making an appropriate remark with each
+greeting, like the politician she was; and Jessie Lynch was crying in
+heartbroken tones:
+
+"I left a box of candy and a bunch of violets and two new magazines on
+the train!"
+
+"Where's my little freshman?" Molly demanded of the other girls above
+the din and racket.
+
+"There she is," Judy pointed out. "But there is no hurry. Every bus is
+jammed full."
+
+The lonely freshman was standing pressed against the wall of the waiting
+room looking hopelessly on while the usual mob besieged Mr. Murphy,
+baggage master.
+
+"Why, the poor little thing," cried Molly, rushing to take the girl
+under her wing.
+
+"It's astonishing how one good deed starts another," thought Nance,
+looking about her for other stranded freshies; and both the Williamses
+were doing the same thing.
+
+There were several such lonely souls wandering about like lost spirits.
+They had been jostled and pushed this way and that in the crowd, and
+one little girl was on the point of shedding tears.
+
+"I can always tell a new girl by the wild light in her eye," observed
+Edith Williams, making for an unhappy looking young person who had given
+up in despair and was sitting on her suit case.
+
+At last they were all bundled into one of the larger buses from the
+livery stable. The older girls were thrilled with expectant joy while
+they watched eagerly for the first glimpse of the twin gray towers; the
+new girls, most of them, gazed sadly the other way, as if home lay
+behind them.
+
+"It isn't a case of 'abandon hope all ye who enter here,'" observed Judy
+to a dejected freshman who in five minutes had lost all interest in her
+college career. "Look at us blooming creatures and you'll see what it
+can do. There's no end to the fun of it and no end to the things you'll
+learn besides mere book knowledge."
+
+"I suppose so," said the girl, struggling to keep back her tears, "but
+it's a little lonesome at first."
+
+"Poor little souls," thought Molly, who had overheard with much pride
+Judy's eulogy of college, "how can we explain it to them? They'll just
+have to find it out themselves as we did before them."
+
+The truth is, our new juniors felt quite motherly and old.
+
+A hushed silence fell over the Queen's girls when the bus drove by the
+grass-grown plot where once had stood their college home.
+
+"If a dear friend had been buried there, we couldn't have felt more
+solemn," Molly wrote her sister that night.
+
+But the prestige felt in alighting finally at the great arched entrance
+to the Quadrangle drove away all sad thoughts, and when they hastened
+down the long polished corridor to their rooms, they could not quench
+the pride which rose in their breasts. It was the real thing at last.
+Queen's and O'Reilly's had been great fun, but this was college. They
+were the true daughters of Wellington now, and that night when the
+gates clicked together at ten, they would sleep for the first time
+behind her gray stone walls.
+
+At that moment the voices of a hundred-odd other daughters hummed
+through the halls, but it was all a part of the college atmosphere, as
+Judy said.
+
+Their bedrooms were not quite as large as the old Queen's rooms, but oh,
+the sitting room! They viewed it with pride. Each of the three had
+contributed something toward additional furniture. The piano was Judy's;
+the divan, Nance's; and the cushions, yet to be unpacked, Molly's. There
+was another contribution not made by any of the three. It was the
+beautiful Botticelli photograph left for Molly by Mary Stewart, who
+had gone to Europe for the winter.
+
+"How glad I am the walls are pale yellow and the woodwork white!"
+exclaimed Judy joyfully.
+
+"How glad I am there's plenty of room on these shelves for everybody's
+books," said Nance.
+
+"And how glad I am to be a junior and back at old Wellington," finished
+Molly, squeezing a hand of each friend.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+MINERVA HIGGINS.
+
+
+"There's only one thing worse than a faculty call-down and that's a Beta
+Phi freeze-out," remarked Judy Kean one Saturday afternoon a few weeks
+after the opening day of college.
+
+"Why do you bring up disagreeable subjects, Judy? Have you been getting
+a call-down?" asked Katherine Williams.
+
+"Not your old Aunty Judy," replied the other. "I'm far too wise for that
+after two years' experience, but I saw some one else get one of the most
+flattening, extinguishing, crushing call-downs ever received by an
+inmate of this asylum for young ladies. And they do tell me it was
+followed soon after by another one."
+
+"Do tell," exclaimed an interested chorus.
+
+"It was that fresh Miss Higgins from Ohio," continued Judy, with some
+enjoyment of the curiosity she was exciting. "You know she's always
+trying to attract the attention of the masses----"
+
+"We being the masses," interrupted Edith.
+
+"And stand in the limelight. She's bright, I hear, very bright, but she
+knows it."
+
+"I recognized her type almost immediately," said Katherine. "She's one
+of those brightest-girls-in-the-high-school-pride-of-the-town kind."
+
+"Exactly," answered Judy. "She has been regarded as a prodigy for so
+long that she doesn't understand the relative difference between a
+freshman and a senior. I honestly believe she thought everybody in
+Wellington knew all about her, and she wears as many gold medals on
+her chest as a field marshal on dress parade."
+
+"We saw the gold medals on Sunday," interposed Molly. "I think it's
+rather pathetic, myself. She is more to be pitied than scorned, because
+of course she doesn't know any better."
+
+"She'll have to live and learn, then," said Judy.
+
+"Get to the point of your story, Judy. Who extinguished her?" ejaculated
+Margaret Wakefield, impatient of such slipshod methods of narration.
+
+"How can I tell a tale when I'm interrupted by forty people at once?"
+exclaimed Judy. "Besides, I haven't the gift of language like you, old
+suffragette."
+
+Margaret laughed. She was entirely good-natured over the jibes of her
+friends about her passion for universal suffrage.
+
+"Well, the Beta Phi crowd of seniors," went on Judy, "were walking
+across the campus in a row. I don't suppose Miss Higgins had any way to
+know this soon in the game that they represented the triple extract of
+concentrated exclusiveness at Wellington. Anyhow, she knows it now. She
+came rushing up behind them and gave Rosomond a light, friendly slap on
+the back. If you could have seen Rosomond's face! But Miss Higgins was
+entirely dense. She began something about 'Hello, girls, have you heard
+the news about Prexy----' but she never got any further. Rosomond gave
+her the most freezing look I ever saw from a human eye."
+
+"What did she say?"
+
+"That was it. She never said anything. Nobody said anything. Eloise
+Blair carries tortoise-shell lorgnettes----"
+
+"She doesn't need them," broke in Nance.
+
+"She only does it to make herself more haughty."
+
+"Anyway, Eloise raised the lorgnettes."
+
+"Poor Miss Higgins," cried Molly.
+
+"There was perfect silence for about a minute. Then they all walked on,
+leaving little Higgins standing alone in the middle of the campus."
+
+"And where were you?" asked Margaret.
+
+"Oh, I was with the seniors," answered Judy, flushing slightly. "I had
+been over to Beta Phi to see Rosomond about something."
+
+It was impossible for Judy's friends not to make an amiable unspoken
+guess as to why she had visited the Beta Phi circle. It had been evident
+for some time that she was working to get into the "Shakespeareans," the
+most exclusive dramatic club in college. There was an awkward silence as
+this thought flashed through their minds. Molly felt embarrassed for her
+chum. After all, she was no worse than Margaret Wakefield, who had
+managed to get herself elected three years in succession as president
+of her class.
+
+"What was the other extinguisher Miss Higgins had, Judy?" asked Molly.
+
+"Oh, yes. That was even worse. It came from your particular friend,
+Professor Green. She interrupted him in the middle of a lecture with one
+of those unnecessary questions new girls ask to show how much they know.
+And then she said something about methods at Mill Town High School."
+
+"Really?" chorused the voices. "And what did he say?"
+
+"He looked very much bored and replied that they were not interested in
+Mill Town High School, and he would be obliged if she would pay
+attention to the lecture. It was a public rebuke, nothing more nor
+less."
+
+"The mean thing," exclaimed Molly.
+
+"Now, Molly," interposed Margaret, "you know very well that girls of
+that type ought to be taken down. They are never tolerated at college. A
+conceited boy at college is always thoroughly hazed until there's not a
+drop of conceit left, and it does him good. And since we can't haze, we
+simply have to extinguish a fresh freshie. Miss Higgins may develop into
+a very nice girl in a year or two, but at present she's the veriest
+little upstart----"
+
+"Do be careful," said Molly cautiously. "I've invited her this afternoon
+to drink tea----"
+
+"Molly Brown," they cried, pummeling her with sofa cushions and beating
+her with her own slippers.
+
+"Really, Molly, you must restrain your inviting habits," said Judy.
+
+"I'm sorry," apologized poor Molly.
+
+"Why did you do it, pray? You know perfectly well no one here wants
+her."
+
+"I know it, but I was sorry for her. She seemed so brash and lonesome at
+the same time. I thought it might help her some to mingle with a few
+fine, intelligent, well-bred girls like you----"
+
+"Here, here! Don't try to get out of it that way."
+
+"She appears to be very learned," continued Molly, turning her blue eyes
+innocently from one to the other. "I thought it would be nice to pit her
+against Margaret and Edith. She discusses deep subjects and uses big
+words I can only dimly guess the meaning of----" There was a tap at the
+door. "Now, be nice, please."
+
+"Come in," called Nance, in a tone of authority, and Minerva Higgins
+appeared in their midst.
+
+She had done honor to the occasion by putting on a taffeta silk of
+indigo blue, and by pinning on some of her most conspicuous gold medals
+acquired at intervals during her early education.
+
+Judy shook her head over the indigo blue.
+
+"Only certain minds could wear it," she thought.
+
+Molly rose, but before she could frame a cordial greeting, the new guest
+was saying:
+
+"How do you do, Molly? Awfully nice of you to ask me. You don't mind my
+calling you by your first name, do you? My name is Minerva but the
+girls at Mill Town High School called me 'Minnie.' I hope you'll do the
+same."
+
+"I shall be glad to," answered Molly, rather taken back by this sudden
+intimacy.
+
+After she had performed all necessary introductions, wicked Katherine
+Williams remarked:
+
+"Minnie is a very charming name, but I insist on calling you 'Minerva'
+after the Goddess of Wisdom. She never wore gold medals, but then it
+wasn't the fashion among the early Greeks."
+
+Minerva's face was the picture of complacency.
+
+"In Greece she would have been 'Athene,'" she observed.
+
+There was a loud clearing of throats and Judy, as usual, was seized with
+a violent fit of coughing.
+
+"Sit down here, Miss Higgins--I mean Minnie," said Molly hastily. "The
+tea will be ready in a minute."
+
+"You have been to college before, Minerva?" asked Edith Williams
+solemnly.
+
+Minerva looked somewhat surprised.
+
+"Oh, no. Not college. I am just out of High School. Mill Town High
+School is a very wonderful educational institution, you know. Perhaps
+you have heard of it. A diploma from there will admit a girl into any of
+the best colleges in the country. I could have gone to a private school.
+My father is professor of Greek at the Academy in Mill Town, but I
+preferred to take advantage of the high standards of the High School,
+which are even higher than those of the Academy."
+
+"I suppose your father's taste in Greek caused him to name you Minerva,"
+observed Judy.
+
+"But Minerva isn't Greek, Julia," admonished Katherine.
+
+Again Molly interceded. It was cruel to make fun of the poor girl,
+although there was no denying that Minerva had a high opinion of
+herself.
+
+"Have a sandwich," she said soothingly.
+
+There was a long interval of silence while Minerva crunched her
+sandwich.
+
+"Your life at Mill Town High School must have been one grand triumphal
+progress, judging from your medals, Miss Higgins," said Edith Williams
+finally.
+
+Minerva glanced proudly down at the awards of merit.
+
+"There are a good many of them," she observed, with a smile that was
+almost more than they could stand. "And there are more of them still.
+I've won one or two medals each year ever since I started to school. But
+I don't like to wear them all at once."
+
+"That's very modest of you."
+
+"Are you going to specialize on any subjects, Miss Higgins?" asked
+Margaret Wakefield, really meaning to be kind and lead the girl away
+from topics which made her appear ridiculous.
+
+"Biology, I think. But I am interested in Comparative Philology, too,
+and after I skim through a little Greek and Latin, I intend to take up
+some of the ancient languages, Sanskrit and Hebrew."
+
+Was it possible that Minerva was making game of them? They regarded her
+suspiciously, but she seemed sublimely unconscious.
+
+"Why not study also the ancient tongue of the Basques?" asked Edith,
+quite gravely.
+
+"That would be interesting," replied Minerva, "but I want to get through
+this little college course first."
+
+Molly batted her heavenly eyes and suddenly burst out laughing.
+
+"Excuse me," she said. "I didn't mean to be rude, but the course at
+Wellington doesn't seem so small to us. We have to study all the time
+and then just barely pull through. I've almost flunked twice in
+mathematics. I wish I could call it a little course."
+
+"Ah, well, we are not all Minervas," observed Margaret. "Some of us are
+just ordinary school girls learning the rudiments of education. We have
+not had the advantages of Mill Town High School, and if any of us have
+won gold medals we never show them."
+
+This measured rebuff, however, had no more effect on Minerva's
+impervious vanity than a cup of water dashed against a granite boulder.
+She was already up, wandering about the room, boldly examining the
+girls' belongings, ostentatiously reading the titles of books aloud.
+
+"Plays by Moliere. Oh, yes, I read them in the original two years ago.
+They're easy. 'Green's Short History of the English People,' very
+interesting book. 'The Broad Highway.' I never read fiction. Only
+biography and history----"
+
+Edith Williams, stretched at her ease on the divan, gave an inaudible
+groan and turned her face to the wall.
+
+Molly glanced helplessly about her.
+
+"'The Primavera,' that's by Botticelli," went on the girl, infatuated by
+her own intelligence. "Good artist, but I don't care for the old masters
+as a general thing. They are always out of drawing."
+
+Katherine rolled her eyes up into her head until only the whites could
+be seen, which gave her the horrible aspect of a corpse.
+
+There was a long and eloquent silence. Presently Minerva took her
+departure, and Molly, hospitable to the last gasp, saw her to the door
+and invited her to come again.
+
+With the door safely locked and Minerva out of earshot, there was a
+general collapse. Nobody laughed, but the room was filled with painful
+sounds, moans and groans. Judy pretended to faint on top of Edith, and
+Molly sat in a remote corner of the room.
+
+Somehow, they felt beaten, vanquished.
+
+"I am sore all over with repressed emotions," cried Judy. "I couldn't
+stand another seance like that."
+
+"Does she know as much as she claims?" asked Nance.
+
+"Of course not," exclaimed Margaret irritably. "If she really knew she
+wouldn't claim anything. It's only ignorant people who boast of
+knowledge. I suppose she has been looked up to for so long that she
+regards herself as a fountain of wisdom."
+
+"She must be taken down," said Edith firmly. "This mustn't be allowed to
+go on at Wellington."
+
+"But hazing isn't allowed," put in Molly.
+
+"Not by hazing, goosie. By some homely little practical joke that will
+show herself to herself as others see her."
+
+"All right," consented Molly. She felt indeed that something should be
+done to save poor Minerva Higgins from eternal ridicule.
+
+"If anybody has suggestions to make," here announced Margaret Wakefield,
+self-constituted chairman of all committees, impromptu or otherwise,
+"they may be stated in writing or announced by word of mouth to-morrow
+night in our rooms at a fudge party."
+
+"Accepted," they cried in one breath.
+
+In the meantime, Minerva Higgins was writing home to her mother that she
+had been, if not the guest of honor, almost that, at a junior tea, and
+had found the girls rather interesting though poor talkers. In fact, it
+was necessary to do almost all the talking herself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+IN THE CLOISTERS.
+
+
+Life in the Quadrangle hummed busily on. The girls found themselves in
+the very heart of college affairs. As a matter of fact the old Queen's
+circle had been somewhat restricted, having narrowed down to less than a
+dozen; whereas now, they associated with many times that number and were
+invited to a bewildering succession of teas and fudge parties.
+
+Also they were nearer to the library, the gymnasium, the classrooms and
+the cloisters. Here, during the warm, hazy days of Indian summer Molly
+loved to walk. It was not such a popular place as she had imagined with
+the Quadrangle girls, and often she was quite alone in the arcade,
+bordered now with hydrangeas turning a delicate pink under the autumn
+suns.
+
+One afternoon, a few days after Margaret's fudge party to discuss the
+question of Minerva Higgins, Molly sought a few quiet moments in the
+cloistered walk. It was a half hour before closing-up time, but she
+would not miss the six strokes of the tower clock again, as she had on
+her first day at college two years before.
+
+She usually confined her walks to the far side of the arcade, keeping
+well away from the side of the cloisters on which the studies of some of
+the faculty opened. That afternoon she carried her volume of Rossetti
+with her, and pacing slowly up and down, she read in a low musical voice
+to herself:
+
+    "'The blessed damozel leaned out
+      From the gold bar of Heaven;
+      Her eyes were deeper than the depth
+      Of waters stilled at even;
+      She had three lilies in her hand,
+      And the stars in her hair were seven.'"
+
+Waves of rhythm ran through Molly's head, and when she reached the end
+of the walk she turned mechanically and went the other way without
+pausing in her reading.
+
+Many girls studied in this way in the cloisters and it was not an
+unusual sight, but Molly made a picture not soon to be forgotten by any
+one who might chance to wander in the arcade at that hour. She was still
+spare and undeveloped, but the grace that was to come revealed itself in
+the girlish lines of her figure. Her eyes seemed never more serenely,
+deeply blue than now, and her hair, disordered from the tam o'shanter
+she had pulled off and tossed onto a stone bench, made a fluffy auburn
+frame about her face. Molly was by no means beautiful from the
+standpoint of perfection. Her eyebrows and lashes should have been
+darker; her chin was too pointed and her mouth a shade too large. But
+few people took the trouble to pick out flaws in her face or figure.
+Those who loved her thought her beautiful, and the few who did not could
+not deny her charm.
+
+Presently she sat down on a bench, continuing to declaim the poem out
+aloud, making a gesture occasionally with her unoccupied hand. After
+reading a verse, she closed her eyes and repeated it to herself. Opening
+her eyes between verses, she encountered the amused gaze of Professor
+Edwin Green who, having seen her in the distance, had cut across the
+grassy court and now stood as still as a statue leaning against a stone
+pillar.
+
+"Oh," exclaimed Molly, with a nervous start.
+
+"Did I frighten you? I am sorry. I should have walked more heavily. It's
+unkind to steal up on people who are reading poetry aloud."
+
+"I was learning the--something by heart," she said, blushing a little as
+if she had been detected in a guilty act. After all, it was the
+professor who had introduced her to that poem and given her the book
+last Christmas, but that, of course, was not the reason why she was so
+fond of the poem she was studying.
+
+"How do you like the Quadrangle?" he asked. "Are you comfortable and
+happy?"
+
+Molly clasped her hands in the excess of her enthusiasm.
+
+"I was never so happy in all my life," she cried. "It is perfect. Our
+rooms are beautiful, and a sitting room, too. Think of that, with yellow
+walls and a piano!"
+
+The professor looked vastly pleased. For an instant his face was lighted
+by a beaming, radiant smile. Then he thrust his hands into his pockets
+and pressed his lips together in a thin line of determination.
+
+"I feel as if I were one of the workers inside the hive now," Molly
+continued.
+
+"And all the difficulties about tuition have been settled?" he asked.
+"Forgive my mentioning it, but I felt an interest on account of my close
+relationship to the Blounts."
+
+"Oh, yes. The money from the two acres of orchard settled that. You see,
+whoever bought it, whether it was an old man or a company--for some
+reason the name is still a secret with the agent--paid cash. They rarely
+do, mother says, and the money is usually spent in driblets before you
+realize it. Mr. Richard Blount expects to settle with his father's
+creditors in a few months. My sisters are working. They say they enjoy
+it, but they are both engaged to be married," she added, smiling.
+
+"Did the orchard yield a good crop this year?" asked the professor
+irrelevantly.
+
+"Oh, splendid. The apples were packed in barrels and sent away. Several
+of them were sent to mother as a present. Very nice of the owner, wasn't
+it?"
+
+"Very," replied the professor, fingering something in his pocket
+absently.
+
+"The owner of the orchard has it kept in fine condition. The trees have
+been trimmed and the ground cleared. Mother says she's ashamed of her
+own shiftlessness whenever she looks at it. The grass was as smooth as
+velvet all summer until the drought came and dried it brown. I used to
+go there summer mornings and lie in a hammock and read. I didn't think
+any one would care. There's no harm in attaching a hammock to two trees.
+Mother says I don't seem to remember that we are no longer the owners of
+the orchard. I have played in it and lived in it so much of my life
+that I've got the habit, I suppose."
+
+The professor cleared his throat.
+
+"You said the ground sloped slightly, did you not?"
+
+"Yes, just a gradual slope to a little brook at the bottom of the hill.
+The water seems to cool the air in summer. It never goes dry and there
+is a little basin in one place we used to call 'the birds' bath tub.'
+Such birds you never imagined! They are attracted by the apples, I
+suppose. But there are hundreds of them. They sing from morning to
+night."
+
+"You paint a very attractive picture, Miss Brown. It must have been hard
+to give up this charming property."
+
+"But you see we haven't given it up exactly. It's there right against
+us. We can still look at it and even walk under the trees. No one minds.
+And see what I have for it! Nothing could ever take the place of
+college--not even an apple orchard."
+
+A sharp voice broke in on this pleasant conversation.
+
+"Cousin Edwin, I've been looking for you everywhere."
+
+Judith Blount appeared hastening down the walk.
+
+The professor watched the advancing figure calmly.
+
+"Well, now you have found me, what do you want?" he asked.
+
+Molly detected a slight note of annoyance in his voice. She had a notion
+that Judith was one of the trials of his life.
+
+"I have rewritten the short story you criticized for me last week, and I
+want you to look it over again."
+
+He took the roll of paper without a word and thrust it into his coat
+pocket.
+
+Molly rose.
+
+"I must be going," she said. "It must be nearly six o'clock."
+
+Judith promptly sat down on the bench facing her cousin, who still
+leaned against the stone pillar.
+
+"Don't you think it's a little chilly to be lingering here, Judith?" he
+remarked politely, as he joined Molly.
+
+"It wasn't too chilly for you a moment ago," answered Judith hotly.
+
+But she rose and walked on the other side of the professor.
+
+"How do you like your rooms?" he asked presently.
+
+"I hate them," she replied, with such fierce resentment that Molly was
+sure that Judith was glad to have something on which to vent her angry
+mood. "Thank heavens, this is my last year. I detest Wellington. I have
+never been happy here. It's brought shame and misfortune on me. It's a
+horrid old place."
+
+"Oh, Judith," protested Molly, unable to endure this libel on her
+beloved college.
+
+"My dear child, you can't blame Wellington for your misfortunes,"
+interposed the professor, who himself cherished a deep affection for
+the two gray towers.
+
+"It is hard to live in the village instead of at college," said Molly,
+feeling suddenly very sorry for the unhappy Judith.
+
+But Judith was in no state to be sympathized with. All day she had been
+nursing a grievance. One of her friends in prosperity at the Beta Phi
+House had turned a cold shoulder on her that morning; and Judith was so
+enraged by the slight that her feelings were like an open sore.
+
+She turned on Molly angrily.
+
+"You ought to know," she said. "You had to do it long enough."
+
+"Judith, Judith," remonstrated the professor. "Can't you understand that
+you gain nothing, and always lose something, by giving way like this?
+Denouncing and hating make the object you are working for recede. You'll
+never get it that way."
+
+"How do you know what I'm working for?" she demanded, more quietly.
+
+"We are all of us working for the same thing," he answered. "Happiness.
+None of us proposes to get it in the same way, but all of us propose to
+reach the same goal. What would give me happiness no doubt would never
+satisfy you."
+
+"You don't know that, either. What would give you happiness?" Judith
+asked, with some curiosity.
+
+The professor paused a moment, then he said calmly:
+
+"A little home of my own in a shady quiet place with plenty of old
+trees, where I could work in peace. I have always fancied an old
+orchard. There might be a brook at one end----"
+
+Molly smiled.
+
+"He's thinking of my orchard," she thought.
+
+"There must be hundreds of birds in my orchard," went on the professor,
+"and the grass must always be thick and green, except perhaps when the
+drought comes and it can't help itself----"
+
+The six o'clock bell boomed out.
+
+"Have an apple," he said, taking two red apples from his pocket and
+giving one to each of the girls.
+
+Then he opened the small oak door and stood politely aside while they
+passed out.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+A LITERARY EVENING.
+
+
+The entertainment designed to bring Miss Minerva Higgins to a true
+understanding of her position as a freshman took place one Friday
+evening in the rooms of Margaret and Jessie. It was called on the
+invitation "A Literary Evening," and was to be in the nature of a spread
+and fudge affair. There had been two rehearsals beforehand, and the
+girls were now prepared to enjoy themselves thoroughly.
+
+Molly was loath to take part in the literary evening.
+
+"I can't bear to see anybody humiliated even when she ought to be," she
+said, but she consented to come and to give a recitation.
+
+Several study tables had been united for the supper, the cracks
+concealed by Japanese towelling contributed by Otoyo. There was no Mrs.
+Murphy in the Quadrangle from whom to borrow tablecloths. All the chairs
+from the other rooms were brought in to seat the company, who appeared
+grave and subdued. Most of the girls were dressed to resemble famous
+poets and authors. Judy was Byron; Margaret Wakefield, George Eliot;
+Nance, Charlotte Bronte; Edith Williams, Edgar Allan Poe; and Molly was
+Shelley. Shakespeare, Voltaire and Charles Dickens were in the company,
+and "The Duchess," impersonated by Jessie Lynch.
+
+The unfortunate Minerva was a little disconcerted at first when she
+found herself the only girl at the feast in her own character.
+
+"Why didn't you tell me, so that I could have come in costume, too?" she
+asked Margaret.
+
+"But you had your medals," was Margaret's enigmatic answer.
+
+Minerva looked puzzled. Then her gaze fell to the shining breastplate of
+silver and gold trophies. She had worn them all this evening. The
+temptation had been too great. The medals gleamed like so many solemn
+eyes. She wondered if the others could read what was inscribed on them,
+or if it would be necessary to call attention to the most choice ones:
+"THE HIGHEST GENERAL AVERAGE FOR FOUR YEARS"; "REGULAR ATTENDANCE";
+"MATHEMATICS"; "THE BEST HISTORICAL ESSAY"; "ENGLISH AND COMPOSITION."
+
+Edith opened the evening by delivering a speech in Latin which was
+really one of Virgil's eclogues mixed up with whatever she could recall
+of Livy and Horace, and filled out occasionally with Latin prose
+composition. It was so excruciatingly funny that Judy sputtered in her
+tea and was well kicked on her shins under the table.
+
+Minerva, however, appeared to be profoundly impressed, and the company
+murmured subdued approvals when, at last, the speaker took breath and
+sat down, gazing solemnly around her with dark, melancholy eyes very
+much blacked around the lids.
+
+Margaret then delivered a learned discourse on "Poise of Body and Poise
+of Mind," which was skillfully expressed in such deep and intricate
+language that nobody could understand what she was talking about.
+
+"Very, very interesting, indeed," observed Edith.
+
+"Remarkable; wonderful; so clearly put," came from the others.
+
+Minerva rubbed her eyes and frowned.
+
+Nance recited "The Raven," translated into very bad French. This was
+almost more than their gravity could endure, and when she ended each
+verse with "_Dit le corbeau: jamais plus,_" many of the girls stooped
+under the table for lost handkerchiefs and Japanese napkins.
+
+But it was not until Judy had sung a lullaby in Sanskrit--so
+called--that Minerva became at all suspicious. Even then it was the
+wrong kind of suspicion. She thought that perhaps she should have
+laughed, and the others had politely refrained because she hadn't.
+
+After a great deal of learned talk, Molly stood on a soap box and
+recited "Curfew Shall Not Ring To-night."
+
+This was the crowning joy of that famous evening, but still Minerva
+appeared seriously impressed.
+
+"I recited that once at Mill Town High School," she remarked.
+
+"Can't you give us something to-night?" asked Molly kindly, feeling that
+in some way the unfortunate Minerva ought to be allowed to join in.
+
+"I don't know that I ought to give another poem by the same man," she
+replied, "except that Miss Oldham gave 'The Raven' in French."
+
+"Don't tell us you know 'The Bells'?" demanded Edith Williams, in a
+trembling whisper.
+
+"Oh, yes. I've given it at lots of school entertainments."
+
+"We had better turn down the lights," said Margaret. "The room should be
+in darkness except the side light where Miss Higgins will stand. That
+will be the spot light."
+
+This was a fortunate arrangement because, while Minerva recited "The
+Bells," with all proper gestures, intonations and echoes, according to
+Cleveland's recitation book, the girls silently collapsed. When she had
+finished, they were reduced to that exhausted state that arrives after a
+supreme effort not to laugh.
+
+At last the entertainment came to an end. Minerva departed with some of
+the others, while those who lived close by remained to chat for a few
+minutes.
+
+"I give up," exclaimed Margaret Wakefield. "Minerva is beyond teaching.
+She must remain forever the smartest girl in Mill Town High School."
+
+"The only pity of it is that it was all wasted on one humorless person.
+We really furnished her with a most delightful entertainment and she
+never even guessed it," declared Nance.
+
+"I'm glad she didn't," remarked Molly. "It was cruel, I think. Suppose
+she had caught on? Do you think it would have helped her? And we would
+have been uncomfortable."
+
+"Suppose she did understand and pretended not to. The joke would have
+been decidedly on us," put in Katherine.
+
+Later events of that evening would seem to bear out this suggestion,
+although just how deeply, if at all, Minerva was implicated in what
+followed no one could possibly tell. It was a question long afterwards
+in dispute whether one person had managed the sequel to the Literary
+Evening, or whether there had been a confederate. Certainly it seemed
+that every imp in Bedlam had been set free to do mischief, and if
+Minerva, as arch-imp, was looking for revenge, she found it.
