AS she turned, Betty glanced fearfully at Rose. But even now poor Rose
didn’t understand. As she made her way to her seat, she carried herself
nonchalantly, putting out her tongue and grimacing when she was in such
position as not to be seen from the master’s desk. It must come to her,
however, and the thought of perpetual blindness might be her deathblow.
For now, absolutely the last ray of hope was blotted out. They were to
be kept at school until quarter-past four every day, and Dr. Vandegrift
left Millville ten minutes earlier on Wednesday. Everything had been
wasted! All the doctor’s kindness and skill had been thrown away, and
Rose was far worse off than if they had never begun the treatment. She
would never get over the terrible disappointment of knowing that she
might have been cured.
As for herself, Betty felt that it would kill her. She would have gone
down on her knees to beg Dr. Vandegrift to allow her to say one word of
explanation to Mr. Meadowcroft, but she knew that to be hopeless. He
wouldn’t let her mention the matter. No, all hope was gone. She went
about all day as if stunned. At the noon intermission, she couldn’t
touch her luncheon. But after Rose had eaten hers with the wonted
relish and a choice piece of chocolate cake from Betty’s basket, the
latter went over with her the lesson assigned for reciting after
school that afternoon. With that and an hour before the recitation,
during which the girls were allowed to study together, they were well
prepared with the lesson.
As Tommy remarked afterwards, however, it didn’t look as if it were
going to be a cinch. As a matter of fact, lack of experience made
Meadowcroft more critical and exacting always as a teacher than Mr.
Appleton; and when he made special effort to be thorough and to take
nothing for granted, as he did in this instance, he was truly to be
feared. Those fifteen lessons proved something never to be forgotten.
“Wasn’t it fierce!” cried Rose as they sank into their seats in the
half-past four train. “Isn’t that man the limit when he’s really mad?
Goodness me, do you suppose it will be as bad as this every day, Betty?”
“It will be worse,” said Betty despairingly. “It will be---- O, Rose,
here he comes! Just think, we shall have to go home on the same train
with him every night. I wish we hadn’t sat here. After this, we’ll take
a seat where there aren’t any empty ones near.”
Meadowcroft greeted them politely as he swung himself into the seat
opposite. Tommy joined him and the two talked pleasantly all the way;
but of course Tommy didn’t know what Mr. Meadowcroft was doing. The
girls were silent until the moment they stood at Rose’s door.
“Rose, darling, don’t--don’t feel too badly,” Betty entreated
chokingly. “Don’t give up yet. There may be some way out even now.”
“O, Betty, I don’t mind,” rejoined Rose coolly. “In some ways it’s
rather a lark. But poor mama! it’ll be hard on her getting up that
Latin comp. every night on top of the rest.”
“She won’t need to. After this we’ll do it on the train coming
home--we’ll have to ride every night--and with the hour after school
and a little while at noon we can get it all right. But I’ll come over
after supper to-night to look it over.”
In reality Betty wanted an excuse to relieve her anxiety by seeing Rose
again that night. She looked for a terrible change, but Rose seemed as
serene and gay as ever. Betty couldn’t understand. Was Rose concealing
her grief--her agony? Or didn’t she realize the truth, even now? Or
perhaps she relied upon Betty to find a way out?
Betty herself said she would not give up until Wednesday had come
and gone. The next day was wretched, but Rose was still cheerful, or
appeared to be. And then Wednesday morning came.
What would the day bring forth? From the moment school opened, Betty
looked for something to happen. The pipes might burst and the building
become so cold that school would have to be dismissed for the day.
Something like that had once happened in the grammar school. Or Mr.
Meadowcroft might be called away at noon--on business. With all the
bitterness in her heart against him, Betty couldn’t have faced the
idea of his illness closing the school. Or a very small fire might be
discovered, which could easily be put out but not without flooding
the school-room and making it impossible to remain there for the rest
of the day. The distressed girl was almost tempted to start a blaze
herself, but she hardly dared attempt anything so hazardous.
Noon approached, and nothing happened. Suppose nothing was to happen?
What would they do? Couldn’t they somehow break out? If missing the
visit would be of such terrible moment to Rose, were they not justified
in securing it at any cost? Why shouldn’t they simply leave school at
intermission? The worst of it was, that it would only serve for once.
Disaster would follow immediately. They would be expelled from school
and be prisoners at home, and that visit would be their last.
For the first time since she had been in the high school, Betty failed
wretchedly in all her lessons that morning. In Greek, which came just
before intermission, her recitation was so poor that Meadowcroft was
amazed and finally indignant. For she not only failed in the lesson for
the day; she refused to answer questions which she knew perfectly and
muddled the simplest constructions until he was forced to conclude that
she was striving to be disagreeable. He kept his patience, but wondered
sadly what had come over the girl.
The class ended, intermission began. Nothing had happened! The
school-room was comfortable; there was no trace of smoke, and
Meadowcroft was as firmly entrenched as ever. Betty couldn’t eat her
lunch, and was too disturbed to go over the lesson with Rose. Begging
Tommy to take her place, she fled to the gymnasium and took refuge in a
dark corner.
Five minutes before the close of intermission, Meadowcroft looked up
with surprise to see her coming towards him. She was very white and
he saw a look of desperation in her soft dark eyes before her lashes
hid them as she stood at his desk. His heart leaped. Betty had come
to “make up.” It was hard for her, terribly hard, but she was going to
explain--to own herself in the wrong.
Poor child! She wouldn’t have to go far. She needn’t go half-way. The
instant she started, he would be there to meet her!