+
+"I don't like to appear inhospitable, girls, but it's five minutes of
+ten and I think you'd better chase along," said Margaret Wakefield.
+
+But when Judy laid hold of the knob and tried to open the door, it would
+not budge.
+
+"It won't open," she exclaimed. "What's to be done?"
+
+What was to be done? They pulled and jerked and endeavored to pry it
+open with a silver shoe horn and a pair of scissors, and at last Jessie,
+as the smallest, was chosen to climb over the transom and go for help.
+It was five minutes past ten, and they prudently turned out the lights.
+
+"Let me get at that knob just once before we work the transom scheme,"
+ejaculated Margaret, who was very strong and athletic.
+
+"People always think they can open tin cans and doors and pull stoppers
+when other people can't," observed Judy sarcastically.
+
+Margaret treated this remark with contemptuous indifference. Seizing the
+knob with both hands, she turned it and, putting her knee to the jamb,
+pulled with all her force. The arch fiend on the other side must have
+turned the key at this critical moment, for the door flew open and the
+president tumbled back as if she had been shot from a catapult, knocking
+a number of surprised poets and authors into a tumbled heap. They were
+all considerably bruised and battered, and Margaret bit her tongue; a
+severe punishment for one whose oratory was the pride of the class.
+
+"Hush," whispered Jessie, who alone had escaped the tumble, "here comes
+the house matron."
+
+Softly she closed the door, and the girls waited until the danger was
+over. Then Margaret hastened to examine the keyhole.
+
+"There's no key in it," she whispered, speaking with difficulty, because
+her tongue was bleeding from the marks of two teeth.
+
+Whoever played the trick must have unlocked the door, jerked the key out
+and fled the instant the matron appeared at the end of the corridor.
+There was no time to discuss the mystery, however. She would be coming
+back in two minutes. Again they waited in silence until they heard the
+swish of her dress as she went past the door, now left open a crack in
+order that Judy, lying flat on her stomach on the floor, and enjoying
+herself immensely, might be on the lookout.
+
+"Come on," she hissed, as the large, rotund figure of Mrs. Pelham was
+lost in the darkness, and out they scuttled like a lot of mice loosed
+from the trap.
+
+But the evening's adventures were not over.
+
+As Judy, in advance of Molly and Nance, pushed open their door, already
+ajar, a small pail of water, placed on the top of the door by the
+arch-imp, whoever she was, fell on Judy's head and deluged her. It
+contained hardly a quart of water, but it might have been a gallon for
+the wreck it made of Judy's clothes and the room.
+
+"Oh, but I'll get even with somebody," exclaimed that enraged young
+woman.
+
+They turned on the green-shaded student's lamp and drew the blinds, the
+night watchman being very vigilant at the dormitories, and began
+silently mopping up the floor with towels.
+
+Judy removed her wet clothes, and unbound her long hair, light in color
+and fine as silk in quality.
+
+"I can't go to bed," she announced, "until I find out what's happened to
+the Gemini," and without another word she crept into the corridor.
+
+"Nance," whispered Molly, when they were alone, "if Minerva Higgins did
+this, she's about the boldest freshman alive to-day. But, after all, we
+can't exactly blame her, considering what we did to her."
+
+"She is taking great chances," replied Nance, who had a thorough respect
+for college etiquette and class caste. "Every pert freshman must be
+prepared for a call-down; and if she doesn't take it like a lamb, she'll
+just have to expect a freeze-out. It's much better for her in the end.
+If Minerva were allowed to keep this up for four years, she would be
+entirely insufferable. She's almost that now."
+
+"Don't you think she could find it out without such severe methods?"
+
+"Severe methods, indeed," answered Nance indignantly. "Do you call it
+severe to be asked to sup with the brightest girls in Wellington?
+Margaret's speech alone was worth all the humiliation Minerva might have
+felt; but she didn't feel any. Do you consider that rough, crude jokes
+like this are going to be tolerated?"
+
+"But we don't know that Minerva played them, yet," pleaded Molly. "I do
+admit, though, that it must have been a very ordinary person who could
+think of them. Margaret might have been badly hurt if she hadn't fallen
+on top of the rest of us."
+
+Presently Judy came stalking into their bedroom.
+
+"It's just as I expected," she announced. "The Williamses' bed was full
+of carpet tacks and Mabel Hinton fell over a cord stretched across her
+door and sprained her wrist. She has it bound with arnica now."
+
+"I don't see how Minerva could have had time to do all those things,"
+broke in Molly.
+
+There are some rare and very just natures--and Molly's was one of
+them--which will not be convinced by circumstantial evidence alone.
+
+"She would have had plenty of time," argued Judy. "It would hardly have
+taken five minutes provided she had planned it all out beforehand.
+Besides, it's easy for you to talk, Molly. You didn't bite your tongue,
+or sprain your wrist, or get a ducking; or undress in the dark and get
+into a bedful of tacks. You escaped."
+
+"Disgusting!" came Nance's muffled voice from the covers.
+
+"It is horrid," admitted Molly. "Whoever did it----"
+
+"Minerva!" broke in Judy.
+
+"--must have a very mistaken idea of college and the sorts of amusement
+that are customary."
+
+So the argument ended for the night.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+VARIOUS HAPPENINGS.
+
+
+Guilty or innocent, Minerva Higgins displayed an inscrutable face next
+day, and the juniors, lacking all necessary evidence, were obliged to
+admit themselves outwitted; but they let it be known that jokes of that
+class were distinctly foreign to Wellington notions, and woe be to the
+author of them if her identity was ever disclosed.
+
+In the meantime, Molly was busy with many things. As usual she was very
+hard up for clothes, and was concocting a scheme in her mind for saving
+up money enough to buy a new dress for the Junior Prom. in February. She
+bought a china pig in the village, large enough to hold a good deal of
+small change, and from time to time dropped silver through the slit in
+his back.
+
+"He's a safe bank," she observed to her friends, "because the only way
+you can get money out of him is to smash him."
+
+The pig came to assume a real personality in the circle. For some
+unknown reason he had been christened "Martin Luther." The girls used to
+shake him and guess the amount of money he contained. Sometimes they
+wrote jingles about him, and Judy invented a dialogue between Martin
+Luther and herself which was so amusing that its fame spread abroad and
+she was invited to give it many times at spreads and fudge parties.
+
+The scheme that had been working in Molly's mind for some weeks at last
+sprung into life as an idea, and seizing a pencil and paper one day she
+sketched out her notion of the plot of a short story. It was not what
+she herself really cared for, but what she considered might please the
+editor who was to buy it as a complete story, and the public who would
+read it. There were mystery and love, beauty and riches in Molly's first
+attempt. Then she began to write. But it was slow work. The ideas would
+not flow as they did for letters home and for class themes. She found
+great difficulty in expressing herself. Her conversations were stilted
+and the plot would not hang together.
+
+"I never thought it would be so hard," she said to herself when she had
+finished the tale and copied it out on legal cap paper. "And now for the
+boldest act of my life."
+
+With a triumphant flourish of the pen, she rolled up the manuscript and
+marched across the courtyard to the office of Professor Green.
+
+"Come in," he called, quite gruffly, in answer to her knock. But when
+she entered, he rose politely and offered her a seat. Sitting down again
+in his revolving desk chair, he looked at her very hard.
+
+"I know you will think I have the most colossal nerve," she began, "when
+you hear why I have called; but I really need advice and you've been so
+kind--so interested, always."
+
+"What is it this time?" he interrupted kindly. "More money troubles?"
+
+"No, not exactly. Although, of course, I am always anxious to earn
+money. Who isn't? But I have a writing bee in my head. I've had it ever
+since last winter, although I confined myself mostly to verse----"
+
+Molly paused and blushed. She felt ashamed to discuss her poor rhymes
+with this learned man nearly a dozen years older than she was.
+
+"There's no money in poetry," she went on, "and I thought I would switch
+off to prose. I have written a short story and--I hope you won't be
+angry--I've brought it over for you to look at. I knew you looked over
+some of Judith's stories."
+
+"Of course I shan't be angry, child. I'm glad to help you, although I am
+not a fiction writer and therefore might hardly be thought competent to
+judge. Let's see what you have." He held out his hand for the
+manuscript. "On second thought," he continued, "suppose you read it
+aloud to me. Girls' handwriting is generally much alike--hard to make
+out."
+
+Molly, trembling with stage fright, her face crimson, began to read.
+The professor, resting his chin on his interlocked fingers, turned his
+whimsical brown eyes full upon her and never shifted his gaze once
+during the entire reading, which lasted some twenty-five minutes. When
+she had finished, Molly dropped the papers in her lap and waited.
+
+"Well, what do you think of it? Please don't mince matters. Tell me the
+truth."
+
+The professor came back to life with a start. She knew at once that he
+had not heard a word.
+
+"Oh, er--I beg your pardon," he said. "Very good. Very good, indeed.
+Suppose you leave the manuscript with me. I'll look it over again
+to-night."
+
+She rose to go. After all she had no right to complain, since she had
+asked this favor of a very busy man; but she did wish he had paid
+attention.
+
+"Wait a moment, Miss Brown, there was something I wanted to say. What
+was it now?" He rubbed his head, and then thrust his hands into his
+pockets. "Oh, yes. This is what I wanted to say--have an apple?" A flat
+Japanese basket on the table was filled with apples. "Excuse my not
+passing the basket, but they roll over. Take several. Help yourself."
+
+He made Molly take three, one for Nance, one for Judy and one for
+herself. Then he saw her to the outer door, bowing silently, all the
+time like a man in a dream.
+
+The next morning the manuscript was returned to Molly by the professor
+after the class in Literature. It was folded into a big envelope and
+contained a note. The note had no beginning and was signed "E. G." This
+is what it said:
+
+  "Since you wish my true opinion of this story, I will tell you
+  frankly that it is decidedly amateurish. The style is heavy and
+  labored and the plot mawkishly sentimental and mock heroic.
+
+  "Try to think up some simple story and write it out in simple
+  language. Do not employ words that you are not in the habit of
+  using. Be natural and express yourself as you would if you were
+  writing a letter to your mother. Write about real people and real
+  happenings; not about impossibly beautiful and rich goddesses and
+  superbly handsome, fearless gods. Such people do not really exist,
+  you know, and you are supposed to be painting a word picture of
+  life.
+
+  "You have talent, but you must be willing to work very hard. Good
+  writing does not come in a day any more than good piano playing or
+  painting. I would add: be yourself--unaffected--sincere--and your
+  style will be perfect."
+
+Molly wept a little over this frank expression of criticism, although
+there did seem to be an implied compliment in the last line. She reread
+the story and blushed for her commonplaceness. Surely there never had
+been written anything so inane and silly.
+
+For a long time she sat gazing at the white peak of Fujiyama on the
+Japanese scroll.
+
+"Simple and natural, indeed," she exclaimed. "It's much harder than the
+other way. Unaffected and sincere! That's not easy, either." She sighed
+and tore the story into little bits, casting it into the waste-paper
+basket. "That's the best place for you," she continued, apostrophizing
+her first attempt at fiction. "Nobody would ever have laughed or cried
+over you. Nobody would even have noticed you. My trouble is that I try
+too hard. I am always straining my mind for words and ideas. Now, when I
+write letters, how do I do? I let go. I never worry. Can a story be
+written in that way?"
+
+"How now, Mistress Molly," called Judy, bursting into the room. "Why are
+you lingering here in the house when all the world's afield? Get thee up
+and go hence with me unto the green woods where we are to have tea,
+probably for the last time before the winter's call."
+
+"Who's 'we'?" asked Molly.
+
+"Why, the usual crowd, and a few others from Beta Phi House."
+
+"But you'll never have enough teacups to go around, child," objected
+Molly.
+
+"Oh, yes, we shall. There are two other tea baskets coming from Beta
+Phi. There will be plenty and some over besides. Rosomond Chase and
+Millicent Porter were so taken with my basket last year that they
+each bought one. Of course Millicent's is much finer than mine or
+Rosomond's."
+
+"I dare say. But I don't think I want to go, Judy."
+
+The truth was Molly never felt in sympathy with those two Beta Phi
+girls, who represented an element in college she did not like. They
+dressed a great deal, for one thing, especially Millicent Porter, the
+girl who had sub-let Judith Blount's apartment the year before.
+
+"Now, Molly, I think you're unkind," burst out Judy. She never could
+endure even small disappointments. "They are awfully nice girls and they
+want to know you better. They said they did."
+
+"Well, why don't they come and see me? That's easy."
+
+Judy did not reply. She was pulling down all the clothes in the closet
+in a search for Molly's tam and sweater. She was in one of her queer,
+excited moods. Could it be that Judy thought the sparkling coterie from
+Queen's was being honored by these two rich young persons from Beta
+Phi? Molly rejected the suspicion almost as soon as it entered her mind.
+No, it was simply that poor old Judy was obsessed with a desire to get
+into the "Shakespeareans," and by courting the most influential members
+she thought she could make it.
+
+Molly pulled her slender length from the depths of the Morris chair
+where she had been lolling.
+
+"Very well," she said resignedly. "I was meditating on my ambitions when
+you broke in on me. You are a very demoralizing young person, Judy."
+
+Judy laughed. She made a charming picture in her scarlet tam and
+sweater.
+
+"Come along," she cried, "and ambitions be hanged." She seized her tea
+basket under one arm and a box of ginger snaps under the other.
+
+"Why, Judy, I am really shocked at you," exclaimed Molly. "I think I'll
+have to give you another shaking up before long. You're getting lax and
+lazy."
+
+"Nothing of the sort. I only want to enjoy life while the weather is
+good. It's lots easier to think of ambitions on rainy days."
+
+The other girls were waiting on the campus: the Williamses, Margaret and
+Jessie, Nance and presently the two Beta Phi girls. Rosomond Chase was a
+plump, rather heavy blonde type, always dressed to perfection and bright
+enough when she felt inclined to exert her mind. Millicent Porter was
+quite the opposite in appearance; small, wiry, with a prominent,
+sharp-featured face; prominent nose, prominent teeth and rather bulging
+eyes. She talked a great deal in a highly pompous tone, and her voice
+always slurred over from one statement to another as if to ward off
+interruption. She seemed much amused at this little escapade in the
+woods, quite Bohemian and informal.
+
+The Queen's girls could hardly explain why she appeared so patronizing.
+It was her manner more than what she said; although Margaret insisted
+that it was because she monopolized the conversation.
+
+"We didn't go to listen to a monologue," Margaret thundered later when
+they were discussing the tea party. "We came to hear ourselves talk."
+
+What surprised Molly was the attention that the young person of
+unlimited wealth bestowed upon her.
+
+"Come and sit beside me, Miss Brown, and tell me about Kentucky," she
+ordered.
+
+"I am afraid I haven't the gift of language," replied Molly, without
+budging from her seat on a log. "Ask Margaret Wakefield. She's the only
+conversationalist in the crowd."
+
+"I suppose Mahomet must go to the mountain, then," observed Miss Porter,
+and she moved graciously over to the log, where she regaled Molly with a
+great deal of wordy talk.
+
+"If she's going to do all the conversing, it might as well be on
+something interesting," thought Molly, and she started Millicent on the
+topic of silver work. This young woman, rich beyond calculation, had an
+unusual talent which had not been neglected. She worked in silver.
+
+"Her natural medium," Edith had observed when she heard of it.
+
+She could beat out chains and necklaces, rings of antique patterns,
+beautiful platters with enameled centers with all the skill of a real
+silversmith.
+
+Molly listened with polite interest to Millicent's lengthy description
+of her art. There was often an unconscious flattery in the sympathetic
+attention Molly gave to other people's talk. It had the effect of
+loosening tongues and brought forth confidences and heart secrets. She
+was a good listener and the repository of many a hidden thought.
+
+"I am only going to college, you know, to please papa," Millicent was
+saying. "He thinks I should be finished off like a piece of statuary or
+a new house. I would much rather do things with my hands. I can't see
+how I am to be benefited by all these classics. In the sort of life I
+shall lead they won't do me any good. Society people never quote Latin
+and Greek or make learned references to early Roman history and things
+of that sort. It isn't considered good form. Modern novels are the only
+things people read nowadays, but papa is determined. Now, with silver
+work, it's quite different. I love it. I love to make beautiful things.
+I have just finished a grape-vine chain. The workmanship is exquisite.
+My sitting room is my studio, you know, and I work there when I am not
+busy with stupid books. You seem interested. Do you know anything about
+silver work?"
+
+Molly admitted her ignorance on the subject, but Millicent did not pause
+to listen. Her voice slurred over from the question to her next
+outburst.
+
+"I like beautiful rich colors. I intend to design all the costumes for
+the next Shakespearean performance. If I had been born in a different
+sphere in life, I should have divided my time between silver work and
+costuming. I can draw, too, but it's more designing than anything else."
+
+Then Millicent, encouraged by Molly's sympathetic blue eyes, lowered her
+voice and plunged into confidences.
+
+"The truth is," she said, "we were not so--er--well-to-do two
+generations ago. My great-grandfather was an Italian silversmith. Isn't
+it interesting? He was really an artist in his way, and made wonderful
+vessels for the church, crucifixes, and things like that. I tell mamma I
+believe her grandfather's soul has entered into my body. But that isn't
+all. Now, if I tell you this, will you promise never to breathe it? It's
+really a family secret, but it accounts for my love of rich, beautiful
+things. I can sew, you know. I adore to embroider. If I had to, I could
+easily make all my own clothes----"
+
+"But that's nothing to be ashamed of," broke in Molly.
+
+"No, no. That isn't the secret. The secret is where I got the taste for
+such things. You promise not to mention this?"
+
+"I promise," replied Molly gravely, repressing the smile that for an
+instant hovered on her lips.
+
+"The silversmith grandfather had a brother who was a merchant. He had a
+shop in Florence where he sold all sorts of beautiful fabrics, velvets
+and brocades and lots of antique things."
+
+"No doubt it was an antique shop," thought Molly.
+
+"Mamma remembers it well, and the shop is still there to-day, but it's
+in other hands."
+
+Molly felt much amusement at this explanation of heredity. It would not
+be difficult to add a few lines to Millicent's small, thin face and
+place it on the shoulders of the old silversmith or of his brother, the
+dealer in antiques. How would they feel if they could hear this
+granddaughter conversing about society and the classics?
+
+"But I have rattled on. Here I have told you two family secrets. But of
+course they will go no farther. You know more about me than any girl in
+Wellington. Won't you come over to dinner with me Saturday evening and
+see my studio?"
+
+"I am so sorry," said Molly, "but I have an engagement,"--to try to
+write a sincere, natural, simple short story, she added, in her mind.
+
+"Oh, dear, what a nuisance! Can you come Sunday? They have horrid early
+dinners Sunday, but no matter."
+
+Molly was obliged to accept, anxious as she was to keep out of the Beta
+Phi crowd.
+
+"By the way, do you act?" asked Millicent abruptly.
+
+"A little," answered Molly, and that ended the tea party.
+
+In the evening Judy was slightly cold to Molly. It was almost
+imperceptible, so subtle was the change, and Molly herself was hardly
+aware of it until her friend, stretched on the couch reading, suddenly
+closed her book with a snap and remarked:
+
+"Considering you dislike the Beta Phi girls, you certainly managed to
+monopolize one of them."
+
+"Judy!" remonstrated Nance, shocked at this unaccountable exhibition of
+temperament.
+
+Molly said nothing whatever, and presently she slipped off to bed.
+
+"We've all got our faults," she kept saying to herself, but she was
+bitterly hurt, nevertheless.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+"THE BEST LAID SCHEMES."
+
+
+Judy did have her failings, the faults of an only child spoiled by
+indulgent parents. But they were only on the surface, impulsive flashes
+of irritability that never failed to be followed by deep, poignant
+regret when the tempest had passed.
+
+The next morning Molly was wakened by the fragrance of violets, and,
+opening her eyes, she looked straight into the heart of a big bunch of
+those flowers lying on her chest.
+
+"Goodness, I feel like a corpse," she exclaimed.
+
+Scrawled on a card pinned to the purple tissue ribbon around the stems
+of the violets was the following inscription:
+
+  "For dearest Molly from her devoted and loving Judy."
+
+"The poor child must have got up early this morning and gone down to the
+village for them," she said to Nance. "And she does hate getting up
+early, too."
+
+Thus the coldness between the two girls came to a temporary end. Molly
+did not go to the Beta Phi House to dinner on Sunday. Millicent sent
+word that she was ill with a headache and would like to postpone the
+visit. Some of the Shakespeareans came to the apartment of the three
+girls to call one evening, but they were Judy's friends, invited by her
+to drop in and have fudge, and Molly and Nance kept quiet and remained
+in the background. If Judy was working to get into the Shakespeareans,
+she should have the field to herself. The three visitors, seniors all of
+them, left early, but in some mysterious way the news of their call
+spread through the Quadrangle.
+
+"Which of you is boning for the 'Shakespeareans'?" Minerva Higgins
+demanded of Nance next day.
+
+This irrepressible young person had already acquired a smattering of
+college slang and college gossip. But still she had not learned the
+difference between a freshman and a junior.
+
+Nance drew herself up haughtily.
+
+"Miss Higgins," she said, "there are some things at Wellington that are
+never discussed."
+
+"_Excuse me_," said Minerva, making an elaborate bow.
+
+But Nance did not even notice the bow. She had gone on her way like an
+injured dignitary.
+
+The air was certainly full of rumors, however. Everybody, even the
+faculty, wondered upon whose shoulders the Shakespeareans' highly
+coveted honors would fall. The new members of this distinguished body
+were always chosen after the junior play, preparations for which were
+now under way. There had been first a stormy meeting of the class. It
+was quite natural for President Wakefield to want all her particular
+friends to form the committee to choose a play and select the actors,
+and it was equally human of the Caroline Brinton forces to resent the
+old clique rule. But Margaret was a mighty leader and would brook no
+interference. So the Queen's girls were the ruling spirits of the
+entertainment. Judy was chairman of the committee, and was to have the
+principal part in the play, it being tacitly understood that she wanted
+to show the Shakespeareans what she could do.
+
+It was like the scholarly group to give a wide berth to the modern
+comedies and melodramas usually selected by juniors for this
+performance, and to settle on "Twelfth Night."
+
+"We can never do it," Caroline Brinton had announced in great vexation.
+"We haven't time and we have no coach."
+
+But she had been calmly overruled and "Twelfth Night" it was to be, with
+daily rehearsals except on Saturdays, when there were two.
+
+Molly was cast for the part of Maria, the maid. And she was glad,
+chiefly because the costume was easy. Judy was to play Viola, Edith
+Williams, Malvolio, and the other parts were variously distributed,
+Margaret being Sir Toby Belch.
+
+When a college girl reaches her junior year her mind is well trained to
+concentrate and memorize. Two years before, perhaps only Edith Williams,
+whose memory was abnormal, would have trusted herself to memorize a
+Shakespearean part. But the girls were amazed now at their own powers.
+Miss Pryor, teacher of elocution, was present at many of the rehearsals,
+criticizing and suggesting, and hers was the only outside assistance the
+juniors had in their ambitious production.
+
+It was probably through her that the accounts of their ability were
+noised abroad, and on the night of the play there was a great rush for
+seats. The president herself was there and many of the faculty.
+Professor Green had a front balcony seat looking straight down on the
+stage.
+
+"Goodness, but I'm scared!" exclaimed Molly, peeping through the hole in
+the curtain at the large assembly.
+
+"Heaven help us all," groaned Nance, dressed as an attendant of the
+Duke.
+
+"Don't talk like that," Judy admonished them. "We must make it go off
+all right. Molly, don't you forget and be too solemn. Your part calls
+for much merriment, as the notes in the book said."
+
+"Don't you be so dictatorial," said Nance, under her breath, hoping
+instantly that Judy, in a high state of nerves and excitement, had not
+heard her.
+
+When the seniors began thumping on the floor with their heels and the
+sophomores commenced clapping, Molly's mind became a vacuum. Not even
+the first line of her part could she recall.
+
+At last the curtain went up and the play began. She had no idea how Judy
+had conducted herself. A girl near her said:
+
+"She certainly had an awful case of stage fright, but she'll be all
+right in the next act."
+
+The words had no meaning to Molly, and she sat like a frozen image in
+the wings until Nance touched her on the shoulder and whispered:
+
+"Hurry up."
+
+Then she stepped into the glare of the footlights. Her blood ceased
+entirely to circulate. Her hands became numb. Icy fingers seemed to
+clutch her throat, and when she opened her mouth to speak, no voice
+came. She remembered making a fervent, speechless prayer.
+
+In an instant her blood began to flow normally. She felt a wave of
+crimson surge into her cheeks, and she heard her own voice speaking to
+Margaret, stuffed out with sofa cushions to resemble Sir Toby Belch.
+
+When the scene was over there was a great clapping of hands. It sounded
+to Molly like a sudden rainstorm in summer. And, like a summer shower,
+it was refreshing to the young actors in the great comedy.
+
+"Good work, Molly," Margaret whispered. "I think we carried that off
+pretty well. If only Judy doesn't get scared again the thing will go all
+right."
+
+"Did Judy have stage fright?" demanded Molly, in surprise.
+
+"You mean to say you didn't know? She almost ruined the scene."
+
+"Poor old Judy," thought Molly, "and just when she wanted to do her
+best, too."
+
+Judy did improve considerably as the play progressed, but even a
+friendly audience has an unrelenting way of retaining first impressions;
+or perhaps it was that poor Judy, sensitive and high strung, imagined
+the audience was cold to her and so allowed her spirit to be quenched.
+There were no cries for "Viola" from the people in front, and there were
+many for Malvolio, Sir Toby and Maria.
+
+Again and again these three actors came forth and bowed their
+acknowledgment. During the intermission several of the freshmen ushers
+carried down bouquets of flowers. Jessie received two from admirers who
+appeared to keep a running account at the florist's in the village. A
+splendid basket of red roses and a bunch of violets were handed over the
+footlights for Molly, and when she was summoned from the wings to appear
+and receive these floral offerings she flushed crimson and remarked to
+the usher:
+
+"There must be some mistake. They couldn't be for me."
+
+A ripple of laughter went over the entire house. There was another burst
+of applause which again brought Miss Molly Brown of Kentucky into
+prominence through no fault of her own.
+
+The card on the magnificent basket of roses made known to her the fact
+that Miss Millicent Porter had thus honored her. The card on the violets
+merely said: "From a crusty old critic who believes in your success."
+
+"I thought Millicent Porter had a big crush on you," observed Margaret
+later in the green room. "There's no doubt about it now after this noble
+tribute."
+
+"Nonsense," said Molly. "It's because she has so much money and likes to
+spend it."
+
+"On herself, yes, buying clothes and big lumps of silver to play with;
+but not on you, Molly, dear, unless she had been greatly taken with your
+charms."
+
+Molly had seen a few college crushes and considered them absurd, a kind
+of idol worship by a young girl for an older one; but because she had
+been so closely with her own small circle, she had escaped a crush so
+far.
+
+"I'll never believe it," she said. "I'm much too humble a person to be
+admired by such a grand young lady. She sent the roses because she had
+to recall her invitation to dinner."
+
+"Only time will prove it, Miss Molly," answered Margaret.
+
+The play ended with a grand storm of applause and college yells. Not in
+their wildest dreams had the juniors hoped for such success.
+
+"It's difficult to tell who was the best, they were all so excellent,"
+the president was reported to have said.
+
+Finally, to satisfy the persistent multitude, each actor marched slowly
+in front of the curtain, and each was received with more or less
+enthusiasm.
+
+"Rah-rah-rah; rah-rah-rah; Wellington--Wellington--Margaret Wakefield,"
+they yelled; or "What's the matter with Molly Brown? She's all right.
+Molly--Molly--Molly Brown."
+
+In the intoxicating excitement of this fifteen minutes nobody realized
+that Judy had withdrawn from the group of actors and hidden herself away
+somewhere behind the scenery. There was some speculation in the audience
+as to why Viola had not filed across the stage with the others, but
+since Judy's really devoted friends were all behind the scenes, there
+was no one to bring her out unless she chose to show herself with the
+others.
+
+"Wasn't it simply grand?" cried Jessie, the last to taste the sweets of
+popularity. The hall was still ringing with:
+
+"Jessie--Jessie--she's all right!" when she bowed herself behind the
+curtain and joined her classmates in the green room. Then there came
+cries of:
+
+"Speech! Speech! Wakefield! Wakefield!"
+
+Margaret, as composed as a May morning, stepped to the front of the
+platform and gave one of her most appropriate addresses to the joy of
+the audience and the intense amusement of the faculty.
+
+"Think of that child, only eighteen, and making such a speech! They are
+certainly a remarkable group of girls. So much individuality among
+them," said Miss Walker to Miss Pomeroy, at her side.
+
+"And rare charm in some of the individuals," added Miss Pomeroy. "The
+little Brown girl, for instance, who, by the way, is as tall as I am,
+but so thin that she seems small, has magnetism that will carry her
+through many a difficulty in life. They tell me she is almost adored by
+her friends."
+
+In the meantime the juniors, entirely unconscious of these compliments
+from high places, and perhaps it was quite as well they were, had just
+missed Judy from their midst.
+
+"Didn't she go before the curtain with the rest of us?" some one asked.
+
+"But how strange, when she had the leading part."
+
+"I thought I heard them give her the yell."
+
+"Judy, Judy," called Molly.
+
+"Here I am," answered a muffled voice from behind the scenery.
+
+Presently Judy appeared, showing a face so white and tragic that her
+friends were shocked. With a tactful instinct most of the girls
+hurriedly gathered their things together and disappeared, leaving only
+the intimates in the green room.
+
+"Why, Judy, dearest, why did you hide yourself, and you the leading lady
+of the company?" exclaimed Molly reproachfully, when all outsiders had
+departed.
+
+"Don't flatter me, Molly," Judy answered, in a hard, strained voice.
+
+"But you were," said Molly, "and you acted beautifully."
+
+"I ruined the play," said Judy angrily. "I ruined the entire business,
+and you made me do it."
+
+"Oh, Judy," cried Molly, "you are talking wildly. What do you mean?"
+
+"You did. You upset me completely when you said: 'don't be so
+dictatorial.' I never heard you make a speech like that before. And
+just as I was about to go on, too. It was cruel. It was unkind. If it
+had come from any one else but you----"
+
+"Here--here," broke in Margaret. "Really, Judy, you're losing your
+temper."
+
+"She never said it, anyhow," cried Nance. "I said it myself."
+
+"She did say it, Nance. You're just trying to screen her," replied Judy,
+who had worked herself into a nervous rage.
+
+"Is this going to be a free fight?" asked Edith, who always enjoyed
+battles.
+
+Molly was gathering up her things.
+
+"Not as far as I am concerned," she answered, in a trembling voice.
+
+As she went out she looked sorrowfully back at Judy, but not another
+word did she say.
+
+"Aren't you ashamed of yourself, Judy Kean?" cried Nance. "You're
+jealous and that's the whole of it," and she flung herself out of the
+door after Molly. The others quickly followed. Certainly sympathy was
+against Judy.
+
+And what of poor Judy left all alone in the gymnasium?
+
+Torn with anger, remorse, jealousy and disappointment, she threw herself
+face downward on the empty stage.
+
+Presently the janitor came in and switched off the lights.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE.
+
+
+Molly and Nance had little to say to each other that night as they
+undressed for bed. Nance was still filled with hot indignation over
+Judy's "falling-off" as she called it, and Molly had no heart for
+conversation. The door to Judy's bedroom at the other end of the sitting
+room was closed and they were not surprised when she did not call "good
+night" as was her custom. Nobody looked in on them. It was late and the
+Quadrangle was soon perfectly still.
+
+Under the sheets, her head buried in the pillows, Molly cried a long
+time, softly and quietly, like a steady downpour of rain. It seemed
+somehow that her beloved friend, Judy, had died, and that she was
+grieving for her. At last, worn out, she fell asleep. It was a very
+heavy sleep. She felt as if her arms were tied and she was sinking down
+into space and, as is always the case with dreams of falling, she waked
+with a nervous leap as if her body had hit the bed and rebounded. As she
+fell she had dreamed that she heard a voice calling. Never mind what it
+said; already the word, whatever it was, was a mere pin point in her
+memory. It had flashed through her mind like a shooting star across the
+sky. It was brilliantly illuminating for the instant. Molly was sure
+that it meant a great deal. It was an important word, and it had an
+urgent significance. For the tenth of a second her mind had been wide
+awake, and now it was quite dark again.
+
+Molly leaped out of bed and began pulling on her clothes.
+
+"Why am I dressing?" she thought. "It is because I must--_hurry!_"
+
+"Hurry," that was the word. It came back to her now, quietly and
+significantly.
+
+Nance wakened and sat up in bed.
+
+"What is it?" she asked.
+
+"I don't know. I must hurry. Don't stop me," answered Molly.
+
+Nance looked at her curiously.
+
+"You've had a nightmare, Molly," she said.
+
+Molly glanced up vaguely as Nance switched on the light.
+
+"Have I? I don't know, but I must make haste, or I'll be too late."
+
+"Too late for what?"
+
+"I don't know yet."
+
+"Wake up, Molly. You're asleep. Nothing is going to happen. You are
+here, in your own room."
+
+"Yes, yes. I understand, but I must hurry. Don't stop me, Nance. You may
+come if you like, but don't stop me."
+
+Nance had often heard that it was dangerous to awaken sleepwalkers too
+suddenly, and she believed now as she saw Molly slipping on her skirt
+and sweater that she was certainly asleep.
+
+"Dearest Molly," she insisted. "This is college. You are in your own
+room. It's a quarter to twelve. Don't go out of the room."
+
+Molly took no notice. Nance turned on another light and slipped across
+to Judy's room. She must have help, and Judy was the nearest person.
+
+"Judy's not in her room," she exclaimed suddenly, in a scared voice.
+
+Molly gave a slight shudder.
+
+"It's Judy who needs me," she said. "I was trying to remember. I
+couldn't make it out at first. Put on your things, Nance. Don't delay.
+Put out the light. We must hurry."
+
+Nance got into a few clothes as fast as she could. She slipped on tennis
+shoes and an ulster and presently the two girls were standing in the
+corridor.
+
+"Where are we going, Molly?" asked Nance, now under the spell of the
+other's conviction.
+
+"This way," answered Molly, looking indeed like a sleepwalker as she
+glided down the hall to the main steps.
+
+If the girls had glanced back they would have noticed a figure creep
+softly after them.
+
+"But the gate is locked," objected Nance.
+
+"I know, but we'll find another way. Come on."
+
+Down the steps they hastened noiselessly. At the bottom, instead of
+going straight ahead, Molly turned to the left and led the way to a
+sitting room for visitors on the ground floor of the tower. The windows
+of the Tower Room, as it was known, looked out on the campus. They were
+small, deep-silled, and closed with iron-bound wooden shutters like the
+doors into the cloisters. Mounting a bench, Molly opened the inside
+glass casement of one of the windows and drew back the bolt which
+secured the shutter. Then she hoisted herself onto the sill, crawled
+through the window, and holding by both hands dropped to the ground.
+Nance, of a more practical temperament, wondered how they would ever get
+back into the Tower Room; but blind, unquestioning faith is an
+infinitely stronger staff to lean upon than uneasy speculation, as Nance
+was one day to find out.
+
+"When the night watchman makes his rounds, will he see the window open
+in the tower?" she thought. "And if he does, what will he do? Give the
+alarm at once or try to find out our names and report us? If he reports
+us, what then? We may be expelled, or suspended or punished in some
+awful way."
+
+So Nance's thoughts busily shaped out these tragic events as she
+followed Molly out of the window and dropped to the gravel walk below.
+The tower clock struck twelve while the two girls flitted across the
+campus. It was a strange adventure, Nance pondered, and one she would
+never have undertaken, or even considered, alone. But then her instincts
+were not like Molly's. The inner voice which spoke to her sometimes was
+usually the sharp, reproving voice of a Puritan conscience. It spoke to
+her now, but she turned a deaf ear to it for once.
+
+It told her how absurd she would appear to other people in this
+dangerous midnight escapade; what risks she was running. Judy, of
+course, had spent the night with one of the other girls, it said. It
+troubled her mind with whispers of doubts and fears; it ridiculed and
+abused her, but not once did it weaken her determination to follow
+Molly wherever she intended to go. And presently, when Molly quickened
+her footsteps into a run, Nance kept right at her elbow like a noonday
+shadow, foreshortened and broadened.
+
+Molly turned in the direction of the lake. Nance's heart gave a violent
+thump. She had believed all along that they were taking a short cut
+across to the gymnasium, instead of following the gravel walk.
+
+"Molly, you don't think----" she began breathlessly.
+
+"Don't talk now. Hurry," was Molly's brief reply.
+
+Across a corner of the golf course they flew, and before Nance could
+take breath for another dash through a fringe of pine trees she caught
+sight of the waters, as black as ink. She clutched Molly's arm.
+
+"Did you hear anything?" she asked, in a frightened whisper.
+
+They waited a moment, straining their ears in the darkness.
+
+From the middle of the lake came the sound of a canoe paddle dipping
+into the water.
+
+Molly breathed a sigh of relief.
+
+"It's all right," she said, and they hastened down to the platform of
+the boathouse.
+
+In another moment they had launched a small rowboat and were out on the
+lake.
+
+"Will Judy Kean never learn sense?" Nance thought impatiently. "She's
+just like a prairie fire. It only takes a spark to set her going and
+then she burns up everything in sight."
+
+Nance had never been able to understand why Judy could not hold her
+passionate, excitable temperament more in control. She, herself, had
+learned self-denial at an early age. But that was because she had a
+selfish mother.
+
+"How did you ever guess she would be here, Molly?" she asked, as the
+prow of the boat cut softly through the waters of the lake with a
+musical ripple.
+
+Nance was rowing, and Molly, who had never learned to handle oars, was
+sitting facing her.
+
+"I don't know. I can't explain it. I dreamed that some one said
+'hurry,' and the lake seemed to be the place to come to."
+
+Some two hundred feet beyond they now made out the silhouette of a
+canoe. Judy--of course it was Judy; already they recognized the outline
+of her slender figure--kneeling in the bottom of the boat, had stopped
+paddling. She held up her head like a startled animal when it scents
+danger. It occurred to Nance, watching her over her shoulder as they
+drew nearer, that there was really something wild and untamed in Judy's
+nature. She remembered that, the first morning they had met her at
+Queen's, Judy had laughingly announced that she had been born at sea on
+a stormy night. But it was no joking matter, Nance was thinking, and she
+fervently wished that Judy would learn to quell her troubled moods.
+
+The next instant the two boats touched prows. The little canoe, the most
+delicate and sensitive craft that there is, quivered violently with the
+shock of the collision and sprang back. As it bounded forward again,
+Molly held out her hand. Instinctively Judy grasped it, and the two
+boats drew alongside each other.
+
+"Crawl into our boat, Judy, dearest," said Molly. "It will be easier to
+pull the canoe to shore if it's empty."
+
+Judy prepared silently to obey. But a canoe is not a thing to be
+reckoned with at critical moments. Just as Judy raised her foot to step
+into the other boat, the treacherous little craft shot from under her,
+and over she toppled, headforemost into the waters. Fortunately, she was
+an excellent swimmer, and the star diver of the gymnasium pool. But the
+lake was not deep, and when she came up, sputtering and puffing, she
+found herself standing in water that was only shoulder high.
+
+Nance often thought, in looking back on this painful episode, that
+nothing they could have said to Judy would have brought her so
+completely to her senses as this cold ducking. Certainly, if Judy had
+actually planned to jump into the lake, her wishes were most ludicrously
+carried out, and the struggle she now made to climb back into the boat
+showed that she was not anxious to stay any longer than she could help
+in the icy bath. It was a sight for laughter more than for tears,
+sensible Nance pondered with a slight feeling of contempt--that of Judy,
+struggling and kicking to draw herself into the boat. Indeed, she almost
+managed to upset them, too; but she did tumble in somehow, shivering and
+wet but extremely contrite.
+
+"How did you know I was out here?" was the first question she put, when,
+having seized the rope on the prow of the canoe, they headed for shore.
+
+"I didn't know. I only guessed," answered Molly.
+
+"She was up and dressed before she even knew you were not in your room,"
+announced Nance.
+
+"I was a fool," exclaimed Judy, "and I know now what good friends you
+are to have come for me. I don't know exactly what I intended to do out
+here," she went on brokenly. "I felt ashamed to face any one, even mamma
+and papa. I might----" she broke off, shivering. Rivulets of water were
+pouring from her wet clothing into the bottom of the boat. She still
+wore the costume she had worn in the last scene of the play.
+
+"I'll give you my ulster as soon as we land, Judy," said Nance, rowing
+with long rapid strokes which sent the boat skimming over the water.
+
+"I'm just a low-down worthless dog," went on Judy, taking no notice of
+Nance's interruption. "There's no good trying to apologize, Molly. Words
+don't mean anything. But when the chance comes--and the chance always
+does come if you want it--I'll be able to show you how sorry I am for
+what I did, and how much I really love you."
+
+"You showed me what a real friend you were last winter, Judy," broke in
+Molly, "when you gave up your room at Queen's for my sake. I wasn't
+angry about what happened at the gym. I was hurt of course because I'm a
+sensitive plant, but I knew it would be all right in the end because we
+are too close to each other now to let a few hasty words come between
+us. But here we are at the boat landing."
+
+Having tied the two boats in the boat house, which was never kept
+locked, they hurried back to college. Nance insisted upon Judy's putting
+on her ulster.
+
+"You know I'm never cold," she said.
+
+"You girls will just kill me with kindness," exclaimed Judy humbly.
+
+But Nance did not even hear this abject speech. The question of how they
+were to get back into the Quadrangle was occupying her mind.
+
+"We're taking an awful risk," she observed to Molly, in a low voice.
+"There is no other way but the window, I suppose."
+
+"I can't think of any other way," answered Molly, "unless we ring the
+bell over the gate and alarm the entire dormitory."
+
+"Suppose the night watchman has closed the window? What then?" demanded
+Nance.
+
+"Why, we'll just have to find some other way, then," answered her
+optimistic friend.
+
+But the window in the Tower Room was wide open, just as they had left
+it.
+
+The doubting Nance still had another theory.
+
+"Suppose the night watchman has left it open on purpose to catch us when
+we come back?" she suggested.
+
+"I do wish you would stop hunting up troubles, Nance," ejaculated Molly
+irritably. "I never found supposing did any good, anyhow."
+
+Nance, thus rebuked, said nothing more.
+
+Molly, boosted by the other girls, pulled herself onto the window sill
+and climbed into the room. She looked about her cautiously. But Nance's
+fears were groundless so far. The room was perfectly empty.
+
+"Let down a chair," whispered Judy.
+
+There were no small chairs about, however, and she was obliged to choose
+a bench.
+
+"How are we to get it back again?" she asked, after Nance had clambered
+in, and Judy, halfway through, paused to consider this question.
+
+"Hurry, the watchman," hissed Nance, on the lookout at the door. "He's
+coming down the side corridor."
+
+The next instant Judy had leaped into the room, and the three girls were
+tearing along the hall and up the steps, Judy leaving a trail of water
+behind her. The watchman had seen them. They could hear the beat of his
+steps on the cement floor as he ran. The fugitives reached the upper
+corridor just as he arrived at the first landing on the stairs.
+
+"Kick off your pumps, Judy, and pick up your skirts. He'll trace us by
+the wet trail if you don't."
+
+Another dash and they were in their sitting room, the door locked behind
+them. Oh, blessed relief!
+
+Judy, in her stocking feet, was holding up her skirts with both hands.
+Nance had seized one of the slippers and she thought that Molly had the
+other.
+
+But the final excitement of that eventful night was veiled in mystery.
+
+As they had burst into their sitting room, some one ran swiftly across
+the room, through the passage into Judy's room and into the corridor.
+They dared not follow and run the risk of meeting the night watchman,
+probably standing at that moment at the end of the corridor trying to
+trace that path of water, which, thanks be to Nance's prudence, ended
+there and was lost on the green strip of carpet.
+
+Below in the Tower Room the windows of the casement flapped back and
+forth in the wind which was rising steadily, and on the path below stood
+that telltale bench.
+
+"Anyhow," said Molly, "there's only one person who knows we were out
+to-night and, whoever she is, she can't tell without giving herself
+away."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+COVERING THEIR TRACKS.
+
+
+When the dressing bell rang next morning, three heavy-eyed and extremely
+weary young women felt obliged to pull themselves together and appear at
+the breakfast table. Judy had caught cold, and to disguise this
+condition had plastered pink powder on her nose, and now held her breath
+almost to suffocation to avoid coughing in public.
+
+"Have you heard the news?" demanded Jessie, hurrying in late and sitting
+next to Nance.
+
+"Why, no. What is it?" asked Nance calmly.
+
+Molly felt the color rising in her cheeks, and Judy buried her snuffles
+in a long letter from her mother.
+
+"There's the greatest tale going around the Quadrangle! Everybody is
+talking about it," continued Jessie. "One of the chambermaids started
+it, I think, because she told it to me just now."
+
+"What is it?" asked Edith Williams impatiently.
+
+"Some of the Quadrangle girls were out last night gallivanting. They
+climbed through the Tower Room window, left a bench outside and the
+window open. I suppose the watchman frightened them before they could
+hide all traces."
+
+"That sounds like a wild freak," commented Katherine. "What do you
+suppose they were doing?"
+
+"They might have been doing lots of things," replied Jessie
+mysteriously. "The maid said the watchman thought they had been driving
+or motoring with some Exmoor boys."
+
+"Whew!" ejaculated a sophomore. "I'm sorry for them if they are found
+out. I happen to know Prexy's feelings about escapades like that."
+
+"Why? Were you ever caught?"
+
+"No, of course not. Don't you see me sitting here at the table? But my
+older sister was in the class with a girl who was caught. She was a
+campus girl."
+
+"What happened to her?" demanded Judy, forgetting her cold in the
+interest of the story.
+
+"Bounced," answered the sophomore briefly.
+
+The Williamses and Jessie looked at Judy with mixed feelings of
+surprise; not because they noticed her cold or regarded it with any
+suspicion, but because, when they had parted company with her the night
+before she had been in the throes of a jealous rage and had spoken most
+insultingly to her best friend. Their glances shifted to Molly. The two
+girls were seated side by side. Judy was leaning affectionately against
+Molly's shoulder while they looked together at a picture post card sent
+by Mary Stewart from France.
+
+"All bets are off," whispered Edith to her sister. "They have made it
+up. Molly is an angel of forgiveness. We were wrong for once."
+
+"And Margaret was correct."
+
+"A pound of Mexican kisses and two pounds of mixed chocolates," said
+Margaret in Edith's other ear. "I've won my bet, I hope you'll take
+notice."
+
+"We were just taking notice," answered Edith.
+
+"But there's some more of the story," piped out Jessie again. "Don't you
+want to hear the most exciting part?"
+
+"Heavens, yes. Did they catch them?" asked several voices.
+
+"No, no, but one of the girls was wet," announced Jessie impressively.
+"She left a trail of water after her all the way up the steps."
+
+"I should think they could have traced her by that," said Margaret.
+
+"They could have if she had kept on trailing, but she must have
+remembered and held up her skirt, for it stopped right there."
+
+"Wise lady," put in Katherine.
+
+"She must have been canoeing and not driving, then," observed Margaret.
+"Else why the significant fact of wet clothes?"
+
+"Nice night to go canoeing in, cold and dark. Strange notion of
+pleasure," remarked Edith.
+
+"Well, there's more still to come," announced Jessie, when they had
+finished commenting on this remarkable escapade.
+
+"For heaven's sake, Jessie, you're like a serial story of adventure--a
+thriller in every chapter. What now?"
+
+"Well," said Jessie, "you may well prepare for a thriller this time. The
+watchman found something."
+
+"What? What?" they cried, and Nance, Judy and Molly joined in the chorus
+with as much excitement as any of the others.
+
+"He found a slipper."
+
+Judy made an enormous effort to keep her hand from trembling, as she
+raised her coffee cup to her dry, feverish lips. Molly, as usual under
+excitement, changed from white to red and red to white. Nance alone
+seemed perfectly calm.
+
+"I don't see how they can prove anything by that," she observed. "There
+are probably fifty girls or even a hundred who wear the same size shoes
+here. Molly is the only girl I know of who wears a peculiar size, six
+and a half triple A."
+
+"Well, 'one thing is certain and the rest is lies,' as old Omar
+remarked," said Margaret, rising from the table, "and that is, all
+juniors can prove an alibi last night. No junior would ever go
+gallivanting on the night of the junior play."
+
+"Hardly," answered Nance, who had risen to the occasion with fine spirit
+and tact. Molly's face resumed its normal color and Judy looked
+relieved.
+
+"The thing they will have to do," said Edith, "is to find the other
+slipper. And if the owner of that slipper takes my advice she'll drop it
+down the deepest well in Wellington County."
+
+Molly and Nance and Judy hurried through breakfast and rushed back to
+their apartment. They locked all the doors carefully and gathered in
+Judy's room.
+
+"We have nearly fifteen minutes before chapel," said Nance, speaking
+rapidly. "Judy, are your things dry? Get them quickly. They may search
+our rooms. Miss Walker is pretty determined once she's roused, I hear."
+
+Judy gathered up the stiff, rough-dry garments that had been hanging on
+the heater all night, while Molly found tossed in a corner the mate to
+the fatal slipper. Judy held up Viola's dress of old rose velvet.
+
+"It's ruined," she exclaimed, "and that's another complication.
+Suppose----"
+
+"Don't suppose," interrupted Molly hastily, snatching the dress away
+from her. "Hurry, Nance, where shall we put them?"
+
+For a temporary safe hiding place they chose the interior of the upright
+piano. Then they hastily made their beds, set their dressing tables to
+rights and dashed off to chapel just as the matron appeared on an
+ostensible tour of inspection.
+
+It was possible that she was not being very vigilant with the juniors,
+however, that particular morning, knowing that they were one and all
+engaged in producing a very important play the night before. At any
+rate, she only glanced casually around, saw nothing incriminating and
+departed to the next room.
+
+The president looked grave and worried at chapel, but, contrary to
+expectations, she had nothing to say after the prayer.
+
+"It's a bad sign," observed a student. "When Prexy doesn't say anything,
+she means business."
+
+Except for a few moments at lunch, the three girls did not meet in
+private consultation again until late in the afternoon. There was a busy
+sign on their study door. Molly smiled knowingly to herself, and gave
+the masonic tap.
+
+"It's a good idea," she thought, "and will keep out inquisitive people
+until we decide what to do."
+
+She found Judy stretched on the sofa, feverish and coughing, while Nance
+was dosing her with a large dose of quinine and an additional dose of
+sweet spirits of niter.
+
+"You're going to kill me, Nance," Judy was grumbling.
+
+"For heaven's sake, be quiet," scolded Nance. "You haven't any voice to
+waste. Molly, will you make her a hot lemonade? I think we had better
+get her to bed and cover her up with all the comforts so as to bring on
+a perspiration."
+
+"Only one?" inquired Judy.
+
+"Get up from there and go to bed," ordered Nance. "The inspection is
+over and there won't be any chance of another one to-day. You'll have to
+miss supper to-night. We'll say you have one of your sick headaches."
+
+Judy obediently got out of her things while Molly flew around making hot
+lemonade, and Nance hung a blanket over the heater and pulled down their
+three winter comforts off a shelf in the closet.
+
+Judy meekly allowed herself to be smothered under a mountain of covers,
+while she drank the lemonade with childish enjoyment.
+
+"You always make good ones, Molly, darling, because you put in enough
+sugar. I'll probably be melted into a fountain of perspiration like
+Undine, only she went away in tears," she complained presently.
+
+"That's the object of the treatment," answered Nance sternly. "Whatever
+is left of you after the melting process is over is quite well of the
+cold."
+
+Molly could have laughed if she had not been thinking of something else
+very hard.
+
+The two girls sat down on the divan and began a subdued and earnest
+conversation.
+
+"What are we to do with these things, Molly? We can't leave them in
+the piano because the moment some one sits down to play we'll be
+discovered."
+
+"Murderers take up the planks in the floor and hide their bloodstained
+clothing underneath," observed Molly. "But we can't do that, of course."
+
+They took the bundle from its hiding place and looked over the garments.
+
+"I have an idea," announced Nance, who had many practical notions on the
+subject of clothes. "Suppose we take the dress to the cleaner's in the
+village and have it steamed."
+
+"Why can't we steam it ourselves over the tea kettle?" demanded Molly.
+"We can and we'll do it right now and press it on the wrong side. If it
+hadn't been so much admired, it wouldn't matter so very much, but some
+one's sure to ask to see it or borrow it or something. How about the
+underclothes? Can't we smooth them out with a hot iron before they go to
+the laundry?"
+
+They set to work at once to heat water and irons, and presently were
+engaged in restoring the old rose velvet to a semblance of its former
+beauty.
+
+"What are we going to do about that slipper?" demanded Molly, pausing in
+her labors.
+
+"I've made up my mind to that," replied Nance. "We must bury it."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE GRAVE DIGGERS.
+
+
+Three times during the night Molly and Nance crept into Judy's room and
+looked at her anxiously. She seemed to be sleeping heavily, but she
+tossed about the bed with feverish restlessness, and her forehead was
+burning hot.
+
+Early in the morning the faithful friends were up again, tipping about
+like two wraiths of the dawn in their trailing dressing gowns.
+
+"I'll bathe her face and hands before she takes any tea," said Molly.
+"She's awake. I saw her open her eyes when I peeped in just now."
+
+Judy was awake and sitting bolt upright when they presently entered with
+the basin and towels. There was a strange look in her eyes. Molly
+remembered to have seen it before when Judy was in the grip of the
+wander thirst.
+
+"Here you are, Sweet Spirits of Niter," she cried, in a hoarse, excited
+voice. "Knowst thou the land of Sweet Spirits of Niter?" she began
+singing. "Knowst thou the Sweet Spirits? They are tall, slender, gray
+ladies done in long curving lines, like that." She illustrated her ideas
+of these strange beings by sketching a picture on an imaginary canvas.
+"They lean against slim trees. They have soft musical voices and speak
+gently because they are sweet. You see? And the Land of Niter, what of
+it? It is a land of gray mists, always in twilight, and the Sweet
+Spirits who live in it are shadows. It is a sad land, but it is still
+and quiet and there are cool fountains everywhere. Sweet spirit, wouldst
+give me to drink of thy cup?"
+
+Molly and Nance laughed. They knew that Judy was delirious, but it was
+impossible not to laugh over her strange, poetic illusion regarding
+sweet spirits of niter. Setting down the basin and towel, they retreated
+to the next room.
+
+"We'd better make her a cup of beef tea as quickly as we can," said
+Nance. "That will quench her thirst and nourish her at the same time.
+Good heavens, Molly, what shall we do if she begins to talk about the
+slipper and the lake?"
+
+"I don't know," replied Molly, lighting the alcohol lamp, while Nance
+found the jar of beef extract. "I wish you hadn't given her so much
+physic, Nance." Molly had a deep-rooted objection to medicine, while
+Nance, on the other hand, was a firm believer in old-fashioned remedies.
+"Her stomach was in no condition for all that stuff. It was utterly
+upset. Her gastric juices had been lashed into a storm and hadn't had
+time to subside."
+
+Nance smiled at Molly's ignorance.
+
+"You are getting the emotions and the stomach mixed, Molly, dear."
+
+Now, Molly had her own ideas on this subject, but it was vain to argue
+with her friend, the actual proprietor of a real medicine chest marked
+"Household Remedies," which contained more than a dozen phials of
+physics.
+
+Judy was, in fact, paying the penalty for her mental storm when on the
+night of the play she had run through the whole scale of emotions,
+beginning with stage fright and an awful fear and passing into
+mortification, disappointment, rage, remorse and finally sorrow, or it
+might be called self-pity, which inspired her to launch a canoe and
+paddle into the middle of the lake at midnight. It will never be known
+how near she came to jumping into the lake. It is difficult to reckon
+with an unrestrained, hypersensitive nature like hers, always up in the
+heights or down in the depths; sometimes capable of splendid acts of
+generosity and unselfishness, but capable also of inflicting cruel
+punishments for imagined offences.
+
+Nance was for more medicine.
+
+"Suppose I give her a big dose of castor oil, Molly," she suggested,
+while she stirred the tea. "She had better take it before she drinks
+this."
+
+"Goodness, Nance, you'll kill her," exclaimed Molly, horrified. "Don't
+you see that it is entirely a mental thing with Judy? What she needs is
+absolute quiet, and the quinine has probably excited her and made her
+delirious. She doesn't need things to stimulate her. She's almost
+effervescent in her normal condition, anyhow."
+
+"Castor oil isn't a stimulant, child."
+
+"Perhaps not, but she'd better not be upset any more," and in the end
+Molly had her way.
+
+Returning in a few moments to bathe Judy's face, she found the sick girl
+half out of bed.
+
+"Get back into bed, Judy," she said firmly. "You're to have a nice quiet
+day in here and no one to bother you."
+
+"But the slipper. I'm looking for the other slipper," began Judy,
+weeping. "Oh, dear, I must find the slipper. Nance, Molly, the slipper,
+have you seen the slipper, the old oaken slipper, the iron-bound slipper
+that hangs in the well. If it's in the well now, drop it to the bottom.
+I hope it's a deep well, the deepest well in Well County."
+
+It was unkind to laugh, but Molly could not keep her countenance.
+
+"I might have known," she thought, "that Judy could be more delirious
+than anybody in the world."
+
+Judy submitted to having her face bathed and drank the beef tea without
+a murmur. She appeared greatly refreshed and quieted and said a few
+rational words about having had bad dreams.
+
+It was Sunday morning, frosty and bright. The bell of the Catholic
+Church in the village called devotees to early mass. It rang out
+joyfully and persuasively, reiterating its message to unbelievers. It
+was a cheerful sound and, in spite of Judy's troubles, they felt
+comforted. The steam heat began its pleasant matins in the pipes. The
+kettle on the alcohol stove hummed busily. Molly began to make
+preparations for breakfast. Although she was not self-indulgent,
+discomfort was never an acceptable state to her.
+
+"Get your bath, Nance," she ordered, "and then you can come back and
+make the toast while I take mine."
+
+Nance departed for the bathrooms with soap and towels, while Molly
+busied herself spreading a lunch cloth on one of the study tables and
+placing a blue china bowl full of oranges in the center. Then she
+carefully extracted four eggs from a paper bag in a box on the outer
+window ledge; cut four thin, even slices of bread to be inserted in
+Judy's patent electric toaster, and at intervals poured boiling water
+through the dripper into the coffee pot.
+
+"If I were at home this morning," she said, "I would be eating hot
+waffles and kidney hash."
+
+Suddenly she looked up. Judy was standing in the doorway.
+
+"Molly," she said, "I want my slipper."
+
+Molly took her hand and gently led her back to bed.
+
+"Judy, would you like a cup of delicious, strong, hot coffee?" she
+asked, endeavoring to divert Judy's quinine-charged senses.
+
+"Very much, but the slipper----" Judy began to whimper like a child.
+
+Molly hurried into the next room, found one of Nance's slippers and
+gravely handed it to Judy, who grasped it carefully with both hands as
+if it were something very precious and brittle.
+
+"When I gave her your slipper, Nance, I felt something like the old
+witch who had kidnapped the Queen's infant and put a changeling in its
+place," Molly observed later, in telling about this incident to Nance.
+"But there is nothing to do but humor her, I suppose, until the
+influence of the quinine wears off."
+
+"Where has she got it now?" asked Nance, ignoring Molly's allusions to
+quinine.
+
+"What? The changeling slipper? Under her pillow."
+
+Nance laughed.
+
+"I'm thinking, Molly," she remarked, "that to-day would be an excellent
+time to get rid of that other slipper. I don't feel as if I could sleep
+comfortably another night in these rooms with the guilty thing around.
+Until we dig a hole and bury it deep, we shall never have any peace of
+mind."
+
+Molly was carefully peeling the shell from the end of an egg.
+
+"Do you think we could leave her alone this afternoon?" she asked. "How
+long does quinine continue its ravages?"
+
+"Oh, not long," answered Nance, in a most matter of fact voice. "She's
+such a sensitive subject, that is the trouble. Quinine doesn't usually
+make people take on so. I never met any one so excitable and high strung
+as Judy. She gets her nerves tuned up to such a high pitch sometimes
+that I wonder they don't snap in two."
+
+"Nance, don't you think we ought to confess the whole thing to Miss
+Walker?"
+
+"Do you think Judy would ever forgive us if we did?"
+
+Molly sighed.
+
+"I'm afraid not," she said. "Confessing would involve so much. We
+would have to go back so far to the original cause, those wretched
+Shakespeareans. It would be pretty hard on poor old Judy. But the
+slipper, Nance--it's such a ridiculous thing, our hiding that slipper.
+Where shall we hide it?"
+
+"We must dig a grave and bury it," said Nance, "and we must do it this
+afternoon and get the thing off our minds. Then all evidence will be
+destroyed and there will be no possible way of finding out about Judy."
+
+"You have forgotten about the visitor to our room in the night."
+
+"Yes," admitted Nance, "there is that visitor. Who was she? What did she
+want? You haven't missed anything, have you?"
+
+"No," replied Molly. "I have nothing valuable enough to steal except old
+Martin Luther, and he's quite safe."
+
+She reached for the china pig on the bookshelves and shook him
+carefully. His interior gave out a musical jingle.
+
+Clothed and fed and comforted, the two girls leaned back in their Morris
+chairs, with extra cups of coffee resting on the chair arms, to consider
+the question of Judy's slipper. At last they came to a mutual agreement.
+
+Otoyo, the safest, discreetest and least inquisitive of their friends,
+was to be taken partly into their confidence and left to look after Judy
+while they went on their mysterious errand. Otoyo, who had the racial
+peculiarity of the Japanese of never being surprised at anything,
+accepted this position of trust without a comment. Few students took
+Sunday morning walks at Wellington, and therefore morning was the safest
+time for the expedition. Judy, reenforced with a soft-boiled egg and a
+cup of coffee, appeared perfectly rational and quiet. She surrendered
+the slipper without a murmur, and turning over on her side dropped off
+to sleep. A Not-at-Home sign was hung on the door and Otoyo was
+cautioned not to let any one into Judy's room. She was to say to all
+callers that Judy had a headache and was asleep.
+
+Dressed for a tramp, with Judy's slipper in one of the deep pockets of
+Nance's ulster, and a knife, fork and table spoon for digging purposes
+in the other, the two girls presently left Otoyo on the floor immersed
+in study. They had scarcely closed the door when Judy called from the
+next room:
+
+"Bring me that slipper, Otoyo."
+
+And the little Japanese, with a puzzled look on her face, obeyed.
+
+As they hastened down the corridor, hoping devoutly not to meet intimate
+friends, Molly and Nance were stopped by the irrepressible Minerva
+Higgins.
+
+"Isn't this a stroke of luck?" she exclaimed. "You are going for a walk
+and so am I. I was just on the lookout for somebody. Girls here are so
+industrious Sunday mornings, I can never get any one to go walking until
+afternoon."
+
+Molly was silent. At that moment she yearned for the courage of Nance,
+who with a word could scatter Minerva's cheeky assurance like chaff
+before the wind.
+
+"It's lack of character, I suppose," she thought disconsolately. "But I
+couldn't crush a fly, much less that presumptuous little freshman."
+
+She stood back, therefore, and let Nance have a clear field for the
+struggle.
+
+"You are very kind to offer us your company, Miss Higgins, but we must
+beg to be excused to-day," said Nance calmly.
+
+"I call that a nice, Sunday-morning, Christian spirit," cried Minerva,
+with an angry flash in her small, pig-like eyes.
+
+"No, no, Minerva," put in Molly gently. "You must not think that way
+about it. Nance and I have some important business to discuss, that's
+all. You mustn't imagine it's unkind when older girls turn you down
+sometimes. You know it isn't customary here for a freshman to invite
+herself to join an older girl. I believe it isn't customary in any
+college. Don't be angry, please."
+
+Hidden under layers of vanity, selfishness and stupid assurance, was
+Minerva's better self which Molly hoped to reach, and some day she would
+break through the crust, but not this morning.
+
+"Don't tell me anything about upper-class girls--conceited snobs! I know
+all about them," exclaimed Minerva angrily, as she marched down the
+corridor in a high state of rage.
+
+"Don't bother about her. She's a hopeless case, just as Margaret said,"
+remarked Nance.
+
+Once off the campus, they followed the path along the lake and turned
+their faces toward Round Head as being the spot most apt to be
+deserted at that hour in the morning. It was not long before they were
+climbing the steep hill.
+
+"Where shall we lay it to rest, poor weary little _sole_?" asked Nance,
+laughing.
+
+"Let's dig the grave on the Exmoor side," answered Molly. "Behind one of
+those big rocks is a good spot. We'll be hidden from sight and the
+ground is softer there."
+
+[Illustration: THEY SET TO WORK TO DIG A SMALL GRAVE FOR JUDY'S
+SLIPPER.--_Page 129._]
+
+Talking and giggling, because after all they were entirely innocent of
+any wrongdoing, they set to work to dig a small grave for Judy's
+slipper.
+
+"When the earth casts up its dead on the Day of Judgment, Nance, do you
+suppose this slipper will seek its mate?"
+
+"I hope it won't seek it any sooner," answered Nance dryly.
+
+At last the grave was ready. They laid the slipper in the hole,
+carefully covered it with earth, and concealed all evidences of recent
+disturbance with bits of grass and splinters of rock.
+
+Then Molly, leaning against the side of the boulder and clasping her
+hands, remarked:
+
+"Let this be its epitaph:
+
+    "'Under the wide and starry sky
+      Dig the grave and let me lie;
+      Glad did I live and gladly die,
+      And I laid me down with a will.
+
+    "'This be the verse you 'grave for me:
+      Here he lies where he longed to be;
+      Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
+      And the hunter home from the hill.'"
+
+Scarcely had the last words died on her lips when Nance gave a low,
+horrified exclamation. Molly glanced up quickly. Just above them in the
+shadow of another big rock stood Professor Green in his old gray suit.
+So still was he that he might have been a part of the geological
+formation of the hill, planted there centuries ago. Molly felt the hot
+blood mount to her face. How long had he been there? How much had he
+seen? What did he think? Forcing its way through all these wild
+speculations came another thought: there was a brown coffee stain on one
+of his trouser legs. She tried to speak, but the words refused to come,
+and before she could get herself in hand, the professor coldly lifted
+his hat and walked away.
+
+In his glance she read DISAPPOINTMENT as plainly as if it had been
+written across his brow in letters of fire.
+
+"Oh, Nance," she cried, and burst into tears.
+
+"He won't tell, even if he has seen," Nance reassured her. "Don't mind,
+Molly, dear. Come along. I'm not afraid."
+
+"It's not that! It's not that!" sobbed Molly. But then, of course, Nance
+wouldn't understand what it really was, because she hardly understood it
+herself. He believed, of course, that she had gone rowing with some
+Exmoor boys after ten o'clock. He had heard the story of the slipper.
+Everybody had heard it. It was the talk of college. For a moment Molly
+felt a wave of resentment against Judy. Then her anger shifted to
+Professor Green.
+
+"At least he might have given us a chance to explain," she exclaimed, as
+she followed Nance along the lake path back to the campus.
+
+As soon as they entered the room, a little while later, they saw by
+Otoyo's face that something had happened.
+
+"What is it?" they demanded uneasily.
+
+"Oh," ejaculated Otoyo, raising both hands with an eloquent gesture, "it
+was that terrible Mees Heegins. You had but scarcely departing gone when
+there came to the door a rap-rap-rap--so. I thought it was you
+returning, and when I open, she push her way in, so."
+
+Otoyo gave an imitation of Minerva forcing her way into the sitting
+room.
+
+"She say: 'I wish to see Mees Kean on a particular business.' I say:
+'Mees Kean has a sickness to her head.' She say: 'Move away, little
+yellow peril. Don't interfere with me. I wish to inquire after her
+health.' Then she make great endeavors to remove me from the door."
+
+"And what did you do, Otoyo?" they asked anxiously.
+
+Otoyo's face took on an expression half humorous and half deprecating.
+
+"It will not make you angry with little Japanese girl?"
+
+"No, of course not, child."
+
+"I employ jiu jitsu."
+
+The girls both laughed, and Otoyo, relieved, joined in the merriment.
+
+"She receive no bruises, but she receive a shock, because it arrive so
+suddenlee, you see? So she quietlee walk away and say no more."
+
+"You adorable little Japanese girl," cried Molly, embracing her.
+
+Nance opened the door and peeped into Judy's room.
+
+She was sleeping quietly, the slipper clasped in both hands.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+A VISIT OF STATE.
+
+
+Judy still slept the sleep of the exhausted. Her tired forces craved a
+long rest after the storm that had lashed and beaten them. The girls
+crept about the room softly and spoke in low voices, and when they went
+down to the early dinner locked the door and took the key with them.
+Later, fearing callers, again they hung out a Busy sign and settled
+themselves comfortably for a peaceful afternoon. Nance, armed with a
+dictionary and notebook, was translating "Les Miserables," a penitential
+task she had set for herself for two hours every Sunday.
+
+Molly was also engaged in a penitential task. She was endeavoring to
+compose a story on simple and natural lines. It was very difficult. Her
+mind at this moment seemed to be an avenue for bands of roving and
+irrelevant thoughts and refused to concentrate on the work at hand. She
+made several beginnings, as: "One blustering, windy day in March a
+lonely little figure----" With a contemptuous stroke of her pencil, she
+drew a line through the words and wrote underneath: "It was a calm,
+beautiful morning in May----"
+
+Twirling her pencil, she paused to consider this statement.
+
+"No, no, that won't do," she thought. "It's entirely too commonplace."
+She glanced absently over at the book Nance was reading. "Victor Hugo
+would probably have put it this way: 'It was the fifteenth of May, 17--.
+A young girl was hurrying along the Rue----. She paused at the house,
+No. 11.' Oh, dear," pondered Molly, "one has to tell something very
+important to write in that way. It's like sending a telegram. Just as
+much as possible expressed in the fewest possible words. Can the
+professor mean that? Would he mind if I asked him and then at the same
+time, perhaps----" Again the wandering thoughts broke off. "It's rather
+hard he should have misunderstood about this morning. Is there no way I
+can explain without involving Judy? Oh, dear! Oh, dear! How complicated
+life is, and what a complicated nature is Judy's."
+
+There were two quick raps on the door. Molly and Nance exchanged
+frightened glances. It was not the masonic tap of their friends, and no
+one else would have knocked on a door which advertised a Busy sign.
+There was, in fact, a note of authority in the double rap. Some instinct
+prevented Nance from calling out "Come in," a matter later for
+self-congratulation. She rose and opened the door and President Walker
+entered. If Miss Walker had ever paid a visit to a student before, the
+girls had not heard of it. It was, so far as they knew, an entirely
+unprecedented happening and quite sufficient to make innocent people
+look guilty and set hearts to pumping blood at double-quick time.
+
+"I saw your Busy sign," said Miss Walker, glancing from one startled
+face to the other, "but I shall not keep you long. What a pretty room,"
+she added, looking about her approvingly.
+
+"Thank heavens, it's straight," thought Nance, groaning mentally.
+
+"Won't you sit down, Miss Walker?" asked Molly, pushing forward one of
+the easy chairs.
+
+The President sat down. There was a plate of "cloudbursts" on the table.
+Would it be disrespectful to offer the President some of this delectable
+candy? Nance considered it would be, decidedly so. But Molly, a slave to
+the laws of hospitality, took what might be called a leap in the dark
+and silently held the plate in front of the President. If this turned
+out to be a visit of state it was rather a risky thing to do. But Miss
+Walker helped herself to one piece and then demanded another.
+
+"Delicious," she said. "Did you make it, Miss Brown?"
+
+"Yes, Miss Walker."
+
+It had been purely a stroke of luck with Molly, who had no way to know
+that Miss Walker had a sweet tooth.
+
+"I must have that recipe. What makes it so light?"
+
+"The whites of eggs beaten very stiff, and the rest of it is just melted
+brown sugar. It's very easy," added Molly, forming a resolution to make
+the President a plate of "cloudbursts" without loss of time.
+
+"Who is the third girl who shares this apartment with you?" asked Miss
+Walker, unexpectedly coming back to business.
+
+"Julia Kean."
+
+"And where is she to-day?"
+
+Nance hesitated.
+
+"She is sick in bed to-day, Miss Walker."
+
+"Ahem! Cold, I suppose?"
+
+"It's more excitement than anything else," put in Molly. "The junior
+play----"
+
+"Oh, yes. She was 'Viola,' of course," said the President.
+
+"You see she had a bad attack of stage fright," continued Molly, "and
+Judy is so excitable and sensitive. She exaggerated what happened and it
+made her ill."
+
+"And what did happen? She forgot her lines, as I recall. But that often
+occurs. Even professionals have been known to forget their parts. Ellen
+Terry is quite notorious for her bad memory, but she is a great actress,
+nevertheless."
+
+The girls were silent. They wondered what in the world Miss Walker was
+driving at.
+
+"And then what happened next?"
+
+They looked at her blankly.
+
+"What happened next?" repeated Molly.
+
+"Yes. I want you to begin and tell me the whole thing from beginning to
+end."
+
+Molly rested her chin on her hand and looked out of the window. This is
+what had been familiarly spoken of in college as being "on the grill."
+
+"What do you want us to tell, Miss Walker?" asked Nance with a
+surprising amount of courage in her tones.
+
+"I want to know," said the President sternly, "where you were between
+twelve and one o'clock on Friday night."
+
+"We were on the lake," announced Nance, with keen appreciation of the
+fact that when President Walker made a direct question she expected a
+direct answer and there was no getting around it.
+
+"Alone?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"You mean to tell me that you three girls went rowing on the lake alone
+at that hour? What escapade is this?"
+
+Her voice was so stern that it made Molly quake in her boots, but Nance
+was as heroic as an early Christian martyr.
+
+"It was not a mad escapade. We did it because we had to," she answered.
+
+"Why?"
+
+Nance paused. This was the crucial point. It looked as if Miss Walker
+must be told about Judy's folly, or themselves be disgraced.
+
+"They came for me," announced a hoarse voice from the door.
+
+It was such an unexpected interruption that all three women started
+nervously, but if Molly and Nance had been more observant they would
+have noticed the President stifle a smile which twitched the corners of
+her mouth.
+
+Judy, in a long red dressing-gown, her hair in great disorder and her
+eyes glittering feverishly, came trailing into the room. In one hand she
+grasped Nance's slipper and with the other she made a dramatic gesture,
+pointing to herself.
+
+"They came for me," she repeated. "I had been angry and said cruel,
+unjust things to Molly. Everybody went off and left me after the play. I
+was locked out and I was so unhappy, I wanted to be alone. Water always
+comforts me. You see, I was born at sea, and I took a canoe from the
+boat house and paddled into the middle of the lake. Then those two Sweet
+Spirits of Niter came for me, and the canoe upset and I--I dropped my
+slipper somewhere, 5-B is the number--I don't know who found it--here's
+its mate----" Judy waved the slipper over her head and laughed wildly.
+
+"The child's delirious," exclaimed Miss Walker, smiling in spite of
+herself.
+
+They persuaded Judy to get back into bed and the President sent Nance
+flying for the doctor. Presently, when Judy had dropped off to sleep
+again, Molly finished the story of that exciting evening.
+
+"But, my dear," said the President, slipping her arm around Molly's
+waist and drawing her down on the arm of the chair, "what prompted you
+to go to the lake and nowhere else?"
+
+"I can never explain really what it was," replied Molly. "I dreamed that
+someone said 'hurry.' I wasn't even thinking of Judy when I started to
+dress. You see, we thought she had gone to bed. I hadn't thought of the
+lake, either. It was just as if I was walking in my sleep, Nance said.
+Then we found Judy wasn't in her room, and I knew she needed me. I
+remember we ran all the way to the lake."
+
+"Strange, strange!" said Miss Walker.
+
+She drew Molly's face down to her own and kissed her. There were tears
+on the President's cheek and Molly looked the other way.
+
+"Sometimes, Molly," she said after a moment, "you remind me of my dear
+sister who died twenty years ago."
+
+It was a good while before Nance returned with Dr. McLean and in the
+interval of waiting Molly and Miss Walker talked of many things. Molly
+told her how they had buried the slipper on Round Head, and of how they
+had seen the Professor and been frightened. They talked of Judy's
+temperament and of what kind of mental training Judy should have to
+learn to control her wild spirits. From that the talk drifted to Molly's
+affairs, and then she asked the President to do her the honor of
+drinking a cup of tea in her humble apartment. The two women spent an
+intimate and delightful hour together, with Judy sound asleep in the
+next room, and no one to disturb them because of that blessed Busy sign.
+
+At last Dr. McLean came blustering in, and, seeing the President and
+Molly in close converse over their cups of tea, chuckled delightedly and
+observed:
+
+"They are all alike, the women folk--the talk lasts as long as the tea
+lasts, and there's always another cup in the pot."
+
+"Have a look at your patient, doctor," said Miss Walker, "and we'll save
+that extra cup in the pot for you."
+
+The doctor was not disturbed over Judy's delirium.
+
+"It's joost quinine and excitement that's made her go a bit daffy," he
+said. "Keep her quiet for a day or so. She'll be all right."
+
+Imagine their surprise, ten minutes later, when Margaret Wakefield
+and the Williamses, peeping into the room, found Molly and Nance
+entertaining the President of Wellington and Dr. McLean at tea. The news
+spread quickly along the corridor and when the distinguished guests
+presently departed almost every girl in the Quadrangle had made it her
+business to be lingering near the stairway or wandering in the hall.
+
+Only one person heard nothing of it, and that was Minerva Higgins, who,
+after Vespers, had taken a long walk. Nobody told her about it
+afterward, because she was not popular with the Quadrangle girls and
+had formed her associations with some freshmen in the village. When it
+was given out that evening that Miss Walker had come to see about Judy,
+who had been quite ill, the talk died down.
+
+Having dropped the heavy load of responsibility they had been carrying
+for two days, Molly and Nance felt foolishly gay. Molly made Miss Walker
+a box of cloudbursts before she went to bed, while Nance read aloud a
+thrilling and highly exciting detective story borrowed from Edith
+Williams, whose shelves held books for every mood.
+
+"By the way, Nance," observed Molly, when the story was finished, "how
+do you suppose Miss Walker found it all out?"
+
+"Why, Professor Green, of course," answered Nance in a matter of fact
+voice. "There was never any doubt in my mind from the first moment she
+came into the room."
+
+"What?" cried Molly, thunderstruck.
+
+"There was no other way. He saw us burying the slipper and I suppose he
+thought it his duty to inform on us."
+
+"He didn't feel it his duty to inform on Judith Blount when she cut the
+electric wires that night," broke in Molly.
+
+"Perhaps he didn't think that was as wrong as rowing on the lake with
+boys from Exmoor. Besides, she was his relative."
+
+Molly took off her slipper and held it up as if she were going to pitch
+it with all her force across the room. Then she dropped it gently on the
+floor.
+
+"I'm disappointed," she said.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+A SWOPPING PARTY AND A MOCK TRIAL.
+
+
+There was never any tedious convalescing for Judy; no tiresome
+transition from illness to health. As soon as she determined in her mind
+that she was well, she arose from her bed and walked, and neither
+friendly remonstrances nor doctor's orders could induce her to return.
+
+On Monday morning she appeared in the sitting room wearing a black dress
+with widow's bands of white muslin around the collar and cuffs. Molly
+and Nance were a little uneasy at first, thinking that the delirium
+still lingered, but Judy seemed entirely rational.
+
+"Why, Judy," exclaimed Molly, "are you a widow?"
+
+"I shall wear mourning for awhile," answered Judy solemnly, ignoring
+Molly's facetious question. "It is my only way of showing that I am a
+penitent. I can't wear sackcloth and ashes as they do in Oriental
+countries or flagellate my shoulders with a spiked whip like a mediaeval
+monk; nor can I go on a pilgrimage to a sacred shrine. So I have decided
+to give up colors for awhile and wear black."
+
+Molly kissed her and said no more. She knew that Judy went into
+everything she did heart and soul even unto the outward and visible
+symbol of clothes, and if wearing black was her way of showing public
+repentance she felt only a great respect for her friend's sincerity of
+motive.
+
+"But what are we to tell people when they ask if you have gone into
+mourning, Judy, because they certainly will?" demanded Nance, taking a
+more practical and less romantic view of the situation.
+
+"Tell them I'm doing penance," answered Judy, and thus it got out around
+college that Judy was making public amends for her angry words to Molly,
+and there was a good deal of secret amusement, of which Judy was as
+serenely unconscious as a pious pilgrim journeying barefoot to a holy
+tomb.
+
+In the midst of these happenings there came a note one day from Mrs.
+McLean inviting the three young girls to the annual junior week-end
+house party at Exmoor. Their hosts were to be Andy McLean, George Green
+and Lawrence Upton and they were to stay at the Chapter House from
+Friday night until Sunday noon. It meant a round of gayeties from
+beginning to end, but to Molly it meant something almost out of reach.
+
+"Clothes!" she exclaimed tragically, "I must have clothes. I can't go to
+Exmoor looking like little orphan Annie."
+
+It was in vain that Judy and Nance offered to share their things with
+her. Molly obstinately refused to listen to them.
+
+"I won't need any colored clothes, anyhow," said Judy.
+
+"Yes, you will, Judy. You just must come out of those widow's weeds for
+the house party," Molly urged.
+
+"No," said Judy, "I've made a vow and until that vow is fulfilled I
+shall never wear colors. I've sent two dresses down to the Wellington
+Dye Works to be dyed black. Fortunately my suit is black already and so
+is my hat. Now, I have a proposition to make, Molly. I'm in need of
+funds more than clothes just now and I'll sell you my yellow gauze for
+the contents of Martin Luther. He must be pretty full by now."
+
+"He's plumb full," answered Molly proudly. "I hadn't realized how much I
+had put in until I tried to drop a quarter in this morning, and lo, and
+behold, he couldn't accommodate another cent."
+
+She held up the china pig and shook him.
+
+"How much should you think he'd hold altogether?" asked Judy. "I don't
+want to be getting the best of the bargain and perhaps Martin Luther is
+worth more than the dress."
+
+"No, no," protested Molly. "He could never be worth that much. I think
+he has about fifteen dollars in his tum-tum. I've put in all the money
+I earned from cloudbursts and about ten dollars, changed up small, for
+tutoring."
+
+Judy insisted on adding a blue silk blouse and a pair of yellow silk
+stockings to the collection to be sold.
+
+"I'll sell them to someone else if you won't buy them," she announced,
+"and if you need a dress, you might as well take this one off my hands."
+
+"Well," Molly finally agreed, "we'll break open Martin, and count the
+money and, if there's anything like a decent sum, I'll buy the dress.
+Let's make a party of it," she added brightly. "I'll cut the hickory-nut
+cake that came from home last night, and Nance can make fudge."
+
+It was like Molly's passion for entertaining to turn the breaking open
+of the china bank into a festival. Nance had once remarked it was one
+thing to have a convivial soul and quite another to have the ready
+provisions, and Molly never invited her friends to a bare board.
+
+"Try on the dress and let's see how you look in it, Molly dear," ordered
+Judy. "We'll open the bank to-night with due ceremony, but I want to
+see you in the yellow dress now."
+
+The two girls were about the same height and build. Molly was not so
+well developed across the chest as her friend and was more slender
+through the hips. But the dress fitted her to perfection.
+
+"Oh, you're a dream," cried Nance, when Molly presently appeared in the
+yellow dress.
+
+"Molly, you are adorable," exclaimed Judy. "You always look better in my
+clothes than I do."
+
+"They always fit me better than my own," said Molly, looking at herself
+in the mirror over the mantel. "I feel like a princess," she ejaculated,
+blushing at her own charming image. "Oh, Judy, I have no right to
+deprive you of this lovely gown. Your mother, I'm sure, would be very
+angry."
+
+"Mamma is never angry," said Judy. "That is why I am so impossible.
+Besides, I told you I needed the money. I have spent all my allowance
+and I won't get another cent for two weeks."
+
+Molly took off the dress and laid it carefully in the box, stuffing
+tissue paper under the folds to prevent premature wrinkles. Her eyes
+dwelt lingeringly on the pale yellow masses of chiffon and lace.
+
+It would certainly be the solution of her troubles, and oh, the feeling
+of comfort one has in a really beautiful dress! She put the top on the
+box and pushed it away from her.
+
+"I'll decide in the morning, Judy. I can't make up my mind quite yet. It
+seems like highway robbery to take the most beautiful dress you have and
+the most expensive, too, I am certain."
+
+"I tell you I never liked the color," cried Judy. "I'm determined to
+wear black. When I have on black I feel superior to all persons wearing
+colors. It gives me dignity. There is a richness about robes of sable
+hue. Some day I'm going to have a black velvet evening dress made quite
+plain with an immense train stretching all the way across the room. My
+only ornaments will be a great diamond star in my hair and a necklace of
+the same, and I shall carry a large fan made of black ostrich
+feathers."
+
+The girls laughed at this picture of magnificence and as Molly hurried
+away to invite the guests to the spread she heard Nance remark:
+
+"You'll look like the bride of the undertaker in that costume, Judy."
+
+"Not at all. I shall look like the Queen of Night, Anna Oldham."
+
+Judy went to the door and looked out. Molly was safely around the corner
+of the Quadrangle.
+
+"Nance," she continued, "don't you think Molly would let me give her the
+dress?"
+
+Nance shook her head.
+
+"I am afraid not. You know how proud she is. It's going to be hard to
+persuade her to buy it at that price. You know it's worth lots more."
+
+Judy sighed.
+
+"If I could only do something," she said. "If I only had a chance."
+
+"Perhaps the chance will slip up on you, Judy, when you least expect it.
+That's the way chances always do," said Nance.
+
+It occurred to Judy, thinking over the matter of the yellow dress later,
+that it might be fun to have a "Barter and Exchange Party," and if all
+the girls were swopping things Molly could be more easily persuaded to
+take the yellow dress. All guests therefore were notified to bring
+anything they wanted to swop or sell to the rooms of the three friends
+that night.
+
+It turned out to be a very exciting affair. The divans were piled with
+exchangeable property. Jessie Lynch brought more things than anybody
+else, ribbon bows, silk scarfs, several dresses and a velvet toque.
+Millicent Porter, who now spent more time in the Quadrangle than at Beta
+Phi House, to the surprise of the girls, brought a rather dingy
+collection of things which no one would either swop or buy. But she
+enjoyed herself immensely. Edith Williams made two trips to carry all
+the books she wished to exchange for other books, clothes, hats or
+money. But Otoyo Sen had the most interesting collection and was the
+gayest person that night. She was willing to exchange anything she had
+just for the fun of it.
+
+It was so exciting that they forgot all about Martin Luther until the
+time arrived for refreshments and they gathered about the hickory-nut
+cake, now a famous delicacy at Wellington.
+
+"What surprises me is how pleased everybody is to get rid of something
+someone else is equally pleased to get," observed Margaret. "Now, for
+instance, I have a black hat I have always hated because it wobbles on
+my head. I feel as if I had received a gift to have exchanged it for
+this green one of Judy's. And Judy's so contented she's wearing my black
+one still."
+
+"Oh, but I am the fortunate one," said Otoyo. "I have acquired an
+excellent library for three ordinary cotton kimonos."
+
+"But such lovely kimonos," exclaimed Edith. "Katherine and I are in
+luck. Look at this pale blue dressing gown, please, for a French
+dictionary."
+
+"I have the loveliest of all," broke in Molly, "amber beads."
+
+"But they did not appear becomingly on me," protested Otoyo, not wishing
+to seem worsted in her bargains. "And what do I receive in exchange? A
+pair of beautiful knitted slippers for winter time, so warm, so
+comfortable."
+
+"They were too little for me," announced Molly. "It was no deprivation
+to exchange them for a beautiful necklace. Really, Judy, this was a most
+original scheme of yours."
+
+"But what about Martin Luther?" asked someone. "I thought this spread
+was really for the purpose of counting up the pennies he had been
+accumulating."
+
+Molly took the china pig from the shelf and placed him on the table.
+
+"How shall I break him?" she asked. "Shall I crush him with one blow of
+the hammer, or shall I knock off his head on the steam heater?"
+
+"Poor Martin!" ejaculated Edith. "He's not a wild boar to be hunted down
+and exterminated. He's a kindly domestic animal who has performed the
+task set for him by a wise providence. I think he should choose his own
+death."
+
+"Every condemned man has a right to a lawyer," said Margaret. "I offer
+my services to Martin Luther and will consult him in private."
+
+"We'll give him a trial by jury," broke in Katherine.
+
+"But what's he accused of?" demanded Molly.
+
+"He's accused of withholding funds held in trust for you," put in
+Margaret promptly.
+
+There was a great deal of fun at the expense of Martin Luther and his
+mock trial. Katherine presided as Judge. There were two witnesses for
+the defense and two on the other side, and Margaret's speech for the
+accused would have done credit to a real lawyer. The jury, consisting of
+three girls, Otoyo, Mabel Hinton and Rosomond Chase--Millicent Porter
+had excused herself with the plea of a headache and departed--sat on the
+case five minutes and decided that the pig should be made to surrender
+Molly's fund in the quickest possible time and by the quickest possible
+means.
+
+It was almost time to separate for the night when Molly at last placed
+Martin Luther on a tray in the center of the table and with a sharp rap
+of the hammer broke him into little bits.
+
+If interest had not been so concentrated on the amount of money hidden
+in the pig, perhaps it might have occurred to the company that Molly
+and her two friends had been playing a joke on them when they looked at
+the heap of ruins on the tray. But if this suspicion did enter the mind
+of anyone, it was dissolved at once at sight of Molly's white face and
+quivering lips.
+
+"My money!" she gasped.
+
+What happened was this. When the china pig was demolished, there rolled
+from his ruins no silver money but a varied collection of buttons and
+bogus stage money made of tin. Only about a dollar in real silver was to
+be found.
+
+"What a blow is this!" at last exclaimed Molly, breaking the silence.
+
+"But what does it mean?" demanded Rosomond.
+
+"It means," said Nance, "that someone has taken all Molly's savings out
+of the china pig and substituted--this."
+
+She pointed to the pile of stage money.
+
+"But they couldn't have done it," cried Judy. "How could they have
+fished it up through such a small slot?"
+
+"What a low, miserable trick!" cried Katherine.
+
+It was a despicable action. Who among all the bright, intelligent
+students at Wellington could have been capable of such a dastardly
+thing? They agreed that it must have been a student. None of the college
+attendants could have planned it out so carefully.
+
+"Who else has missed things?" asked Margaret with a sudden thought.
+
+"I have," replied Jessie, "but I never mentioned it because I'm so
+careless and it did seem to be my own fault. I lost five dollars last
+week out of my purse. I left it on the window sill in the gym. and
+forgot about it. When I came back later the purse was there, but the
+money was gone."
+
+"How horrid!" cried Molly, her soul revolting in disgust at anything
+dishonest.
+
+"To tell you the truth I have not been able to find my gold beads for
+nearly two weeks," put in Judy. "I haven't seen them since--" she paused
+and flushed, "since the night of our play. I remember leaving them on
+my dressing table that morning."
+
+Molly and Nance exchanged glances, recalling the mysterious visitor to
+their room that night.
+
+Several of the other girls had missed small sums of money and jewelry
+which they had not thought of mentioning at the time.
+
+"But how on earth was this managed?" demanded Jessie, pointing
+dramatically to the broken china pig.
+
+"I suspect," replied Molly, "that this is not the real Martin Luther.
+When I bought him there were several others just like him on the shelf
+at the store. Whoever did this must have bought another Martin and the
+stage money at the same time. They have a lot of it at the store, silver
+and greenbacks, too. I saw it myself when I bought Martin. They keep it
+for class plays, I suppose."
+
+There was a long discussion about what ought to be done. The housekeeper
+must be told, of course, next morning and a list of all missing
+articles made out, headed by Molly's loss of almost fifteen dollars.
+
+It was rather a tragic ending to the jolly hickory-nut cake party. Molly
+tried to laugh away her disappointment about her savings, but she could
+not disguise to herself what it actually meant.
+
+"I'm afraid I can't buy your dress, Judy," she announced, when the
+company had disbanded. "I'll mend up one of last year's dresses. It will
+be all right. It's a lesson to me not to place so much importance on
+clothes."
+
+Judy said nothing, but she made a mental resolution that Molly should
+have that dress.
+
+The next morning the housekeeper was properly notified of what had
+happened and it was not long before the rumor spread that somewhere
+about college there dwelt a thief. So remote did such a person seem from
+the Wellington girls that the thief came to be regarded as a kind of
+evil spirit lurking in the shadows and gliding through the halls.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+ALARMS AND DISCOVERIES.
+
+
+Several things of importance to this history happened during the week
+before the house party at Exmoor.
+
+One morning, just before chapel, Molly was visited by several members of
+the Shakespearean Society, who presented her with a scroll of membership
+and fastened a pin on her blouse. They then solemnly shook hands and
+marched out in good order. By this token Molly became a full fledged
+member of that exclusive body. Margaret Wakefield, Jessie Lynch and
+Edith Williams were also taken into the society. Most of the other girls
+in the circle were elected to the various societies that day. Judy and
+Katherine became "Olla Podridas," which, as all Wellington knows, is
+Spanish for mixed soup. Nance was elected into the "Octogons," and all
+the girls belonged to one or the other of the two big Greek letter
+societies.
+
+If Judy had any feelings regarding the Shakespeareans, she was careful
+to keep them well hidden under her gay and laughing exterior.
+
+The Shakespeareans at Beta Phi House gave a supper for the new members,
+and later Millicent Porter, in a stunning, theatrical looking costume of
+old blue velvet, received them in her rooms. Margaret and Edith wore
+their best to this affair. The Shakespeareans were a dressy lot.
+
+"I wonder why, in the name of goodness, they ever asked me to belong,"
+exclaimed Molly to herself, as she got into her white muslin, which was
+really the best she could do. "I wish I could surprise somebody with
+something," her thoughts continued. "College friends are just like
+members of the same family. I can't even surprise the girls with a
+shirtwaist. They are intimately acquainted with every rag I possess."
+
+Molly enjoyed the Beta Phi party, however, in spite of her dress, which
+Millicent Porter had dignified by calling it a "lingerie."
+
+"How much nicer you look than the other girls in more elaborate things,"
+she said admiringly.
+
+Molly felt gratified.
+
+"I don't feel nicer," she said. "I have a weakness for fine clothes. I
+love to hear the rustle of silk against silk. Your blue velvet dress is
+like a beautiful picture to me. I could look and look at it. There's a
+kind of depth to it like mist on blue water."
+
+Millicent bridled with pleased vanity.
+
+"It is rather nice," she admitted modestly. "It's a French dress made by
+the same dressmaker who designs clothes for a big actress. Don't you
+want to see some of my work? I have put it on exhibition to-night. I
+thought it would interest the new members. The girls here are quite
+familiar with it, of course."
+
+Molly was delighted to see the craftsmanship of this unusual young
+woman, who appeared to be a peculiar mixture of pretentiousness and
+genius.
+
+When, presently, she led Molly into the little den where her silver work
+was spread out on view it was almost as if she had turned into a little
+old man and was taking a customer into the back of his shop.
+
+Some of the other girls had followed and they now stood in an admiring
+circle around the table whereon were displayed rings and necklaces,
+buckles and several silver platters.
+
+"You are a wonder," cried Molly, deeply impressed.
+
+Millicent accepted this compliment with a complacent smile.
+
+"Papa and mamma think I am," she remarked, "but I have artistic
+knowledge enough to know that this is only a beginning. When I am able
+to make a bas-relief of Greek dancing figures on a silver box, I shall
+call myself really great. At present I am only near-great."
+
+"What are you going to do with these things?" asked Margaret.
+
+"Oh, nothing. They just accumulate and I pack them away. I don't have
+to sell any of them, of course."
+
+"Don't you want to exhibit some of them at the George Washington
+Bazaar?" asked Margaret. "The Bazaar will sell them for you at ten per
+cent commission. The money goes to the student fund. You can have a
+booth if you like and dress up as Benvenuto Cellini or some famous
+worker in silver. I am chairman and can make any appointments I choose."
+
+Molly could hardly keep from smiling over the expression on Millicent's
+face. The worker in silver and the dealer in antiques were struggling
+for supremacy in the soul of their descendant.
+
+"Oh," she cried in great excitement, "I will fix it up like a Florentine
+shop, full of beautiful old stuffs and curios. It will be the most
+beautiful booth in the Bazaar. And I will choose Miss Brown to assist
+me. You shall be dressed as a Florentine lady of the Renaissance. I have
+the very costume."
+
+Now Margaret, as Chairman of the Bazaar, preferred all appointments to
+be made officially, but seeing that Millicent was very much in earnest
+and that such a booth would greatly add to the picturesqueness of the
+affair, she made no objections.
+
+"There is one thing I would advise you to do, Miss Porter," she said
+when the plan was settled, "and that is to keep your silver things under
+lock and key because there is a thief about in Wellington. You might as
+well know it, because, sooner or later, you'll lose something. We all of
+us have. My monogram ring went this morning. I left it on the marble
+slab in the wash room and when I came back for it not three minutes
+later it was gone."
+
+"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Molly, "I do hate things like that to happen. Why
+will people do such things?"
+
+Millicent shrugged her shoulders.
+
+"Perhaps they can't help themselves," she answered. "I've lost a few
+little things myself," she added. "But come into my room, Miss Brown,
+and let's talk about your costume. I have a gold net cap that will be
+charming."
+
+For the next half hour Molly was lost in the delights of Millicent's
+collection of beautiful theatrical costumes, pieces of old brocades and
+velvets. She drew them carelessly from a carved oak chest and tossed
+them on the bed in a shimmering mass of rich colors. Molly lingered so
+late over these "rich stuffs" that she was obliged to run all the way
+back to the Quadrangle and fell breathless and exhausted on a stone
+bench just inside the court as the watchman closed the gates.
+
+Nance and Judy were late, too. Nance had been to a secret conclave of
+the Octogons and Judy had been having a jolly, convivial time with the
+Olla Podridas. The three girls met in their sitting room as the last
+stroke of ten vibrated through the building. They were undressing in the
+dark stealthily, in order to avoid the eager eye of the housekeeper, who
+was not popular, when they heard a great racket in the corridor.
+
+"What's the matter? What's the matter?" called several voices through
+half open doors.
+
+The housekeeper making her rounds for the night passed them on the run.
+
+"I've been robbed! I've been robbed!" wailed the voice of Minerva
+Higgins. "I won't stand having my things stolen from me. Who has dared
+enter my room?"
+
+"What have you been robbed of?" asked the matron sharply. She was a lazy
+woman and detested disturbances.
+
+"Two of my best gold medals I won at Mill Town High School. They were
+pure gold and very valuable."
+
+"Good riddance," laughed Judy. "If anything in school could be spared,
+it is her gold medals."
+
+"You're only in the same box with all the rest of us, Miss Higgins,"
+called a student who roomed across the hall. "Everybody in the
+Quadrangle has lost something."
+
+"They haven't lost gold medals," cried Minerva. "They haven't had them
+to lose. I could have spared anything else. I valued them more than
+everything I possess. They will be heirlooms some day for my children
+to show with pride."
+
+There were stifled laughs from several of the rooms, and someone called
+out:
+
+"Suppose you don't have any?"
+
+"Then she'll leave 'em to her grandchildren," called another voice.
+
+"Poor, silly, little thing," exclaimed Molly, as the matron, intensely
+annoyed, went heavily past.
+
+"Old Fatty's gone now. Let's light a lamp," suggested Judy, who either
+felt intense respect or none at all for all persons. There was no
+moderation in her feelings one way or the other.
+
+"It's a queer thing about this thief-business," sighed Molly. "It makes
+me uncomfortable. I can't think of anyone I could even remotely suspect
+of such a thing."
+
+"She must be a real klep.," observed Judy, "or she never would want the
+fair Minerva's gold medals. They're of no use to anybody but Minerva."
+
+"Do you suppose Miss Walker will get another detective like Miss Steel?"
+asked Nance. "She was a fine one. The way she tipped around on
+noiseless felt slippers and listened outside people's doors was enough
+to scare any thief."
+
+"Oh, yes," said Judy. "She was the real thing. And she wanted everything
+quiet. If Minerva Higgins had set up a yowl like that at Queen's she
+would have been properly sat upon by Miss Steel."
+
+If Molly's mind had been especially acute that evening she would have
+noticed that her two friends were keeping up a sort of continuous duet
+as they lingered over their undressing. As it was, she barely heard
+their chatter because she was thinking of something far removed from
+thieves and detectives.
+
+"We'll be called down about the light if you don't hurry, girls," she
+cautioned. "Why are you so slow?"
+
+"By the way, did you know there was a package over here on the table
+addressed to you, Molly?" said Nance.
+
+"Why, no; what can it be?"
+
+Filled with curiosity, Molly made haste to cut the string around a
+square pasteboard box. Whatever was inside had been wrapped in
+quantities of white tissue paper.
+
+"It feels like china," cried Molly, tearing off the wrappings. "Why
+it's----"
+
+"It's after ten, young ladies," said a stern voice outside the door.
+
+Judy turned out the light.
+
+"It's Martin Luther, girls," whispered Molly.
+
+Judy crept to her room and returned presently with a little electric
+dark lantern her father had given her. This she flashed on the china
+pig.
+
+"One sinner hath repented," she whispered. "It is Martin."
+
+Nance reached for the hammer.
+
+"Break him open," she ordered. "Let's, see if the money's safe. He might
+be filled with stage money, too."
+
+Molly struck Martin Luther with the hammer, muffling the sound with a
+corner of the rug. The flashlight revealed quantities of silver.
+
+"Oh, girls!" she exclaimed, "I've got it all back. I'm glad the thief
+repented and I'm glad, oh, so glad, to get the money."
+
+"And now the sale is on again," said Judy, jumping about the room in a
+wild, noiseless dance.
+
+"I can't resist it," ejaculated Molly. "I'll buy the dress if you really
+want to sell it, Judy."
+
+They looked carefully at the address on the box. It was printed with a
+soft pencil and merely said: "Miss M. Brown."
+
+"I suppose the girl felt sorry," Molly remarked. "But it's a pity she
+started up so soon again after her repentance and took Minerva's
+medals."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+"THE MOVING FINGER WRITES."
+
+
+The girls had agreed to pack all their clothes in one trunk and carry
+a suitcase apiece to the Junior Week-End Party at Exmoor. Nance was
+official packer and stood knee-deep in finery while she considered
+whether it was better to begin with party capes or slippers. Molly was
+studying and Judy was stretched on the divan idly swinging one foot.
+
+Otoyo poked her head in the door.
+
+"May I ask advice of kind friends?"
+
+Molly looked up and smiled. She had once heard a preacher say that
+humility was as necessary to a well-rounded character as a sense of
+humor and she could see now what he meant. Otoyo was an excellent
+illustration. She was filled with humble gratitude for little
+kindnesses, never boasted and never forgot her perfect manners.
+
+"Indeed, you may, little one," spoke up Judy. "Come right in and state
+your grievances."
+
+"Oh, I have no grievances. I have only happinesses," said Otoyo. "But I
+am packing and I wish to ask advices regarding clothes."
+
+"Clothes for what?"
+
+"For Exmoor," replied Otoyo, blushing and casting down her eyes.
+
+"Why, you dear little Jap, you didn't tell us," exclaimed Molly.
+
+"I have obtained the knowledge of it myself only this morning. Mrs.
+McLean has so kindly offered to look after little Japanese girl."
+
+"And who is your escort?" they demanded in one chorus.
+
+"Professor Green," said Otoyo, trying not to show how intensely proud
+she felt of the honor. "He is what you call 'a-lum-nus,'" she said, "and
+he invites me to go with him, and Mr. Andrew McLean, junior, is making
+out a card of dances for me. Is it not wonderful? And is it not of
+great good fortune that I have now learned to dance?" She began circling
+about the room. "Only I can do it much better alone. Poor little
+Japanese girl will be frightened to dance with American gentleman."
+
+The girls laughed again.
+
+"You are an adorable little person," exclaimed Molly, kissing her, "and
+young American gentleman will be only too glad to dance with little
+Japanese girl."
+
+Otoyo was now well provided with clothes, and there being still plenty
+of room in the trunk, they allowed her to pack two evening dresses and a
+diminutive black satin party wrap with their things.
+
+Molly was half sorry that Professor Green was going. Except at classes,
+she had never seen him since that Sunday morning on Round Head. Once he
+had smiled at her like an old friend when they had met in the main hall,
+but she was careful not to return the smile and bowed coldly.
+
+"Yes, I am disappointed," she had thought. "I am glad Prexy found out
+about us that night, but he needn't have been the one to tell. I hope I
+shall be too much engaged in having a good time at Exmoor to see him. I
+am glad Lawrence Upton is going to look after me, because he always does
+so much for one. It was nice of Professor Green to take Otoyo. He is
+kind, of course."
+
+However, that afternoon when the trolley started with its load of
+Wellington guests for Exmoor--there were several other parties--Molly
+found herself seated between Mrs. McLean and Professor Green. How it had
+happened she could not tell. She had intended to sit anywhere but next
+the Professor, whom she regarded as a false friend. But there she was
+and the Professor was saying:
+
+"Miss Brown, you and I have been almost strangers of late. Are you
+working so hard that you have no time for old friends this winter?"
+
+Molly paused for an instant to consider what she should reply to this
+question. Then she said a thing so bitter and foreign to her nature
+that the Professor gave a start of surprise and Molly felt that someone
+else must have said it.
+
+"I have plenty of time for really _loyal_ friends, Professor Green," she
+said in a frigid tone of voice. She turned her back and began to talk to
+Mrs. McLean, and for the rest of the trip the Professor devoted himself
+to Otoyo.
+
+Molly was in high spirits when she reached Exmoor. She was determined
+not to let her cruel speech ruin her good time. But through all the
+gayeties of that afternoon and evening, at the teas, the dinner and the
+Glee Club concert, the tang of its bitterness reached her. Across the
+aisle at the concert she could see Professor Green sitting by Otoyo,
+smiling gravely while the little Japanese girl entertained him, but
+never once did he look in Molly's direction. A lump rose in her throat
+and she dropped her gaze to the program.
+
+"It is never right to make mean speeches," she decided, "no matter how
+much provocation one has."
+
+"Aren't you having a good time?" asked Lawrence Upton at her side. "You
+look a little tired."
+
+"I'm having a lovely time," answered Molly, "and I thought I was looking
+my best."
+
+"Oh, you couldn't look any better. I think you are--well, the prettiest
+girl in the room. I meant there was a kind of sad look in your eyes."
+
+"Don't try to cover it up with compliments," answered Molly. "When a
+thing's said, you can't change it, you know. It's like this:
+
+    "'The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
+      Moves on; nor all your Piety nor Wit
+      Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
+      Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.'"
+
+"Please don't be so severe, Miss Molly," said Lawrence humbly.
+
+"I wasn't thinking of what you said, particularly," said Molly. "I was
+thinking of any speech one might make and regret and never be able to
+recall."
+
+"You _are_ sad," said Lawrence. "I was certain of it. Will it make you
+any gladder to hear about to-morrow? You are engaged for every hour in
+the day. I had a great to-do keeping a little time for myself. Three
+fellows wanted to take you driving in the morning, but I reserved that
+privilege for yours truly. Dodo and I are going to drive you and Miss
+Judy over to Hillesdell after breakfast. Then there's the Junior Lunch.
+That's quite a big affair, you know. It's like a reception. Prexy always
+comes to that and any of the alumni who happen to be down. A crowd of
+them come usually. Andy's giving a tea in the Chapter rooms and there
+are some other teas, and then come the dinner and the ball."
+
+"If there's anything left of us by then," said Molly, laughing.
+
+It was an intermission and everybody was visiting as they did at the
+Wellington Glee Club concerts. Molly, the center of a jolly crowd of
+young people, joined in the merriment and talk and all the time there
+was a taste of bitterness on her lips and in her ear a voice kept
+dinning over and over:
+
+"I have plenty of time for really loyal friends, Professor Green."
+
+That night, when they had gone to bed in their rooms in the Chapter
+House, they were serenaded by a roving band of juniors. When at last the
+serenaders moved away and the house was still, Molly could not go to
+sleep.
+
+Dozens of times she repeated her cruel speech. She analyzed and parsed
+it, as she used to parse sentences years before in her first lessons in
+grammar. She named the subject, the predicate, the object, and modifying
+words. She tried to define the meaning of the word loyal. What were its
+synonyms? Faithful was one, of course. When she closed her eyes, she
+could see her speech written in red across a black background like a
+flaming sign. Was the Professor hurt or angry or both? She recalled
+every kindness he had ever done for her and there were many. She
+remembered with a burning blush what pains he and his sister had taken
+to make her have a happy Christmas a year ago. He had informed President
+Walker on her, of course, but he was only doing his duty. And she had
+made that cruel speech!
+
+"I have plenty of time for really loyal friends, Professor Green."
+
+Her mind traveled in a circle. She tossed and turned, trying one side
+until it ached and then trying the other; resting on her back for a
+moment and finding the position intolerable.
+
+At last she fell asleep and woke up stiff and weary in the morning,
+devoutly wishing the day were well over.
+
+She had hoped to see Professor Green in the morning, if only for a
+moment, but he had returned to Wellington, leaving the entertainment of
+Otoyo in charge of some of his brother's friends.
+
+Of what earthly pleasure is a beautiful corn-colored evening gown when
+one's heart is like a lump of lead and one's conscience heavy within?
+
+All her numerous partners at the ball could not console Molly, nor could
+the knowledge that she was looking her best as she floated through the
+dances in her diaphanous dress.
+
+"I know now how Judy felt after she was so unkind to me at the junior
+play," she thought, "and, if heaven is kind to me, I hope never to say
+anything to hurt anyone again."
+
+In the meantime there were those who were enjoying themselves to the
+utmost limit of enjoyment.
+
+Otoyo Sen, in a seventh heaven, was dancing with young Andy, who towered
+above her like a lighthouse over a cottage.
+
+Judy in her black dress was sparkling with vivacity. Her fluffy light
+brown hair gleamed yellow and her skin was cream white, against the dark
+folds of her chiffon frock. Could this be the same Judy who, only a few
+weeks ago, was contemplating--heaven knows what?
+
+Nance, with one eye on Andy, was also happy and light-hearted. How trim
+and charming she looked in her white silk dress!
+
+Molly found herself laughing and talking a great deal, and all the time
+she was thinking:
+
+"We'll be back to-morrow at noon. On Monday the holidays begin. Oh, if I
+can only see him before he goes!"
+
+A great many young men came down to the station to see them off next
+morning. There was a din of farewells. On all sides girlish voices were
+calling:
+
+"Good-bye!"
+
+"It was the jolliest dance!"
+
+"I never had a better time in all my life!"
+
+"Awfully nice of you to ask us."
+
+Molly had joined in the chorus with the others and had grasped many
+outstretched hands and smiled and waved her handkerchief and listened to
+Otoyo in one ear, crying:
+
+"Oh, Mees Brown, I do like the American young gentleman veree much,"
+while Judy in the other was saying:
+
+"Wasn't it glorious fun? I never saw you look better. I have a dozen
+compliments for you."
+
+The car fairly crept back to Wellington, so it seemed to poor Molly. At
+last they arrived and a carry-all took them back to the Quadrangle.
+
+Without waiting to explain, she left her suitcase in the hall and ran to
+the cloisters. Pausing at the door marked "E. A. Green," she knocked
+urgently.
+
+There was no answer. A door farther down the corridor was opened and the
+professor of French looked out.
+
+"Professor Green has gone away," he said. "He will not return until
+after the holidays."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+AN INVITATION AND AN APOLOGY.
+
+
+Millicent Porter invited Molly to go to New York with her for the
+holidays and visit in the grand Porter mansion. Molly understood it was
+a palace filled with tapestries and fine pictures. Millicent had
+mentioned all those things casually. They would go to the theaters and
+the opera and ride about in motor cars. But Molly was glad she had kept
+her head and declined.
+
+"I have some work to do, Millicent," she said. "I appreciate your
+invitation, but I can't accept it."
+
+"You must," exclaimed Millicent, too accustomed to having her own way to
+take no for an answer. "Is it clothes?" she added. Somehow, she gave the
+impression of not being used to wealth.
+
+Molly hardly felt intimate enough with her to go into the subject of
+her own poverty and answered briefly:
+
+"Not entirely."
+
+Millicent was not famous for generosity and the basket of red roses sent
+to Molly on the night of the junior play had been her one outburst; but
+she was determined to have Molly go home with her at any cost.
+
+"Because," she continued, "if it's a question of clothes, I can arrange
+that perfectly. My dresses will fit you if they are lengthened
+and--well, there'll be plenty of clothes. Don't bother about that. Your
+yellow dress is good enough for anything----"
+
+"I should say it was," thought Molly, rather indignantly. "Good enough
+for the likes of you or anybody else."
+
+"I'll lend you my mink coat and turban," went on this munificent young
+person, "and I have a big black velvet hat that would look awfully well
+on you. Now, you must come, please. I want you to see my studio at the
+top of the house. To tell you the truth, I'm rather lonesome in New
+York. I don't know any girls well, because I've never stayed at one
+school long enough to make friends."
+
+"What's the reason of that?" asked Molly.
+
+"Oh, I always get tired or something," answered the other carelessly.
+"But say you'll come, do, please," she went on pathetically. Then,
+unable to stifle her grand airs, she said: "I doubt if you have such
+fine houses as ours in the south."
+
+"Oh, no," answered Molly, quickly, "I doubt if we have. Our homes are
+very old and simple. The only works of art are family portraits. We have
+no tapestry or statuary. The house I was born in," she went on
+half-smiling to herself, "was built by my great-grandfather. Most of the
+furniture came down from him, too. Some of it's quite decrepit now, but
+we keep it polished up. My earliest recollection is rubbing the
+mahogany. You would doubtless think our house very empty and plain. We
+have some old crimson damask curtains in the parlor, but the rest of the
+curtains are made of ten-cent dimity. There is no furnace. We depend on
+coal fires in the bedrooms and wood fires in the other rooms and we
+nearly freeze if there's a cold winter. We have no plumbing. Every
+member of the family has his own tub and there are six extra ones for
+company. A little colored boy named Sam brings us hot water every
+morning for our baths. He gets it from a big boiler attached to the
+kitchen stove, and when we are done bathing he has to carry it all down
+again. Rather a nuisance, isn't it? But Sam doesn't mind. Oh, I daresay
+you'd think our house was a kind of a hovel." Molly paused and looked at
+Millicent strangely. There was a hidden fire in her deep blue eyes. "As
+for me," she said, "no palace in all New York or anywhere else could be
+as beautiful to me as my home."
+
+Millicent looked uncomfortable.
+
+"Be it ever so homely, there's no face like one's own," cried Judy, who
+at that moment had come into the room and caught Molly's last words.
+"What's all this talk about home?"
+
+"I was just telling Millicent about the old-fashioned, whitewashed
+brick palace wherein I was born," answered Molly.
+
+"I'm sorry you won't accept my invitation," said Millicent, taking no
+notice of Judy whatever. "Perhaps, after you think about it awhile
+you'll change your mind." Her manner was heavy and patronizing, and
+implied without words:
+
+"After you have had time to consider the honor I am paying you and the
+advantages of visiting in my splendid home, you cannot fail to accept."
+
+"You are very kind, Millicent, but I shall not reconsider it," announced
+Molly coldly. "I have made up my mind to spend Christmas right here in
+the Quadrangle. I hope you'll have a beautiful time. Good-bye." They
+shook hands formally.
+
+"I'll try to see the best in her," she thought, "but I'd rather not see
+it at close hand. She grates on me."
+
+Judy waved an open letter with a dramatic gesture.
+
+"Oh, Molly, dearest, I'm glad you didn't accept. It's my own selfish
+pleasure that makes me glad, but I'm going to spend Christmas right here
+in the Quadrangle, too."
+
+Molly looked at her friend's eager, excited face in surprise.
+
+"Do you mean your mother and father are coming here?"
+
+"No, no. They're on the Pacific Coast, you know, and will be detained
+until spring. It's too far for me to take the trip just for the few days
+I could spend with them, so I'm going to stay here."
+
+A year ago Judy would have been in the depths of despair over a
+separation from her beloved parents at this holiday time. But whether
+she had gained poise by her recent sufferings or whether spending
+Christmas with her friend in the big empty Quadrangle appealed to her
+romantic nature, it would be difficult to tell. Through all the
+complexities of her nature her devotion to Molly was interwoven like a
+silver thread, and the shame and remorse she still felt in looking back
+on that unhappy evening when she had denounced her friend only seemed
+to draw the two girls more closely together.
+
+Molly gave her a joyous hug.
+
+"Oh, Judy, I am so happy. I never dreamed of such a blessing as this.
+Even Otoyo is going away this year and hardly half a dozen girls are
+left in the Quadrangle. I am truly glad I had the courage to decline
+Millicent's invitation. It was only for one instant I was tempted to go,
+but she ruined it by a patronizing speech."
+
+"What a singular little creature she is," observed Judy. "She has no
+charm, if she can beat on silver; and she's so awfully conscious of her
+wealth. I don't know how I could ever have admired her. I suppose I was
+lured in the beginning by her fine clothes and her grand way of
+talking."
+
+"She is very talented," Molly continued, "but, as you say, she lacks
+charm. Perhaps she would have been different if she had been poor and
+obliged to turn her gifts to some use. After all, I think we are happier
+than rich girls. We are not afraid to be ourselves. We wear old clothes
+and we have an object in view when we work, because we want to earn
+money."
+
+"Earn money," repeated Judy. "I only wish I could give papa the surprise
+of his life by earning a copper cent."
+
+Molly was silent. Her own earning capacity had not been great that
+winter. She had kept herself in pin money by tutoring, but lately she
+had made an alarming discovery. When she had first started to college,
+teaching had been the ultimate goal of her ambitions. She intended to be
+a teacher in a private school and perhaps later have a school of her
+own, as Nance wished to do.
+
+Now, as her horizon broadened and her tastes and perceptions began
+taking form and shape, she found herself drifting farther and farther
+away from her early ambition. Something was waking up in her mind that
+had been asleep. It was like a voice crying to be heard, still immensely
+far away and inarticulate, but growing clearer and more insistent all
+the time.
+
+It made her uneasy and unsettled. She yearned to express herself, but
+the power had not yet arrived.
+
+The two girls went down to the village that afternoon to see the last
+trainload of students pull out of Wellington station, and later to make
+some purchases at the general store. It was Christmas Eve and the
+streets were filled with shoppers from the country around Wellington.
+Molly was trying to recall the words of a poem she had heard ages back,
+the rhythm of which was beating in her head, and Judy was endeavoring to
+explain to herself why she felt neither homesick nor blue on this the
+first Christmas ever spent away from her parents.
+
+They paused to look in at the window of a florist who did a thriving
+business in Wellington. A motor car was waiting in front of the shop.
+
+"We must have some Christmas decorations, too," exclaimed Judy about to
+enter, when the way was blocked by a crowd of people coming out. "What
+pretty girls!" continued Judy in a whisper, looking admiringly at two
+young women who came first.
+
+The prettiest one, who had red hair not unlike Molly's and brown eyes,
+called over her shoulder:
+
+"Edwin, I shan't save you a seat beside me unless you're there to claim
+it."
+
+"I'll be there, Alice, never fear," answered Professor Green, hurrying
+after her with an armload of holly and cedar garlands.
+
+Molly stood rooted to the spot while the shoppers crowded into the car.
+
+"If I could only tell him how sorry I am for that cruel speech," she
+thought.
+
+With a sudden determination, she rushed toward the car, calling:
+
+"Professor!"
+
+The girl named Alice looked around quickly, but apparently she did not
+choose to see Molly, and as the car moved off she began laughing and
+talking in a very sprightly and vivacious manner.
+
+Molly sighed. The longer an apology is delayed the more trivial and
+insignificant it becomes.
+
+"He probably has forgotten all about it," she thought. "He seems happy
+enough with Alice, whoever she is. Perhaps what I said hurt me more
+than it did him, but, oh, I do wish I had seen him before he went away.
+It would have been different then, I'm sure."
+
+She followed Judy into the flower store. Mrs. McLean was there with
+Andy.
+
+"Why, here are two lassies left over!" cried the good woman.
+
+"What luck, mother!" said Andy. "Now we'll have some fun. We'll give a
+dinner and a dance, and Larry and Dodo will come over. We will, won't
+we, mother?"
+
+"What a coaxer you are, Andy. You're still a lad of ten and not
+nineteen, I'm sure."
+
+"Don't you let him persuade you to give parties when you're not of a
+mind to do it, Mrs. McLean," put in Judy.
+
+"I wouldn't miss the chance, my dear. I like it as much as he does.
+We'll have it to-morrow night and you'll come prepared to be as merry as
+can be and cheer up the doctor. He has been so busy of late he has
+forgotten how to enjoy himself."
+
+"It doesn't look as if we were going to spend such a quiet Christmas
+after all, Judy," laughed Molly, when Mrs. McLean and Andy had gone.
+
+Judy was engaged in selecting all the most branching and leafy boughs of
+holly she could find, while the florist looked on uneasily.
+
+That afternoon they spent an hour beautifying their yellow sitting room.
+And all the time Molly's mind was harking back to Christmas a year ago,
+when the Greens had busied themselves preparing such a delightful party
+for Otoyo and her.
+
+"And I said he was not a loyal friend," she said to herself. "Oh, if I
+could only unsay those words!"
+
+She sat down at her desk and seized a pen.
+
+"What are you going to do?" asked an inner voice.
+
+"I am going to write a note and tell him I'm sorry, and then I'm going
+over to the cloisters and slip it under his door. It will ease my mind,
+even if he doesn't get the note until he comes back. He'll know then
+that I couldn't go to sleep Christmas Eve until I had apologized."
+
+The note finished, she carefully addressed and sealed it. Judy was in
+her own room composing a joint letter to her mother and father, and did
+not see Molly when she slipped out of the room and hurried downstairs.
+Outside, the pale winter twilight still lingered and the sky was piled
+high with fleecy white clouds.
+
+"It's going to snow," thought Molly, as she hurried along the arcade and
+opened the little oak door leading into the cloisters.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+A CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY THAT WAS NEVER TOLD.
+
+
+It was quite dark in the corridor whereon opened the cloister offices.
+All the teachers had gone away for the holidays and the place was as
+ghostly as a deserted monastery.
+
+"I can't say I'd like to be here alone on a dark night, if it is such a
+young cloister. It seems to have been born old like some children,"
+Molly thought.
+
+She coughed and the sound reverberated in the arched ceiling and came
+back to her an empty echo.
+
+Pausing at Professor Green's door, she stooped to shove the note
+underneath, when, to her surprise, the door opened at her touch and
+swung lightly back.
+
+With an exclamation, Molly started back, leaving the note on the floor.
+Leaning against one of the deep silled windows, just where the fast
+fading light fell across his face, stood a tall, stoop-shouldered man.
+In the flashing glimpse Molly caught of him before she turned and fled,
+she noticed that he resembled an old gray eagle with a thin beak of a
+nose and a worn white face; and that his dark eyes were quite close
+together. The rest of him was lost in the black shadows of the room.
+
+Once out of the ghostly corridor and the heavy oak door shut between her
+and the strange visitor in the Professor's office, Molly paused and took
+a deep breath.
+
+"In the name of goodness," she cried, "what have I just seen? If he had
+stirred or blinked an eyelash or even appeared to breathe, I should at
+least have felt he was human."
+
+The big empty hall of the Quadrangle seemed a cheerful spot in
+comparison with the cloister corridor. It was warm and light and from
+the seniors' parlor came the sound of piano playing. But Molly never
+paused to look in and see what belated student was cheering herself with
+music. Only her own sitting room with its gay holiday decorations and
+Judy twanging the guitar could recall her to a world of realities.
+Before she reached the door she had made up her mind that it would be
+just as well not to tell the excitable and impressionable Judy anything
+about the apparition or whatever it was in the Professor's study. It was
+really an act of self-denial, because it would have been decidedly
+interesting to discuss the episode with Judy.
+
+"I would have told Nance," she thought. "She would have agreed with me,
+I am sure, that it couldn't have been a ghost because, of course, there
+are no such things. But if I tell Judy, I know perfectly well she will
+persuade me it was a ghost and we'll be frightened to death all night."
+
+Judy, still wearing her widow's weeds, was singing a doleful ballad when
+Molly hurried in, called "By the Bonnie Milldams o' Binnorie." Molly was
+fond of this ancient song, but she was in no mood to listen to it just
+then.
+
+    "'The youngest stood upon a stane,
+      The eldest cam' and pushed her in.
+      Oh, sister, sister, reach your hand,
+      And ye sall be heir to half my land;
+      Oh, sister, sister, reach but your glove,
+      And sweet William sall be your love.'"
+
+The guitar gave out a mournful twang.
+
+"Talk about impressionable people, I'm worse than she is," thought
+Molly. "I'll shriek aloud if she doesn't stop this minute."
+
+Just then the six o'clock bell boomed out and Molly did give a loud
+nervous exclamation.
+
+Judy dropped the guitar on the floor. The strings resounded with a deep
+protesting chord and then subsided into resigned quietude.
+
+"Molly, what is the matter? You're as pale as a ghost."
+
+Molly smiled at her own weakness. Having just made up her mind not to
+tell Judy, she was suddenly possessed with a fever to relate the entire
+incident from beginning to end.
+
+"If you'll promise to put on your red dress to-night by way of
+celebration, and to cheer me up, I'll tell you a thrilling story, Judy."
+
+"But I've made a vow and I can't break it."
+
+"Did the vow stipulate that you couldn't wear colors Christmas Eve?"
+
+"No, not exactly."
+
+"Well, then, get into your scarlet frock, because I'll never tell you if
+you wear that black one, and I'll put on some old gay-colored rag, too,
+and after supper I'll tell you a thrilling tale."
+
+"I'll put on the red dress," said Judy, "if you promise never to tell
+Nance, but I can't wait until after supper to hear the story."
+
+"You'll have to. It's a long tale and there won't be time to dress and
+tell it, too."
+
+"Well," consented Judy, "because it's Christmas Eve, the very time to
+tell thrilling tales if they are true, I'll agree."
+
+And obediently she attired herself in the scarlet dress, while Molly put
+on a blue blouse that, by a happy chance, matched the color of her eyes
+as perfectly as if they had been cut from the same bolt.
+
+"Did it really happen to me," she kept thinking, "or did I dream it
+after all?"
+
+There was no chance to tell Judy the story after supper, because the two
+girls were summoned to the parlor almost immediately to see three
+callers, Andy, Dodo Green and Lawrence Upton.
+
+During the visit Molly seized the opportunity to ask the younger Green
+where his brother was spending his Christmas.
+
+"Oh, he's making visits around the county," answered George Theodore
+carelessly. "He always has enough invitations for three, but he was
+never known to accept any before. I don't know what's got into the old
+boy this year. He's getting as giddy as a debutante, going to parties
+and rushing around in motors. I have had to make two trips over to
+Wellington, first to get his evening clothes because he forgot to pack
+them, and then for his pumps and dress shirts I forgot myself. When the
+old boy goes into anything, he always does it in good style. He used to
+be a kind of dude about ten years ago. But he's all the way to thirty
+now and he feels his age. Do you notice how bald he's getting? He'll be
+losing his teeth next."
+
+"I'm glad he's having such a good time," said Molly, disdaining the
+aspersions cast by George Theodore on his brother's age. "I hope he is
+well and happy," she added in her thoughts. "I am sure I don't begrudge
+him a jolly Christmas, considering what a jolly one he gave me last
+year. I am sorry I left the note, now. Like as not, he doesn't even
+remember what I said that day and when he reads the letter he won't know
+what I am talking about."
+
+At last the boys left. Judy was intensely relieved. She desired only one
+thing on earth: to hear Molly's ghost story. All her perceptions were on
+edge with curiosity, but she was determined to have all things in
+harmony for the telling of a Christmas Eve Ghost Story. So she
+restrained her inquisitiveness until they had slipped on dressing-gowns
+and were both comfortably installed in big chairs with a box of candy
+and a plate of salted almonds between them.
+
+"And now, begin," she said, sighing comfortably.
+
+But Molly had scarcely uttered three words when she was interrupted by
+the arrival of packages from the late train brought up by the faithful
+Murphy.
+
+Even Judy's unsatisfied curiosity regarding the tale could not hold out
+against these fascinating boxes, and the story waited while they untied
+the strings and eagerly tore off the paper wrappings.
+
+"I suppose we ought to wait until to-morrow morning, but since we're
+just two lonely little waifs, I think we might gratify ourselves this
+once, don't you, Molly dear?" asked Judy.
+
+"I certainly do," Molly agreed, "seeing as it doesn't matter to anybody
+whether we look at them now or in the morning."
+
+It was a long time before they settled down again to the story, and
+Molly had not advanced a paragraph when there came another tap at the
+door. Evidently the Quadrangle gates were to be kept open late that
+night or account of the arrival of holiday packages.
+
+This time it was a boy from the florist's, fairly laden with flower
+boxes.
+
+Andy had sent both the girls violets.
+
+"Very sweet and proper of him, I'm sure, in the absence of Nance,"
+laughed Judy.
+
+Lawrence Upton had sent Molly a box of American beauties.
+
+"And he could ill afford it, the foolish boy," ejaculated Molly.
+
+Dodo had expended all his savings on a handsome Jerusalem cherry tree
+for Judy. There was another box for Molly. It contained violets and two
+cards--Miss Grace Green's and Professor Edwin Green's.
+
+Molly blushed crimson when she read the names. For the thousandth time
+she covered herself with reproaches. She sat down and gathered the
+bouquets into her lap.
+
+"Judy," she cried contritely, "what have I done to gain all these kind
+friends? I'm sure I don't deserve it. The dears!"
+
+But Judy was too much engaged with her own numerous gifts to contradict
+this self-depreciating statement.
+
+"I am really happy, Molly," she cried, "even without mamma and papa it's
+been a lovely Christmas Eve."
+
+With one of those divinations which sometimes comes to us like a voice
+from another land, it suddenly occurred to Molly that whatever it was in
+Professor Green's office, whether ghost or human, perhaps the Professor
+might not like to have it discussed, and she resolved not to tell Judy
+or anyone else what she had seen.
+
+"And then," she continued, "if he ever asks me whether I told, it will
+be a nice, comfortable feeling to say I haven't."
+
+At last, having put the flowers back in the boxes and restored some
+order to the room, Judy sat down and folded her hands.
+
+"And now, go on with the story."
+
+"My dear child, so much has happened since then and I'm so weary, I
+don't think I can make it the frightful tale I had intended."
+
+"Oh, it was all a joke?" asked Judy, whose enthusiasm had about spent
+itself in other outlets.
+
+"Oh, partly a joke. I went down to the cloisters to leave a Christmas
+note for Professor Green at his office and saw a ghostly looking figure
+there."
+
+"Is that all? Well, anybody might look like a phantom in that gloomy
+place. I've no doubt the ghostly figure took you for another."
+
+"I've no doubt it did," answered Molly, laughing, and with that they
+kissed and went to bed.
+
+Long after midnight Molly rose and slipped on her dressing-gown.
+Creeping out of her room, she flitted along the corridor, turned the
+corner and hurried up the other side of the Quadrangle. At the very end
+of this hall was a narrow passage with a window which commanded a view
+of the courtyard and the windows of the cloister studies.
+
+Softly raising the blind, she looked out. In one of the studies a dim
+light was burning. She counted windows. It was Professor Green's
+office, she was certain. While she looked the light went out.
+
+Back to her bed she flew with a feeling that somebody was chasing her.
+
+"There's one thing certain," she thought, drawing the covers over her
+head, "ghosts never need lights."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+MORE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS AND A COASTING PARTY OF TWO.
+
+
+All the bells in Wellington were ringing when the girls awoke Christmas
+morning. The sweet-toned bell of the Chapel of St. Francis mingled its
+notes with the persistent appeal of the Roman Catholic bell across the
+way, while on the next street the bell of the Presbyterian Church sent
+out a calm doctrinal call for all repentant sinners to be on hand sharp
+for the ten o'clock service. And in this confusion of sound came the
+tinkle of sleigh bells like a note of pleasure in a religious symphony.
+
+"Merry Christmas!" cried Judy, running into the room with an armful of
+parcels done up with white tissue paper and tied with red ribbons. "Here
+are the presents Nance and the others left for you. 'My lady fair,
+arise, arise, arise!'"
+
+"Merry Christmas!" cried Molly, bounding out of bed and rushing to find
+the presents she had been commissioned to take care of for Judy.
+
+The two girls climbed under the covers and began to open their gifts.
+
+"Dear old Nance!" ejaculated Judy. "How well she knows my wants. She's
+given me an address book because she disapproved of my keeping addresses
+on old envelopes."
+
+[Illustration: "AND SHE'S GIVEN ME A PAIR OF SILK STOCKINGS," CRIED
+MOLLY.--_Page 213._]
+
+"And she's given me a pair of silk stockings," cried Molly, "because she
+knows my luxurious tastes run to such things."
+
+"Edith Williams is the class joker," remarked Judy, laughing. "She's
+sent me a novel by Black and she's written on the fly leaf, 'For the
+first six months the Merry Widow read only novels by Black.'"
+
+"Weren't they dears?" broke in Molly. "They knew we'd be lonely and they
+wanted to make us laugh Christmas morning. Look what Edith sent me."
+
+It was a small round basket of sweet grass, no doubt purchased at
+the village store, and inside on pink cotton was a pasteboard
+medal. Printed around the outer edge of the medal was the following
+announcement: "Awarded to Pallas Athene Brown for the Best General
+Average in Good Manners and Amiability by the Wellington High School."
+
+There was a hole punched in one end of the medal with a blue ribbon run
+through it. On one of Edith's cards in the box was written:
+
+"To be worn on great occasions."
+
+The two girls received other amusing presents. If their friends had
+hoped to cheer them on their lonely Christmas morning, they had
+succeeded wonderfully well. Judy especially was in the wildest spirits.
+It was a custom of hers to describe her feelings exactly as a chronic
+invalid recounts his sensations.
+
+"I'm all aglow with good cheer. I could dance and sing. It must be a
+sort of Christmas spirit in the air. I do adore to get presents. I think
+I have more curiosity in my nature than you, Molly. Why don't you open
+the rest of yours?"
+
+Molly was lost in admiration of a beautiful little copy of
+Maeterlinck's "_Pelleas et Melisande_" sent to her by Mary Stewart.
+
+"Because I like to eat my cake slowly," she answered, "and get all the
+fine flavor without choking myself to death. Oh," she cried, taking the
+tissue paper off a small parcel, "how lovely of your mother, Judy, to
+send me this beautiful lace collar!"
+
+"It's just like the one she sent me," answered Judy, as pleased as a
+child over Molly's enthusiasm. "But do look in the other boxes. What's
+that square thing? If it were mine, I should be palpitating with
+curiosity."
+
+If Judy had guessed what the square box contained, she would not have
+been so eager to precipitate an embarrassing situation.
+
+"Very well, Mistress Judy, we'll find out immediately what's inside.
+Where did it come from, anyway?"
+
+"There's not the slightest inkling of who sent it," answered Judy,
+examining the address printed in a sort of script. "Whoever sent it knew
+how to do lettering, certainly. But the postmark is smeared."
+
+Molly cut the string and removed the brown paper wrapping. The article
+inside the box was folded in a quantity of tissue paper.
+
+"It has as many coverings as a royal Egyptian mummy," exclaimed Judy
+impatiently.
+
+It had indeed. After stripping off several layers of paper it was
+necessary to cut another string before the rest of the paper could be
+removed.
+
+At last, however, another china Martin Luther emerged from his tissue
+paper shell. The two girls gasped with surprise and consternation.
+
+"Will wonders never cease?" ejaculated Molly.
+
+"I'm sure it's just another joke the girls are playing on us," broke in
+Judy with some excitement. "Here's a card. What does it say?"
+
+On a pasteboard card, written in the same script as the address, was the
+following mystifying message:
+
+"Was it kind to put such temptation in the way of the weak?"
+
+"What does it mean, Judy?" asked Molly. "I seem to be groping in the
+dark."
+
+Judy shook her head.
+
+"You can search me," she said expressively. "Why don't you break a hole
+in him and see?"
+
+"No sooner said than done," answered Molly. "But I really feel like a
+butcher. This is the third time I've destroyed a pig."
+
+She cracked the bank on the head of her little iron bed, but only a
+silver quarter rolled out on the floor. The rest of the money was in
+bills, three five dollar bills, which had been compactly folded and
+pushed through the slit in the pig's back.
+
+"Fifteen dollars and a quarter!" ejaculated Molly. "That was just about
+what the original sum was, but I suppose in silver it was too heavy to
+come through the mails."
+
+She lay back on her pillows, her brows wrinkled into a puzzled frown.
+
+"It's a curious performance," she said, after a brief silence. "I don't
+understand."
+
+Judy at the foot of the bed, half buried in tissue paper and Christmas
+presents, glanced out of the window at the snowy landscape. There was a
+strange expression on her face and two little imps of laughter lurked in
+her wide gray eyes. Molly looked at her a moment, but Judy would not
+meet her gaze.
+
+"Julia Kean," broke out Molly, suddenly, "do you know whom you look like
+this moment? Mona Lisa. You have the same mysterious smile as if you
+knew a great deal more than you intended to tell. Now just turn around
+and look me in the eyes." Molly crawled from under the covers and put
+her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Who sent me that first Martin
+Luther with all the small change?"
+
+Judy's lips curled into an irresistible smile. There was something very
+mellowed and soft about her face, like an old portrait, the colors of
+which had deepened with the years.
+
+"You aren't angry with me, Molly, dearest?" she asked, laying her cheek
+against Molly's.
+
+"Angry? How could I be angry, you adorable child?"
+
+"You see it was just taking money out of one pocket to put it in the
+other, and it was the only way I could think of to make you take the
+yellow dress. You wouldn't accept it as a gift. Of course, I never
+dreamed the real thief would repent."
+
+The two friends looked into each other's eyes with loving confidence.
+
+"Dear old Judy!" cried Molly, "I don't know what I have done to deserve
+such a friend as you. And what an imagination you have! Who but you
+would ever have conceived such a notion? And to think, too, that I would
+never have known, if the real person who took the money hadn't had an
+attack of conscience."
+
+"It would certainly have remained a secret forever unless Nance had
+confessed it on her death bed," laughed Judy. "She's that close, I
+imagine her first confession would be her last one."
+
+"I'll wear the dress to-night, Judy, just to show you how much I
+appreciate the gift," announced Molly.
+
+Judy put on a broad lace collar that morning and a lavender velvet bow,
+by way of lightening her mourning.
+
+There was a good deal to do during the day, getting the rooms
+straightened and writing letters.
+
+All morning the snow fell so softly and quietly that the Quadrangle
+seemed to be isolated in a still white world of its own. Not even the
+campus houses could be seen through the thick curtain of flakes. Molly
+could picture to herself no more delightful occupation than to stay
+indoors all day and read one of her new Christmas books. Nothing could
+have been more cheerful than the little sitting room with its Christmas
+greens and vases of flowers.
+
+Curled up in one of the big chairs, Molly's mind wandered idly from the
+open pages of the book in her lap to the recent inexplicable happenings.
+Who was the mysterious visitor in the Professor's study? After all, it
+was none of her business, but she felt some natural curiosity about it.
+Who was the girl who had stolen the china pig?
+
+"I don't want to know," she admonished herself.
+
+Nevertheless, it was impossible not to make a few random conjectures.
+
+Judy, restlessly beating a tattoo on the window, was thinking the same
+thing.
+
+"Molly," she burst out, after a long silence, "I have an idea who that
+girl is. Have you?"
+
+"Yes, but I'd rather not mention her name. It's too dreadful. And you
+know how I feel about circumstantial evidence."
+
+"All I say is," announced Judy, "that it's a certain person who makes
+the loudest noise about losing her own things."
+
+"Well, she's repented," said Molly, "so let's try and forget it."
+
+There was another brief but eloquent silence. Judy pressed her face
+against the window pane.
+
+"I did think," she observed presently, "that those boys would come to
+take us out for a sleigh ride or a coast or something this afternoon.
+But we can't wait around here all day for them. It would be paying them
+too much of an honor. Why not go coasting ourselves? I'll get Edith's
+sled and we'll walk over to Round Head."
+
+"That would be fine," said Molly, with all the enthusiasm she could
+muster. Reluctantly she laid aside her book and began to dress for the
+walk.
+
+When two intimate associates are not mutually agreed, the more selfish
+one never dreams of the sacrifices of the other. Molly had no taste for
+battling with the snow, and when in half an hour they found themselves
+plunging through the drifts on their way to the steep coasting hill,
+she turned a wistful inward eye back toward the comforts of the
+yellow-walled sitting room. The Morris chair, the prized antique rug and
+the Japanese scroll with the snow-capped Fujiyama and the sky-blue
+waters called to her insistently.
+
+"Isn't this glorious, Molly?" ejaculated Judy, fired with the energy of
+her enthusiasms.
+
+"Dee-lightful," replied poor Molly, brushing the snow out of her eyes
+with admirable pretense at cheerfulness. However, the snowfall began to
+diminish and when they reached Round Head the storm had apparently
+spent itself. Molly felt the glow of exercise she really needed and she
+admired the splendid panorama of the snow-clad valley stretching before
+them.
+
+"It is beautiful," she admitted, "and what fun, Judy, to go whizzing
+down Round Head! It will be the longest coast I have ever taken in my
+life."
+
+Clambering up the side of the hill had not been as difficult as they had
+expected, because the wind had swept that part of it clear of drifts and
+the way was plain. When at last they reached the top, Molly was no
+longer sorry that Judy had dragged her from "The Idylls of the King" and
+the comforts of an easy chair.
+
+"You're not afraid, Molly?" asked the reckless Judy, looking with the
+glittering eye of anticipation down the long track of white over which
+they would presently be flying.
+
+"I don't see why I should be," answered Molly evasively. "Even if we
+fall off, it will be on a bed of snow as soft as a down comfort."
+
+"Come along, then," cried Judy, "we'll have the sensation of our lives.
+And we might as well make it a good one, because it's beginning to snow
+again and we'd better not try it a second time."
+
+Judy had coasted down Round Head before and knew just the spot on the
+hill where the Wellington girls were accustomed to start the long slide
+on bobs and sleds.
+
+Sitting behind Judy, Molly closed her eyes and the sled commenced its
+journey. For some moments it skimmed along at a reasonable speed, but as
+it gained in impetus, she had the sensation of riding on the tail of a
+comet.
+
+"Look out for the bump," called Judy with amazing calm and forethought,
+considering the circumstances.
+
+But the warning had no meaning for Molly, whose experience in coasting
+was of a very mild and unexciting character. The shock of the rise
+caused her to lose her hold, and the next thing she knew she was buried
+deep in a snow drift and Judy was whizzing on alone into the unknown.
+
+[Illustration: THE NEXT THING SHE KNEW SHE WAS BURIED DEEP IN A SNOW
+DRIFT, AND JUDY WAS WHIZZING ON ALONE.--_Page 224_]
+
+"I never did really enjoy coasting," thought Molly, climbing out of the
+drift and shaking herself vigorously like a wet dog. "It's all right if
+nothing happens, but something always does happen and then it's a
+regular nuisance."
+
+Already the tracks of the sled were covered by the fast falling snow and
+it was impossible to see just where the tumble had occurred on the
+hillside.
+
+"Judy," called Molly, hurrying down the hill; while at the same moment
+Judy was calling Molly as she hastened back.
+
+The two girls passed each other at no great distance apart, but they
+might have been as widely separated as the poles for all they could see
+or hear in the blinding snowstorm.
+
+After calling and searching in vain, Judy started back to Wellington,
+feeling sure that her friend had gone that way; and Molly, who was
+gifted with no bump of location whatever, blindly groping in the
+snowstorm turned in the opposite direction.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+THE WAYFARERS.
+
+
+Human beings have been variously compared by imaginative persons to
+pawns on a chessboard; storm-tossed boats on the sea of life; pilgrims
+on a weary way, and other things of no resemblance whatever to the
+foregoing.
+
+Molly, marching stoically along the lonely road under the impression
+that she was on her way to Wellington when she was really turned toward
+Exmoor, might have fitted into any of those comparisons rather more
+literally than was intended.
+
+She was certainly a storm-tossed pilgrim if not a boat; the way was
+decidedly weary and as pawn, pilgrim or ship, whichever you will, she
+was about to come in contact with another of life's pawns, pilgrims or
+ships, to the decided advantage of the one and amazement of the other.
+
+This new pawn, pilgrim or ship was now advancing down the road, and
+Molly, mindful of the fact that she was not getting anywhere when she
+felt sure that by this time she should at least have reached the lake,
+was not sorry to see a human being.
+
+The stranger looked decidedly like the pilgrim of romance. He wore an
+old black felt hat with a broad slouching brim and a long Spanish cape
+reaching below his knees; his staff was a rosewood cane with a silver
+knob.
+
+He was about to pass Molly without even glancing in her direction when
+she stopped him.
+
+"Would you mind telling me if it's very far from Wellington?" she asked.
+"I'm afraid I'm lost."
+
+"Do you imagine you are going to Wellington?" he demanded, looking up.
+
+Instantly Molly recognized him. He was the man she had seen the night
+before in Professor Green's study.
+
+"I did think so," she answered meekly.
+
+"I would advise you to go in the opposite direction, then," he said.
+"Exmoor lies that way." He pointed down the road with his stick.
+
+"How stupid of me!" exclaimed Molly. "I was coasting and tumbled off the
+sled. I was completely dazed, I suppose, when I crawled out of the
+drift."
+
+The two walked along in silence. Molly gave the man a covert glance. He
+was very distinguished looking and vaguely reminded her of someone.
+
+"You are one of the students of Wellington?" he asked presently.
+
+"Yes, sir," answered Molly respectfully.
+
+The stranger smiled.
+
+"You are from the south. I never heard a girl across the boundary line
+use 'sir.'"
+
+"I am," she answered briefly.
+
+"And from what part, may I ask?"
+
+"From Carmichael Station, Kentucky."
+
+The man stopped as if he had been struck a blow in the face.
+
+"Carmichael Station, Kentucky," he repeated in a half whisper. Drawing
+a leather wallet from his inside pocket, he took out a folded legal cap
+document and opened it. "Ahem. Not far to go," he said in a low voice,
+running down a list with one finger. "Your name----"
+
+"Brown."
+
+"Mildred Carmichael Brown, I presume."
+
+"No, Mary. My sister's named Mildred."
+
+The old man refolded the document, put it carefully back in the wallet,
+which he returned to his pocket. Then he resumed his walk, muttering to
+himself.
+
+"Strange! Strange!" Molly heard him say. "Here in a snowstorm, in the
+wilderness, on Christmas day, too, I should happen to meet--I can't get
+away from them," he cried angrily, waving his cane. "Victims, victims!
+Everywhere. They rise up and confront me when I'm sleeping or
+waking--like ghosts of the past----"
+
+His mutterings gradually became inarticulate as he wrapped his cape
+around him and stalked through the snow.
+
+"Hunted--hunted--hounded about----" he began again. Suddenly he stopped,
+took off his hat and held his face up to heaven as if he were about to
+address some unseen power.
+
+"I'm tired," he cried. "I've had enough of these wanderings; these
+eternal haunting visions. Let me have peace!" He shook his cane
+impotently at the overcast skies.
+
+It was then that Molly recognized him. On that very day but one, a year
+ago, had she not seen Judith Blount stand under a wintry sky and defy
+heaven in the same rebellious way?
+
+Judith's father had come back from South America and was hiding in the
+Professor's room at Wellington! And how like they were, the father and
+daughter; the same black eyes, too close together; the same handsome
+aquiline noses, and the same self-pitying, brooding natures.
+
+Evidently, Mr. Blount had suffered deeply. Molly thought he must be very
+poor. Looking at him closely, she noticed the shabby gentility of his
+appearance; the shiny seams of his Spanish cape which had been torn and
+patched in many places; his old thin shoes, split across the toes, and
+his worn, travel-stained hat.
+
+She wondered if he had any money. She suspected that he was very hungry
+and her soul was moved with pity for the poor, broken old man who had
+once been worth millions.
+
+"Mr. Blount," she began.
+
+"How did you know my name?" he cried, shivering all over like a whipped
+dog. "I didn't mention it, did I? I haven't told any one, have I? I came
+down here in disguise." He laughed feebly. "Disguised as a broken old
+man. I went to Edwin's rooms," he wandered on, forgetting that he had
+asked Molly a question. "You know where they are?"
+
+Molly nodded her head. She knew quite well that the Professor lodged in
+one of the former college houses built on the old campus, used long ago
+before the Quadrangle had been built flanking the new campus.
+
+"The housekeeper recognized me as a relation and I waited in his room
+some hours," went on the old man in a trembling voice.
+
+"And where did you spend the night?"
+
+"In the cloister study. I found the key on his desk. It was marked
+'cloister study.'"
+
+"But where did you eat?" asked Molly gently.
+
+The melting sympathy in her eyes and voice encouraged the old man to
+pour out his woes. Evidently it was a great relief to him to talk after
+his miseries and hardships.
+
+"I've been living off apples," he said. "Very fine apples. There was a
+big basket of them on Edwin's study table."
+
+"But there's an inn in the village," she exclaimed.
+
+He smiled grimly.
+
+"I have come all the way from Caracas to Wellington," he said. "I was
+poor when I started; yes, miserably, wretchedly poor. I am an old man,
+old and broken. I want peace, do you understand? Peace."
+
+They had reached the lake and in fifteen minutes would arrive at the
+Quadrangle. Mr. Blount was leading the way, occasionally hitting the
+ground savagely with his cane.
+
+Molly thrust her hand into her blouse and drew out a chamois skin bag
+which hung by a silk tape around her neck. Since the pilfering had been
+going on at Wellington she carried what little money she had with her
+during the day and hid it under her pillow at night.
+
+Extracting ten dollars from the bag, she hurried to the old man's side
+and touched him on the shoulder.
+
+"Mr. Blount, I'm under great obligations to your cousin. He has been
+very kind to me--always--and I'd like you to--I'd----"
+
+It was difficult to know what to say. Was it not strange for her, a poor
+little school girl, to be offering money to a man who had so recently
+been a millionaire?
+
+"Won't you take this money?" she began again, resolutely. "I don't think
+anyone will recognize you at the inn. It's just a little country place
+and you will be quite comfortable there until I find Professor Green. I
+may get word to him to-night, or to-morrow at any rate."
+
+Mr. Blount eyed the money as a hungry dog eyes a bone. Evidently hunger
+and fatigue had got the better of his pride. He took the bill and
+touched it lovingly. Then he put it in his pocket.
+
+"You're a nice girl," he said. "I thank you."
+
+"Would you like to see George Green?" asked Molly timidly.
+
+"No, no, no!" he answered fiercely. "Not that young fool. I don't
+suppose Judith is here?" he added presently in a tremulous voice.
+
+"No, sir. She's in New York for the holidays."
+
+They shook hands and separated. Mr. Blount took the path down the other
+side of the lake across the links to the village and Molly followed the
+path on the college side. As she cut through the pine woods she heard a
+shout.
+
+"Molly Brown, where have you been? We have had a search for you!" cried
+Judy, rushing up, followed by the three boys.
+
+"I reckon I've been a good deal like the pig who thought he was going to
+Cork when he was really going to Dublin," laughed Molly. "If I hadn't
+asked the way, I suppose I'd have been almost to Exmoor by this time.
+I am a poor person to find my way about. My brother used to tell me to
+take the direction opposite to the one my instincts told me to take and
+then I'd be going right."
+
+"In other words, first make sure you're right and then take the other
+way," said Lawrence Upton, laughing.
+
+"You'd make a good explorer, Miss Molly," remarked Andy McLean. "You
+might discover the South Pole and think all the time it was the North
+Pole."
+
+"That would be of great benefit to humanity," answered Molly, "but you
+may be sure I'd stop and ask a policeman before I reached the equator."
+
+"It's your proper punishment for cutting church this morning," here put
+in George Green. "I don't know whether it was because it was a good
+excuse to go sleighing, but a lot of people were at the ten service.
+Even old Edwin came in the trail of Alice Fern."
+
+"What a pretty name!" said Molly. "It sounds so woodsy."
+
+"She's a cousin," George went on, "and a winner, too. They've got a
+jim-dandy place ten miles the other side of Wellington, Fern Grove. We
+spent last New Year's with them and had a cracker-jack time."
+
+"George Theodore Green!" ejaculated Judy, "I never heard so much slang.
+I wonder you are allowed inside Exmoor."
+
+"Oh, I cut it out there. I only use it when it's safe."
+
+"I regard that as a slight on present company," broke in Andy. "I think
+you'll just have to take a little dose of punishment for that, Dodo. Get
+busy, Larrie."
+
+There was a wild scramble in the snow, and finally Dodo, who had
+developed into a big, strapping fellow, stronger than either of his
+friends, intrenched himself behind a tree and began throwing snowballs
+with the unerring aim of the best pitcher on the Exmoor team. Molly
+hastened on to the Quadrangle, while Judy with true sportsman taste
+waited to see the fun.
+
+Molly went straight to the telephone booths in the basement corridor. By
+good fortune, the haughty being who presided at the switchboard was
+hovering about waiting for a long distance call from a "certain party"
+in New York.
+
+That she alone in all the world was concerned in this call and that she
+wished to have this corner of the globe entirely to herself for the
+full enjoyment of it were very evident facts when Molly asked for
+"Fern-16-Wellington."
+
+"I'm not working to-day," announced the operator shortly, arranging her
+huge Psyche knot at the mirror beside her desk.
+
+Molly looked into the girl's implacable face. No feminine appeal would
+melt that heart of stone, but perhaps the magic name of man might fix
+her.
+
+"Would you do it to oblige Professor Green? I have an important message
+for him."
+
+"I guess that's different," announced the owner of the Psyche knot, with
+a high nasal accent. "Why didn't you say so at first? I guess Professor
+Green is about the nicest gent'man around here."
+
+Sitting down at the switchboard, she slipped on the headpiece with a
+professional flourish. Then, with a hand-quicker-than-the-eye movement,
+she pushed several organ stops up and down, stuck the end of a green
+tube into a hole and remarked in a high pitched voice that had great
+projective powers:
+
+"Wellington Exchange? Hello! Yes, I know it's Christmas. On hand
+for a long distance, are you? Oh, you-u-u. Well, say, listen.
+To oblige a certain party--a very attractive gent'man--call up
+'Fern-16-Wellington.'"
+
+Then there was a detached monologue about a certain party in you know
+where--same gent'man that was down Thanksgiving time. Suddenly, with
+professional alertness, the telephone girl stopped short.
+
+"Fern-16-Wellington? Here's your party. Booth 3," she added to Molly, in
+a voice so radically different that Molly had a confused feeling that
+the young person who operated the Wellington switchboard might be a
+creature of two personalities. She retired timidly to the booth.
+
+"Is this the residence of Miss Alice Fern?" she asked.
+
+"It is," came the voice of a woman from the other end.
+
+"I would like to speak to Professor Edwin Green."
+
+"He's very much engaged just now. Is it important?"
+
+"I think it is," hesitated Molly.
+
+"What name?"
+
+"Now what earthly difference does it make to her what my name is?" Molly
+reflected with some irritation. "Would you please tell him it's a
+message from the University?"
+
+"I'll tell him nothing until you tell me your name."
+
+Could this be Miss Alice Fern? Molly was fairly certain it was. Perhaps
+she also had two personalities.
+
+"It doesn't do any good to tell my name. I have nothing to do with the
+message. I'm only delivering it for someone else. But if you want to
+know, it's 'Brown.'"
+
+"Mrs. or Miss Brown?"
+
+Suddenly Molly heard the Professor's voice quite close to the telephone
+saying:
+
+"Alice, is that someone for me?"
+
+"Yes, an individual of the illuminating name of Brown wishes to speak to
+you. I don't see why they can't leave you alone for one day in the
+year."
+
+Molly smiled. Why was it that down deep in the unexplored caverns of her
+soul there lurked an infinitesimally tiny feeling of relief that Miss
+Alice Fern was plainly a vixen?
+
+"How do you do, Professor Green? This is Molly Brown."
+
+"How do you do? Is anything the matter?" answered the Professor in
+rather an anxious tone.
+
+"I wanted to tell you that Mr. Blount is here. Old Mr. Blount."
+
+The Professor seemed too surprised to answer for a moment. Or it might
+have been that Miss Alice Fern was lingering at his elbow and
+embarrassed him.
+
+"Where?" he asked.
+
+"He spent last night in the cloister study. Now, he's at the inn. He
+asked me to let you know. I met him on the road. He's very unhappy."
+
+"How did he happen to be in the study?"
+
+"He--he had no money."
+
+"And now he's at the inn? Has he seen anyone but you?"
+
+"No." Molly blushed hotly.
+
+"I'll come right over. Thank you very much."
+
+"Now, Edwin, what a nuisance!" broke in the voice of Miss Fern.
+
+"Good-bye. Thank you again. I really must, Alice. Very impor----"
+
+The receiver had been hung up and the connection lost.
+
+"Oh, these cousins!" Molly reflected with a laugh as she hurried up to
+her room.
+
+                *       *       *       *       *
+
+There was a gay party at the McLeans' that night and one unexpected
+guest arrived just before dinner. It was Professor Green. They squeezed
+him in somehow at the end of the table with the doctor, and the two made
+merry together like school boys. Molly had never seen the Professor of
+English Literature in such joyous spirits. After dinner, when the
+dancing commenced, he sought her out and led her to a secluded sofa in
+the back hall. She began at once by asking about Mr. Blount, but the
+Professor was not listening.
+
+"That's one of the prettiest dresses I've seen you wear," he
+interrupted. "Yellow is not becoming to most people, but it is to you.
+Probably because it has the same golden quality that's in your hair."
+
+"I'm glad you like it," said Molly, turning red under his steady gaze.
+
+"I found your note on my study floor," he went on.
+
+"I was afraid you wouldn't remember what I was talking about, after
+all," she exclaimed. "But I had to write it. I have never really been
+happy since I said that cruel thing to you. I was so wretched the day
+afterward, and when I rushed to find you in your study, you were gone!"
+she broke off with a tearful glance into his eyes.
+
+The Professor beamed upon her.
+
+"So you were unhappy," he said, as if the statement was not entirely
+unpleasing.
+
+"Oh, yes. I know now that you were quite right to tell Miss Walker about
+that silly episode of the burying of the slipper."
+
+"But I never told her. I know the story, of course, and the explanation.
+The President told me herself."
+
+"But who did tell, then?"
+
+"That I can't say."
+
+It was now Molly's turn to beam on the Professor.
+
+"I am glad you didn't tell her," she exclaimed in tones of great relief.
+"You see, you didn't inform on Judith Blount that time, and I was hurt.
+I couldn't help from being. I was really awfully sore."
+
+"My dear child," said the Professor hurriedly, "promise hereafter to
+regard me as a faithful friend. Never doubt my sincerity again."
+
+"I promise," answered Molly, feeling intensely proud without knowing
+why.
+
+Then the talk drifted to Mr. Blount.
+
+"And you haven't mentioned meeting him?" he asked. "Not even to Miss
+Kean?"
+
+Molly shook her head.
+
+"You are a very unusual young woman, Miss Brown. It's important to keep
+Mr. Blount's presence here a secret. If word got out that he had come
+back, there would be a great hue and cry in the papers. I have him with
+me now at my rooms until Richard gets here. The family will be very
+grateful to you for your kindness to him."
+
+Lawrence Upton was coming down the hall to claim Molly for a dance.
+
+"Are you going back to the Ferns' to-morrow?" she asked hurriedly.
+
+"I think not," answered the Professor with the ghost of a smile. "I am
+detained here on business."
+
+The next morning Molly received a short note from Professor Green,
+inclosing a ten dollar bill.
+
+There was a postscript which said:
+
+"I've opened a barrel of greenings. Better come around and get some."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+HEALING THE BLIND.
+
+
+"But, Madeleine, I never touched an iron in my life. I wouldn't know how
+to go about it," protested Judith Blount.
+
+"It's high time you learned then, child. It's a very useful piece of
+knowledge, I assure you. You may begin on handkerchiefs first. They are
+easy, just a flat surface, and it doesn't matter if you scorch one,
+especially as it's your own. Test the iron like this, see. Pick it up
+with the holder, wet your finger and touch the bottom. If it gives out a
+sizzly sound, it's fairly hot and may be used on something damp. It will
+surely scorch dry material. Always sprinkle. Rough-dry things can't be
+ironed decently unless they have been sprinkled and allowed to get damp
+through and through."
+
+Madeleine Petit's unceasing flow of conversation did not stop while
+Judith took her first lesson in ironing.
+
+"You see," continued Madeleine, "I've made quite a name for myself for
+doing up fine things and I really need an assistant, Judith. And, since
+you need the money, and I like you better than any girl in college, I
+want you to help me."
+
+Judith winced at the mention of poverty, but her face softened when
+Madeleine spoke of friendship.
+
+After all, was it not good to have a friend, a real tried and devoted
+friend who had nothing to gain but friendship in return? Yes, Madeleine
+did talk a great deal. We all have our faults. Judith's was a temper.
+She knew that. But Madeleine was good company, nevertheless, much better
+company than those false friends of Beta Phi days. She was charming and
+pretty and she had a heart of pure gold. Moreover, she was a lady, if
+she did talk so much.
+
+Judith loved Madeleine. For the first time in her life she felt the
+stirrings of a really deep affection for another girl. It had quickened
+her parched soul like the waters of a freshet flowing through a thirsty
+land. Madeleine had first gained the respect of the proud, discontented
+girl by being always good-naturedly firm, and now she had gained her
+love.
+
+Furthermore, Judith felt for the first time the pleasure of doing
+something for someone else. It was a matter of infinite secret joy to
+her that she had been able to help Madeleine with her studies. In a way
+she had constituted herself tutor to the little Southern girl; had
+criticized her themes; given her a boost in the dreaded French
+Literature and carried her over the blighting period of mid-year
+examinations. Madeleine had spent Christmas with the Blounts at a
+boarding house in New York and had given them a taste of Southern
+conversation, humor and anecdotes that had made that dreary time for
+them to blossom with new enjoyments.
+
+And now Judith was learning to iron. At first she handled the iron quite
+awkwardly, but in a few minutes she became interested and the pile of
+handkerchiefs rapidly decreased.
+
+"Of course, it isn't as if either one of us expects to have to iron
+handkerchiefs always," went on Madeleine, "but it doesn't hurt us to
+know how, just the same, and I have always found that doing common
+things well only made one do uncommon things better. Now, I intend to be
+a Professor of Mathematics. I don't know where nor how, but those are my
+intentions. There's no ironing of jabots connected with mathematics, but
+somehow I feel that ironing jabots well makes me more proficient in
+mathematics.
+
+"By the way, have you settled on anything to do yet? It's time you began
+to think about it, unless you decide to take a Post Grad. course and be
+with me next year. That would be perfectly grand, wouldn't it?"
+
+Madeleine's small pretty hands paused an instant in their busy
+fluttering over the garments she was sprinkling, and she smiled so
+sweetly upon Judith that the black-browed young woman felt moved beyond
+the power of speech and could only smile silently in reply.
+
+Oh, heavens, it was good to have a friend! Madeleine had come at a time
+when she most needed her; when the whole world was nothing but a black,
+hideous picture and life was a dreary waste. Not her mother, not
+Richard, not Cousin Edwin, could take the place of Madeleine.
+
+"You know I always said I wouldn't work for a living, Madeleine," she
+answered presently, gulping down these new, strange emotions.
+
+"My dear, we all say such things, but it's only talk. And, after all,
+it's better to work than to be an object of charity. Think of making
+your own money; having it come in every month--say a hundred dollars, or
+even more--earned by you? Why, it's glorious. It's better than running
+across a gold mine by accident or inheriting a fortune, because you have
+done it yourself. I intend to earn a great deal of money. I shall rise
+from being a teacher to having a splendid school of my own. It will be
+the most fashionable school in the South and all the finest families
+will send their daughters there. And what will you be in my school,
+Judith? Because you must commence now to work up to that eminence. Will
+you be part owner with me?"
+
+Judith laughed.
+
+"You're an absurd, adorable, sweet child," she said, and went on ironing
+busily.
+
+After all, life was not so desperately unpleasant.
+
+There was a knock on the door. Judith put down the iron hastily and
+retreated to the window. She had not yet reached the point where she was
+willing for others to see her engaged in this menial work.
+
+"Come in," called Madeleine, without stopping an instant.
+
+To Judith's relief, however, it was Mrs. O'Reilly.
+
+"A note for you, Miss Blount, and the man's waiting for an answer."
+
+Judith tore open the envelope impatiently. It was a bill of two years'
+running, amounting to nearly forty dollars, from the stationery and
+candy shop.
+
+On the bottom she was requested to remit at once.
+
+"Tell the man--anything, Mrs. O'Reilly. I can't see him. That's all."
+
+"Certainly, Miss," said the Irish woman with a good-natured smile.
+
+"These poor young college ladies was in hard luck just like the men
+sometimes," she thought as she turned away.
+
+Judith sat down and began to think. Richard was having a great struggle
+to keep her at college, her mother and himself at the boarding house,
+and her father in a sanitarium. It would really be unkind to burden him
+with that bill; but what was to be done?
+
+"Is it that old stationery man again?" asked Madeleine, who had
+inherited a profound contempt for dunning shopkeepers.
+
+"Yes, it is, and I don't know what to do."
+
+"Why don't you put an advertisement in the 'Commune'? You have no idea
+how it will bring in work. And then hang out a shingle, too. People have
+got to learn to recognize you as a wage-earning person before they come
+around and offer you things to do."
+
+"But what can I do? I don't know how to iron well enough to take in
+laundry, like you."
+
+A voice outside called:
+
+"Is this Miss Madeleine Petit's room?"
+
+"Come in. Can't you see the name on the door?" answered Madeleine.
+"There's only one Petit at Wellington and I'm the lady."
+
+Millicent Porter now entered.
+
+She looked smaller and more shriveled than ever in a beautiful mink coat
+and cap and a velvet dress of a rich shade of blue that breathed
+prosperity in every fold.
+
+"This is the region where signs are out asking for work, isn't it?" she
+asked in a pleasantly patronizing, unctious voice.
+
+"We don't ask for work. We announce that we do it and the work comes,"
+replied Madeleine, eyeing the visitor with a kind of humorous pity.
+
+"Be that as it may," said Miss Porter, "I have some work I want done and
+I'm looking for a very competent and reliable person to do it."
+
+Judith winced at the word "reliable."
+
+"This isn't a servants' agency, you know, Miss Porter," answered the
+spunky Madeleine. "Those words are generally used when one engages a
+cook or a housemaid. What is the work like?"
+
+"I'm going to give an exhibition of my silver work at the George
+Washington Bazaar. I may sell some of it if I can get the price, and
+what I want is a skillful and re-- or rather clever----" Madeleine
+blinked both eyes rapidly at the substitution--"person to help me get it
+in order. Most of it is awfully tarnished and it will need a good deal
+of polishing."
+
+"How much will you pay a skillful, clever person?" demanded Madeleine,
+determined to drive a good bargain and shrewdly guessing the kind of
+person she had to deal with.
+
+"I'll pay ten dollars," answered Millicent glibly.
+
+"What are the pieces like?"
+
+"Oh, there are chains, necklaces, platters and bowls, and a lot of ivory
+things I have picked up in Europe that must be carefully washed."
+
+"We'll do the work for fifteen dollars," announced Madeleine. "No less."
+
+Judith could hardly preserve a grave countenance while this bargaining
+was going on between the rich Miss Porter and her funny little Southern
+friend.
+
+"I think that's too much," declared Millicent.
+
+"Not at all. The work requires care and, as you say, reliability. It
+might be stolen, you know."
+
+Madeleine snapped her eyes.
+
+"Very well, then," said Millicent in a resigned tone of voice. "It's a
+great deal to pay, but I suppose I can't do any better. I hear you do
+everything well, Miss Petit."
+
+"Miss Blount will do this," answered Madeleine. "If I do things well,
+she does them better. Now, where do you want them cleaned? Down here or
+up at your place?"
+
+"Oh, I would never let them out of my studio," cried Millicent. "She
+must come there, where she can be under my eye."
+
+"But----" objected Judith, and paused at a glance from Madeleine.
+
+It would be a crushing blow to her pride for her to go back to her old
+rooms and rub tarnished silver for this perfectly insufferable Millicent
+Porter. Yet fifteen dollars loomed up as quite a considerable sum, and,
+with five dollars added, could be paid to the stationery man on account.
+
+Did Judith realize in her secret soul that the bitter dose she was now
+swallowing was only a dose of the same medicine she had once forced
+others to swallow?
+
+"Very well, then," said Madeleine, "we'll give you as much of Friday and
+Saturday as will be necessary. We'll take a lunch up on Friday so that
+we won't have to come back for supper----"
+
+She waited a moment, wondering if Millicent would not invite them to
+supper at the Beta Phi. Hospitality was so much a part of her upbringing
+that it was impossible to conceive it lacking in others.
+
+"I thought Miss Blount was to do the work."
+
+"She will. I shall work under her as assistant rubber."
+
+So, the bargain was clinched and Millicent departed.
+
+"Disgusting little reptile!" cried Judith when the sounds of her
+footsteps died away in the hall and the door banged behind her.
+
+Could Judith forget that she herself had once belonged to that
+overbearing class?
+
+"Don't get all stirred up, Judith, it's bad for your digestion,"
+ejaculated Madeleine. "That girl is nothing but a mere ripple on the
+surface. She's ridiculous, but there's no harm in her. I am really sorry
+for her, because she doesn't belong anywhere. She could never make a
+friend, and she will never know what it is to be really liked. She
+thinks she's a genius because she's learned how to beat out a few tawdry
+silver chains, and as soon as she finishes one she locks it up in a box
+and takes it out about once a decade to look it over. Why, she's just a
+poor, starved, little creature without a spark of generosity in her
+soul. What does she know about living and happiness?
+
+"You and I know how to live," Madeleine continued, flourishing her iron.
+"We're in the procession. We're moving on, learning and progressing.
+We're going up all the time. I tell you the highest peak in the
+Himalayas is not higher than my ambitions. And I intend to take you with
+me, Judith, and when we get to the top we'll look back and see poor,
+little Millicent Porter, shriveled to nothing at the bottom!"
+
+Judith gave a strange, hysterical laugh. Suddenly she flew across the
+room and embraced her friend.
+
+"You could make me do anything, Madeleine," she cried. "Scale the
+Himalayas or cut a tunnel through them." Taking her friend's small,
+charming face between her two hands, she looked her in the eyes:
+"Madeleine," she said, "did you know I used to be a blind girl? You have
+healed me. I am beginning to see things as they are."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+A WARNING.
+
+
+The girl who had been blind and could see and Madeleine of the
+unconquerable soul appeared in Millicent's sumptuous apartment promptly
+at three o'clock on Friday afternoon.
+
+They carried with them a suitcase containing the implements of their
+labor, taken chiefly from Madeleine's rag bag: some old stockings;
+several wornout undervests and polishing cloths made from antiquated
+flannel petticoats; also a bottle of ammonia and two boxes of silver
+polish.
+
+"Well, here we are," announced Madeleine, unconcernedly, when Millicent
+had opened her door to them. "I hope you have the things out and ready.
+Our time is valuable."
+
+Of no avail were Millicent's pompous and important airs. Madeleine
+insisted on treating her as a familiar and an equal.
+
+"I have put you in the den. You will be less disturbed and you can use
+the writing table to spread things on. Please be care----"
+
+"Have you made an inventory?" interrupted Madeleine.
+
+"No," faltered Millicent. Why was it that this poverty-stricken little
+person took all the wind out of her sails?
+
+"Make it please at once in duplicate. Keep one yourself and give us the
+other."
+
+"But----" began Millicent.
+
+"No, we will not touch a thing until the inventory is made. No
+'competent, reliable' person would think of doing work like this without
+an inventory. We'll wait in the other room until you have made it."
+
+There was nothing to do but proceed with the inventory. It was plain
+that Madeleine knew the manner of person she was dealing with.
+
+While the two girls waited in the big sitting room, now a studio,
+Madeleine drew a book from her ulster pocket and began to study. The
+little Southerner was never idle one moment of her waking day and the
+other seven hours she put in sleeping very soundly. Judith began to look
+about her.
+
+The room was little changed from the old days, except that it was even
+richer in aspect. There were some splendid old altar pieces on the walls
+and a piece of beautiful old rose brocade hung between the studio and
+the den. But, after all, what did it come to? Was anyone really fond of
+Millicent with all her wealth? Why, Judith, poor and forgotten, had made
+a friend. She felt small tenderness toward the rest of the world, but
+she loved Madeleine.
+
+Molly Brown came into the room at this stage in Judith's reflections.
+
+"Why, hello, girls!" she exclaimed cordially, shaking hands with the
+silver-rubbers. "Where is Millicent?"
+
+"She is making an inventory of her valuables before we begin to clean
+them," replied Madeleine, smiling sweetly and blinking both eyes at
+once. "We insisted, because it would have been unprofessional not to
+have had one."
+
+"The idea!" said Molly. "No, it wouldn't. Besides, you're not
+professionals."
+
+"Yes, we are," insisted Madeleine. "Everything we do for money is
+professional work."
+
+"Oh, very well," laughed Molly, "and I suppose you'll polish them up so
+carefullee that some day you'll be admirals in the Queen's Navee."
+
+"Nothing less," said Madeleine. "It's my theory exactly."
+
+"Oh, Molly," called the voice of Millicent from the den, "please come
+and help me with this stupid thing. I can't seem to get it straight."
+
+And that was how Molly came to be admitted into Millicent's inner
+sanctum where she kept her most valued possessions under lock and key.
+
+The top of a heavy oak chest rested against the wall and inside was a
+perfect mine of silver articles, many of them Millicent's own work;
+there was also a quantity of small ivory figures collected by her in her
+travels.
+
+"I'll lift out the things and call their names and you can copy each one
+twice, like this: one silver necklace--grape-vine design."
+
+Molly sat down and began to make the list. They were nearly finished
+when Rosomond Chase's voice was heard in the next room.
+
+"Millicent, please come out for a moment. I want to see you on
+business."
+
+Molly, left alone, went on with the list, taking each article from the
+box and noting it carefully twice on the inventory.
+
+In the meantime Millicent and her friend were having a secret conference
+in the bedroom, while Madeleine and Judith silently waited in the
+studio. The two silver-rubbers were presently startled by the apparition
+of Molly standing in the doorway. She had the look of one fleeing before
+a storm, her face very pale and her eyes dilated with horror. She
+started to speak, but checked herself and closed the door behind her.
+Then, hurrying into the room, she said in a low, strained voice:
+
+"Madeleine, I would not advise you to do any work for Miss Porter."
+
+The two girls exchanged a long look.
+
+"Do you really mean that?" asked Madeleine.
+
+"I was never more in earnest in my life."
+
+"But, can't you explain?" demanded Judith Blount.
+
+Molly shook her head and rushed from the room.
+
+"Come on, Judith," said Madeleine, slipping on her ulster.
+
+"But, this is absurd!" objected Judith again.
+
+"Child," exclaimed her friend, "don't you know human nature well enough
+to understand that a girl like Molly Brown would never have given a
+piece of advice like that without knowing what she was talking about?"
+
+"She's jealous because she would like to earn the money herself."
+
+"Nonsense," said Madeleine. "She is not that kind. You know perfectly
+well that she is the most generous-hearted, unselfish girl in
+Wellington. She wouldn't injure a fly if she could help herself, and I
+think we had better take her advice."
+
+But Judith was stubborn.
+
+"We've come to do the work. Why go?"
+
+Having once committed herself to this menial labor, she wished to see it
+through. After all, whatever Molly had against Millicent Porter couldn't
+concern them, and in the end Madeleine reluctantly gave in.
+
+Presently Millicent and Rosomond came into the room.
+
+"What became of Molly Brown?" demanded Millicent suspiciously.
+
+"She couldn't wait," answered Madeleine briefly.
+
+"Was there anything the matter with her?"
+
+"She seemed in perfectly good health as far as I know, but you had
+better hurry up with the inventory, Miss Porter. We are losing time."
+
+Rosomond helped Millicent with the remainder of the list, and by four
+o'clock Madeleine and Judith were installed in the den hard at work. All
+afternoon and evening they toiled and the next morning they appeared
+soon after breakfast and started in again.
+
+"This is easier than cracking rock, and the pay is considerably better,
+but I am just as tired between the shoulders as a common laborer,"
+Madeleine exclaimed, rubbing the last tray until she could see her own
+piquant little face reflected in its depths.
+
+"As for me, I feel as if I had been drawn and quartered," complained
+Judith. "It's worth more than fifteen dollars. We should have asked
+twenty."
+
+"I would have asked it, if I had thought she could have been induced to
+part with so much money, but I saw that fifteen was her limit."
+
+Judith laughed.
+
+"You're a regular little bargain driver," she said admiringly.
+
+"No, not always," answered Madeleine. "Only when I meet another one."
+
+"Well, I am glad we undertook it, and I am gladder still we have
+finished it," said Judith.
+
+They arranged the silver on half of the table, and the small army of
+carved ivory ornaments, for which Millicent seemed to have a passion,
+on the other half. Then, removing the loose gloves which had protected
+their hands, they put on their things and marched into the next room
+with expectant faces. For the first time in all her life Judith had
+earned a sum of money, and the humblest wage-earner was not more anxious
+for his week's pay than she was.
+
+"Will you please inspect the work, Miss Porter, and give us our money?
+We are tired and want to go home," said Madeleine.
+
+Millicent was propped up against some velvet cushions in the window
+seat. There was an expression of nervous worry on her thin sallow face,
+and around her on the floor lay the scattered bits of a note she had
+read, re-read, and torn into little pieces.
+
+She was in a very bad humor, and her warped nature was groping for
+something on which to vent its accumulated spleen. She rose from the
+window seat, swept grandly into the next room and glanced at the
+tableful of silver and ivory.
+
+"It looks fairly well," she said; for Millicent was one of those persons
+who grudged even her praise. "What was the amount I promised to pay?"
+
+"I dare say you haven't forgotten it so soon," answered the intrepid
+Madeleine. "Fifteen dollars."
+
+"Oh, was it so much? Will this evening do? I haven't that sum on hand
+just now. I'll have to go down to the bank."
+
+"A check will do, then," said Madeleine, sitting down in one of the
+carved chairs.
+
+"I never pay with checks. I only pay cash. I would prefer to draw out
+the money and pay you this evening."
+
+"Nonsense," exclaimed Madeleine. "Besides, you know very well that the
+bank closes on Saturdays at noon, and it's now nearly four o'clock."
+
+"So it does. Then you will have to wait until Monday."
+
+"We won't wait until Monday," ejaculated Madeleine. "We haven't been
+rubbing silver for our health. You'd better look around in your top
+drawer and see if you can't scrape fifteen dollars together, because I
+tell you plainly if you don't you'll regret it."
+
+"How regret it?" asked the other suspiciously. "I'm not obliged to pay
+it until Monday, and I won't," she added stubbornly.
+
+It was growing late. The girls were exhausted and hungry. They had eaten
+no lunch except crackers and cheese. At last Judith, utterly crushed
+with disappointment, drew Madeleine aside.
+
+"Suppose we leave her," she said. "I can't stand it any longer."
+
+Without another word they took their departure, leaving Millicent still
+in the window seat looking pensively out on the campus. They were hardly
+outside before she sprang to the door and locked it. Then she hastened
+to the den and began to pack feverishly and with trembling nervous
+hands. Wrapping each article of silver in tissue paper, she placed it in
+the chest on a bed of raw cotton. When the table was entirely cleared,
+she closed and locked the chest and, addressing a tag, wired it to the
+handle.
+
+Next she drew a trunk from the big closet and packed it with her best
+clothes. This done, she crept downstairs to the telephone and engaged
+Mr. Murphy to call that night for an express box and a trunk.
+
+The Beta Phi girls were all at a Saturday night dance at one of the
+other houses when Mr. Murphy called. Millicent explained to the matron
+that her rooms were too crowded and she was sending some of her things
+back to New York.
+
+As quietly as possible she drew her other two trunks from the closet,
+and by three in the morning the rooms were entirely dismantled and all
+drapery and pictures carefully packed away. These also she locked and
+tagged with the precision of one who intends to lose nothing, no matter
+what's to pay. One more task remained. This was performed in the privacy
+of the den behind closed doors. When it was done there stood on the
+table a square box addressed in artistic lettering to "Miss M. Brown,
+No. 5 Quadrangle."
+
+Placing her watch on her pillow, Millicent now rested for several hours
+without sleeping. At last, at seven o'clock, dressed for a journey, with
+suit case, umbrella and hand bag, she crept softly downstairs and
+plunged into the early morning mists.
+
+Not once did she glance back at the two gray towers as she hastened down
+to the station, and when the seven-thirty train for New York pulled in,
+she boarded it quickly and turned her face away from Wellington
+forever.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE PARABLE OF THE SUN AND WIND.
+
+
+If Molly had been carrying a stick of dynamite she could not have held
+it more gingerly than the square box she was taking to President Walker
+on Monday morning.
+
+"That was the reason I never liked her," she thought, mentioning no
+names even in her own mind. "I wonder if it is true that she couldn't
+help it. It must be, when she was so rich. What could she want with
+Minerva's medals or Margaret's initialed ring? Both M's, though," she
+thought, half smiling.
+
+"Oh, Miss Brown," cried a voice behind her, and Madeleine Petit came
+tearing across the campus as fast as her little feet could carry her.
+"Is it true that Millicent Porter has run away from college?"
+
+"I'm afraid it is," answered Molly.
+
+"She owed us fifteen dollars," cried Madeleine tragically. "She promised
+to pay this morning, and I have just heard rumors that she has
+disappeared, bag and baggage."
+
+"You _did_ do the work for her?" asked Molly.
+
+"Yes, really, against my will. I knew you would never advise without
+having something to advise about. But Judith was determined, and the
+only reason I gave in was because she had never done any work before,
+and I thought it would be good for her to make a start. She was so happy
+over earning the money. It was really wonderful to see how she
+brightened up. And when we couldn't get a cent out of Miss Porter on
+Saturday afternoon, poor old Judith was so disappointed that she cried.
+Think of that."
+
+"What a shame," exclaimed Molly, appreciating Judith's feelings with
+entire sympathy. "I'm sure I should have cried if I had done all that
+hard work and then couldn't collect."
+
+"But what are we to do? Must we sit back quietly and let the rich
+trample the poor? Don't you think she is coming back?"
+
+"I think not," answered Molly.
+
+"Did you find out something those few minutes you were in the den?"
+
+Molly nodded her head.
+
+"Is she----"
+
+The two girls exchanged frightened glances.
+
+"And her father a millionaire, too! Well, I never," cried Madeleine. "I
+think I'll just drop him a letter," which she accordingly did that very
+day. But she never received an answer, and the debt still remains
+unpaid.
+
+In the meantime Molly was closeted with Miss Walker for ten minutes.
+
+"It's strange," said the President. "I just had a letter this morning
+from an old friend at the head of a private school warning me about this
+unfortunate girl who was a pupil there."
+
+But Molly was loath to discuss the matter, and still more loath to keep
+stolen property in her private possession. She placed the box on the
+President's desk and hastened away as soon as she politely could. That
+afternoon there appeared on the bulletin board the following unusual
+announcement:
+
+  "All those who have lost property during the winter may possibly be
+  able to obtain it by applying to the Secretary of the President."
+
+That the thief had been apprehended at last was of course understood.
+Putting two and two together, the Wellington girls concluded that
+Millicent Porter must have had some important reason for fleeing early
+in the morning without explanations, leaving two trunks and a debt of
+honor behind her. The trunks were afterwards expressed, according to
+directions left in her room.
+
+But, for the honor of Wellington, open conversation on the subject was
+not encouraged, and most of the talk was in whispers behind closed
+doors.
+
+A crowd of the girls from the Quadrangle, where most of the pilfering
+had been carried on, went together to claim their property on Monday
+evening. Those who had lost money returned disappointed. The box of
+restored goods contained none whatever. But the other articles were duly
+claimed and distributed, with the exception of one.
+
+"Does any one know to whom this belongs?" asked the secretary, placing
+a photograph in a beautiful silver frame on the top of the desk.
+
+"It must be yours, Nance," announced Edith Williams, with a teasing
+smile.
+
+"It is not," said Nance emphatically.
+
+The other girls, now gathered around the picture, began to laugh.
+
+Undoubtedly the small lanky boy in kilts in the photograph was Andy
+McLean.
+
+"Perhaps it is Mrs. McLean's," suggested some one.
+
+Margaret, examining the frame with the eye of an experienced detective,
+remarked in her usual authoritative tone:
+
+"The design on the frame is Japanese."
+
+"Otoyo," cried Judy, and the little Japanese, lingering near the door,
+crept timidly up and claimed the picture. Her face was a deep scarlet,
+as, with drooping head, she rushed from the room.
+
+"Bless the child's heart, who'd have thought she had a boy's picture,"
+laughed Katherine Williams.
+
+That very night Otoyo returned the photograph to Mrs. McLean, and with
+many tears confessed that she had removed it from the drawer without so
+much as asking permission.
+
+"My sweet lass," exclaimed the doctor's wife, kissing her, "you shall
+have a good picture of Andy if you like, taken just lately. I am only
+too happy that you admire his picture enough to put it in that beautiful
+frame. I'm sure I think he's a braw lad, the handsomest in three
+kingdoms; but I am his mother, you know, and not accountable."
+
+Together the two women fitted the latest photograph of the callow youth
+into the frame. Otoyo presently bore it triumphantly back to her room
+and placed it on the mantel shelf where all the world could see it. That
+night she slept with an easy conscience and a thankful heart. Her one
+dishonest deed was wiped out forever.
+
+The untangling of one snarl in the skein of affairs generally leads to
+the untangling of many others. So it happened that Molly and Judy, by
+the turn which events had taken, were able to clear up a mystery that
+had puzzled them for months.
+
+"I feel, Judy," remarked Molly, one day, "that we ought to do something
+nice for Minerva Higgins, because of--you know what. We mentioned no
+names and never breathed it even to each other except vaguely Christmas
+day, you remember. But we did suspect her, and thinking is just as bad
+as talking when you think a thing like that, so cruel and horrible."
+
+Judy nodded her head thoughtfully.
+
+"But she will never know we are making reparation, Molly," she said. "It
+will have to be purely for our own private satisfaction."
+
+"Of course," replied Molly. "That is what I meant. We did her a wrong in
+our minds, and in our minds we must undo it."
+
+"And how, pray?" demanded Judy.
+
+"Well, let me see. Couldn't we ask her here some night with just the
+three of us, and make her fudge and be awfully sweet and interested?"
+
+"I suppose we could, if we made a superhuman mental and physical
+effort," answered Judy lazily. "And it would take both. Why not let well
+enough alone?"
+
+"But it isn't 'well enough,' Judy, and we've had an ugly thought about
+her for weeks."
+
+"Do you call those practical jokes she played on us last autumn pretty?"
+demanded Judy, who had no liking for Minerva.
+
+"No, but she has learned better now. Anyhow, Judy, I want to try an
+experiment. Do you remember the allegory of the sun and the wind and the
+man wrapped in his cloak? The wind made a wager with the sun that he
+could make the man take off his cloak, and he blew and blew with all his
+might, and the more he blew the closer the man wrapped his coat about
+him. Then the wind gave up and the sun came out and tried his method of
+just shining very brightly and cheerfully, and presently the man was so
+hot he took off his coat."
+
+Judy laughed.
+
+"Meaning, I suppose, that we have been trying the human gale method
+instead of the merry little sunshine way. All right, Molly, dearest,
+bring on your Minerva and I'll be as gentle as a May morning. But don't
+let the Gemini come, because we could never carry it through if they
+were present."
+
+It was agreed that the three friends, Molly, Nance and Judy, should
+entertain the vain little freshman at an exclusive party all to
+themselves. Other persons were advised to keep away.
+
+"Hands off," exclaimed Judy. "Stay away from our premises this evening,
+ladies, because we are going to try an experiment with explosives, and
+it might be dangerous."
+
+It was unfortunate that, on the very evening that Minerva Higgins had
+arranged to go to the three friends, somebody played a practical joke on
+her and she was in an extremely bad humor. Although she had regained her
+two medals, she was always losing things and crying her losses up and
+down the corridor. She usually found the articles mislaid in her own
+room, but she had a suspicious nature and was generally on the lookout
+for thefts. That afternoon she had rushed into the corridor crying:
+
+"My water pitcher has been stolen from me. I will not have people going
+into my room and taking my things."
+
+"As if anybody wanted her old water pitcher," remarked Margaret, in a
+tone of disgust.
+
+Edith Williams smiled mysteriously.
+
+Presently Minerva and the matron, much bored, passed the door.
+
+"Come on, let's go and see the fun," suggested Edith.
+
+"How do you know there will be any fun?" demanded Margaret.
+
+"There's likely to be."
+
+They strolled slowly up the corridor, and as they passed the door the
+matron was saying:
+
+"Really, Miss Higgins, I must request you not to raise any more false
+alarms like this. There is your water pitcher."
+
+She pointed to the chandelier where the pitcher had been hoisted on a
+piece of cord. A good many other girls had gathered about Minerva's
+door, and a ripple of laughter swept along the hall.
+
+"Edith, did you play that joke?" asked Margaret later.
+
+"Judy was a party to it, and Katherine and several others," answered
+Edith evasively. "We thought it high time to put an end to burglar
+alarms. Minerva Higgins has come to be a public nuisance."
+
+Margaret smiled. Her dignity would never allow her to enter into what
+she called "rowdy jokes." However, it did not mar her enjoyment of the
+story about them afterward.
+
+But it was an angry, sullen Minerva who presented herself at the door of
+No. 5, Quadrangle, that evening at eight o'clock. She had left off her
+medals and she had not worn the indigo blue. Judy was relieved at this,
+but Molly and Nance considered it a bad sign.
+
+The first half-hour of the reparation party dragged slowly.
+
+"We've piped for Minerva and she will not dance; we've mourned for her
+and she will not mourn. It's a hopeless case," Judy remarked in an aside
+to Nance.
+
+But Molly had formed a resolution and she was determined to carry it
+through.
+
+"Behind that Chinese wall of vanity, Minerva has a little soul hidden
+somewhere and I'm going to reach it to-night if I have to blast with
+dynamite," she thought.
+
+Nance was stirring fudge on the chafing dish and Judy was occupying
+herself strumming chords on the piano. Molly led Minerva to the divan
+and sat down beside her.
+
+"Are you glad you came to college, Minerva?" she asked, wondering what
+in the world to talk about.
+
+"No," answered the other emphatically. "I detest college. Except that
+the studies are higher, I think Mill Town High School is better run. I
+don't like college girls, either. They are all conceited snobs."
+
+"Perhaps you will like it better when you are a sophomore and have more
+liberty," suggested Molly. "The first year one can't look forward to
+much pleasure. But a freshman is always under inspection, you see. If
+she accepts the situation without complaining and is nice and obliging
+and modest, it's like so much treasure laid by for her the next year
+when she finds how popular she is with the other girls."
+
+"It's not like that in Mill Town. A freshman is just as good as anybody
+else," snapped Minerva.
+
+Judy, overhearing this statement, blinked at Nance, who smiled furtively
+and went on stirring fudge.
+
+Molly still persisted with the patience of one who looks for certain
+success.
+
+"The most interesting part of being a freshman," she continued, "is that
+a girl begins to find out about herself, and by the time she's a
+sophomore she knows what she really wants."
+
+"Oh, but I knew perfectly well what I wanted before I came," interrupted
+Minerva in a lofty tone, "I want to study the dead languages."
+
+"But there is something you want more than that," broke in Molly. "You
+want to be popular."
+
+Minerva gave her a suspicious glance, but Molly was beaming kindly upon
+her with all the warmth of her affectionate nature.
+
+"How do you know that?" she demanded in a somewhat softened tone.
+
+"It was not hard to guess. You said you were disappointed with the girls
+here because they seemed to be snobs. Now if you hadn't minded it very
+much, you never would have mentioned it. Don't you think the girls are
+just a little afraid of you? You see, they had heard you were the
+brightest girl in your school and when they saw all the medals and you
+talked to them on such deep subjects, they were scared off. They
+thought, perhaps, you wouldn't care for them because they didn't know
+enough. After all, people's feeling toward you is just a reflection of
+what you feel toward them. If you are interested and admire and love
+them, they are pretty sure to feel the same toward you. You see, I know
+you can be just as nice and human and everyday as the rest of us--"
+Molly laid her hand on Minerva's--"but the others haven't had a chance
+yet to find out."
+
+Minerva's stiff figure relaxed a little and she leaned against Molly
+confidingly.
+
+"I do want to be liked," she whispered. "All my life I've wanted it more
+than anything in the world. But even at Mill Town the girls were afraid
+of me, just as you say they are here. I might as well own up, as you
+have guessed it already."
+
+"But it's only a question of time now before you make lots of friends,"
+said Molly, "You are so clever that you'll find out how to make them
+like you."
+
+"But how?"
+
+"Well," said Molly, "I think people who are sympathetic and who listen
+more than they talk generally have a good many friends. I'm afraid I've
+talked more than I listened this evening," she added, pinching Minerva's
+cheek.
+
+"But you've talked about me," answered Minerva. Suddenly her face turned
+very red and her eyes filled with tears. "I shall not wear the medals
+any more," she whispered unsteadily. "And--there is something I want to
+confess. I--I waited for you that night you were on the lake, and I sent
+an unsigned note to Miss Walker the next day to get even with you
+because you wouldn't let me go walking with you."
+
+Judy, at the piano, was singing a vociferous medley, and Nance was
+joining in.
+
+"That's all right," whispered Molly. "It was much better for her to know
+because we would have been misrepresented always unless someone had told
+her, and we couldn't exactly tell her ourselves. But I think it's
+awfully nice of you to confess, Minerva. Now, we shall be better friends
+than ever."
+
+The two girls kissed each other. The cloak of vanity had slipped off
+and the smartest-girl-in-Mill-Town-High-School became her real natural
+self.
+
+Until a quarter before ten the four girls laughed and talked pleasantly
+together, while the convivial fudge plate was passed from one to the
+other. But never once did Mill Town High School or comparative philology
+come into the conversation.
+
+When at last the evening was at an end and Minerva had departed, Nance
+and Judy led Molly gravely to the divan.
+
+"Now, tell us how you did it," they demanded in one voice.
+
+"I only told her the truth," answered Molly, "but I didn't put it
+so that it would hurt her. I said the reason why the girls were
+stand-offish was because they were afraid of her learning and her gold
+medals."
+
+"Marvelous, brilliant creature!" cried Judy, embracing her friend, while
+Nance laid a cheek against Molly's.
+
+"You are a perfect darling, Molly," she said.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE JUNIOR GAMBOL.
+
+
+     "Hail, Wellington, beloved home!
+      Hail, spot forever dear!
+      We greet thy towers and cloisters gray,
+      Thy meadows fresh in spring array;
+      We greet thee, Wellington, to-day;
+      Thy hills and dales; thy valleys green;
+      Thy wood and lake--tranquil, serene;
+      We greet thee far and near."
+
+Molly and Judy were responsible for the words of these stirring lines,
+which with three other verses were sung by the junior class to the air
+of "Beulah Land," the music having been adapted to the words rather than
+the words to the music.
+
+The entire junior class, a long, slender line of swaying white stretched
+across the campus, lifted its voice in praise of Wellington that May
+Day morning at the Junior Gambol. In the center waved the class flag of
+primrose and lavender. In the background was the gray pile of Wellington
+and in the front stretched the level close-cut lawn of the campus,
+fringed by the crowd of spectators. It was an impressive sight and when
+the fresh young voices united in the class song of "Hail, Wellington!",
+Miss Walker was moved to tears.
+
+"The dear children!" she exclaimed to Professor Green at her side,
+"really I feel all choked up over their devotion."
+
+Winding in and out in an intricate march, the class moved slowly across
+the campus until it reached the sophomores grouped together in one spot.
+Here they paused while the President of the juniors made a speech and
+presented the President of the sophomores with a small spade wreathed in
+smilax, a symbol of learning, or rather of the delving for learning
+which that class had in prospect in another year. Next the juniors
+approached the seniors and sang one of the Wellington songs, "Seniors,
+Farewell."
+
+Then the line broke up and moved to the center of the campus, where
+stood a May pole. An orchestra, stationed under one of the trees, began
+playing an old English country dance, and the juniors seized the
+streamers and tripped in and out with the graceful dignity suitable to
+their new, uplifted position of seniors about-to-be.
+
+Not one of the Wellington festivals could so stir her daughters of the
+present or the past, now grouped on the edge of the campus, as this
+Junior May-Day Gambol.
+
+"Perhaps it is so sad because it is so beautiful," Miss Pomeroy observed
+to Miss Bowles, teacher in Higher Mathematics, wiping her eyes
+furtively. But Miss Bowles, not being an ex-daughter of Wellington, and
+having a taste for more prosaic and practical pleasures, regarded the
+scene with only a polite and tolerant interest.
+
+"Who is to be the May Queen?" asked Mrs. McLean, standing in the same
+group with Miss Walker and Professor Green.
+
+As each succeeding year brought around the Junior Gambol the good woman
+hastened to view it with undiminished interest.
+
+"It would be difficult to say," answered Miss Walker. "In a class of
+such unusual individuality it will be very hard to select one who
+deserves it more than another."
+
+"It's a question of popularity more than intelligence," observed the
+Professor. "I think I might hazard a guess," he added in a lower tone,
+but his voice was drowned in a burst of music. The juniors were singing
+an old English glee song, "To the Cuckoo."
+
+    "'Hail, beauteous stranger of the grove,
+      Thou messenger of spring,
+      Now heaven repairs thy rural seat
+      And woods thy welcome ring.'"
+
+Many guesses were hazarded regarding the junior May Queen, not only
+among the crowds of spectators, but in the class itself.
+
+The votes for the Queen were cast by secret ballot in charge of a
+committee of three. Wellington traditions required that the name of the
+chosen one should be kept in entire secrecy until the clock in the tower
+struck noon on May Day. Then the junior donkey was led forth garlanded
+with flowers. He had officiated on this occasion now for ten years. This
+was the great moment when the identity of the most popular girl in the
+junior class was established for all time, and it was an important
+moment, because the one selected was generally chosen as Class President
+the next year.
+
+And now, as the tower clock boomed twelve deep strokes, there was a
+stirring among the spectators and a craning of necks. Three juniors
+appeared at the end of the campus, leading the aged donkey, who flicked
+his tail and walked gingerly over the turf. He wore a garland of
+daffodils and lilacs and moved sedately along, mindful of the importance
+of his position.
+
+The three girls were Nance Oldham, Caroline Brinton and Edith Williams.
+One of them carried a wreath of narcissus and the other two held the
+ribbon reins of the donkey.
+
+According to the time-honored rule, they approached their classmates
+with grave, still faces. It was really a solemn moment and the juniors
+waiting in an unbroken line never moved nor smiled.
+
+The spectators held their breath and for a moment Wellington was so
+still that every human thing in it might have been turned to stone.
+
+Why was it so exciting, this choosing of the May Queen?
+
+No one could tell, and yet it was always the same. Even Miss Bowles felt
+a lump rise in her throat. Many of the alumnae shamelessly wept, and
+Professor Green, watching the three white figures move slowly in front
+of the line of juniors, wondered if no one else could hear the pounding
+of his pulses.
+
+Presently the committee came to a stop. The Professor thrust his hands
+into his pockets and drew a deep breath.
+
+Nance stepped forward and placed the wreath on somebody's head. The
+spectators could see that she was quite tall and slender, and that she
+shrank back with surprise and shyness as she was led forth and bidden to
+mount the donkey, which she did with perfect ease and grace, as one who
+has mounted horses all her life.
+
+"Who is it?" cried a dozen voices. "They look so much alike."
+
+Scores of opera glasses and field glasses were raised.
+
+"It's Molly Brown, of course," cried a girl.
+
+The Professor smiled happily.
+
+"Of course," he repeated, thrusting his hands deeper into his pockets.
+
+And now the ban of silence was lifted. The orchestra played; the
+audience cheered and the three classes gave their particular yells in
+turn, while the juniors, marching two by two, followed Molly Brown,
+riding the donkey, around the entire circuit of the campus.
+
+As for Molly Brown, she hung her head and blushed, looking neither to
+the right nor to the left.
+
+"The sweet lass, she might be a bride, she is so shy!" ejaculated Mrs.
+McLean as the procession moved slowly by.
+
+"Hurrah for Miss Molly Brown of Kentucky!" yelled a group of Exmoor
+students.
+
+"'Here's to Molly Brown, drink her down,'" sang the entire student body
+of Wellington.
+
+It was a thing that happened every year and there were those who had
+seen it thirty times or more, and still the spectacle was ever new.
+
+"I think I must be dreaming," Molly was saying to herself. "Of course, I
+might have known Nance and Judy would have voted for me and perhaps one
+or two others,--but so many--and what have I done to deserve it? I have
+hardly seen anything of Caroline Brinton and her crowd. 'Oh Lord, make
+me thankful for these and all thy mercies,'" she added, repeating the
+family grace, which somehow seemed appropriate to this stirring moment.
+
+After the triumphal march, Molly with the class officers, flanked by the
+rest of the class, held an informal reception on the lawn. This was
+followed by the Junior Lunch, quite an elaborate affair, served in the
+gymnasium, decorated for the occasion by the sophomores.
+
+Lawrence Upton was Molly's guest for the day. Many of the girls had
+asked Exmoor students, but Nance had been visited with a disappointment
+that was too amusing to be annoying.
+
+Otoyo Sen, on the sophomore committee for decorating the gymnasium, and
+therefore entitled to ask a guest, had not let the grass grow under her
+little feet one instant. The moment the committee had been selected, she
+sent off a formal, polite note to Andy McLean, 2nd, inviting him to be
+her guest.
+
+"Oh, Nance, that's one on you," cried Judy, when she heard this bit of
+news. "You always thought Andy was so much your property that no one
+would ever think of treading on your preserves. It's just like Japan,
+creeping quietly in and taking possession."
+
+"I suppose Andy will be hurt because I didn't get there first," replied
+Nance, laughing good-naturedly. "I suppose I shall have to ask Louis
+Allen, but I don't think it will do Andy any harm to know there are
+other fishes in the sea."
+
+"I guess it won't," answered Judy. "Nance is learning a thing or two,"
+she added to herself.
+
+But all's fair in love and war, and there was no more charming figure on
+the campus that day than little Otoyo in a pink organdy and a large hat
+trimmed with pink roses. On her face was an expression of shy, discreet
+triumph as of one who has gained a victory by stratagem.
+
+The Junior Gambol came to an end at six that evening, and the tired
+students repaired to their rooms to rest and relax after eight hours
+of continuous entertaining. The eight friends of old Queen's days had
+gathered in No. 5 of the Quadrangle, where refreshments were being
+handed around, chiefly lemonade and hickory-nut cake. Eight limp young
+women in dressing-gowns draped themselves about the divans and in the
+arm chairs to discuss the joys of the day.
+
+Molly, at the window, was reading something written on a card tied to
+the stem of an exceedingly large yellow apple. It was Professor Edwin
+Green's card, and the inscription thereon read: "The first of the three
+golden apples was won to-day. Congratulations and best wishes."
+
+Untying the card, she slipped it into her portfolio.
+
+"Shall I divide it or eat it alone?" she asked herself, and, without
+waiting for the second voice to answer, she seized Judy's silver knife
+and divided the apple into eight sections, which she passed around the
+company.
+
+"Did this come from the Garden of Hesperides, Molly?" asked Edith
+Williams, always ready with her classic allusions.
+
+"I wouldn't be surprised if it did," answered Molly, smiling
+mysteriously.
+
+There was much to talk about that evening. It was the moment for
+reminiscences and they reviewed the past year with all its excitements
+and pleasures. When Millicent Porter had departed from Wellington in
+dishonorable flight, her place in the Shakespeareans had been
+immediately filled, and Judy Kean was the girl selected; which goes to
+show that after a good deal of suffering and when the edge is taken off
+the appetite, we generally get what we once earnestly desired. Judy was
+not excited over the honor paid her, but she acquitted herself
+creditably in the beautiful performance of "A Winter's Tale," which the
+society eventually produced.
+
+She sat on the floor now, leaning against Molly, whom, next to her
+father and mother, she loved best in all the world. Without realizing
+it herself, Judy's character had been wonderfully developed and
+strengthened by the events of that winter and she looked on the world
+with a new and broader vision.
+
+It was nearly bedtime; the night was warm and still and through the open
+windows came the sound of singing. The girls were silent for a while,
+too weary to make any more conversation.
+
+"And next year we'll be hoary old seniors," suddenly announced Judy,
+following up a train of thought.
+
+Several in the company sighed audibly. Already the thought of parting
+from each other and from their beloved Wellington cast a shadow before
+it.
+
+But this sorrowful last year was to be filled with interest and happy
+times, as you will see who read the next volume of this series, entitled
+"MOLLY BROWN'S SENIOR DAYS."
+
+
+
+
+                *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's note:
+
+Besides some minor printer's errors the following corrections have
+been made: on page 265 and 269 "Madeleine" has been changed to
+"Millicent" (helped Millicent with the remainder) (leaving
+Millicent still in the window seat). Otherwise the original has been
+preserved, including inconsistent spelling and hyphenation. Additional:
+"Rosomond Chase" was called "Rosamond" in the first book of this series,
+"Molly Brown's Freshman Year."
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOLLY BROWN'S JUNIOR DAYS***
+
+
+******* This file should be named 36717.txt or 36717.zip *******
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