THE RENDEZVOUS.
The noisy entrance into the room of Muriel, Jerry, Leila, Vera and
Ronny, with the disappointing news that Phyllis had lost the freshman
presidency by only nine votes, broke up the confidential session.
"We went to our room first but you were not to be seen. Thought you'd be
here. Last I saw of you you had started on a hunt for Lucy. Isn't it a
shame about the election? To think that Walbert snip won!" Jerry
elevated her nose in utter disapproval. "Won't the Sans crow? They will
blow her off to dinners and spreads for a week to come. I hope she gets
an awful case of indigestion."
"How very cruel you are, Jeremiah." Nevertheless, Ronny laughed with the
others. Jerry's hopes for the downfall of her enemies were usually
energetic and sweeping.
"I can be a lot more cruel than that," she boasted. "It made me tired to
hear those sillies had elected that girl to the class presidency. Glad
I'm not a freshie. They will rue it before the year is up. Phil's
supporters are as mad as hops."
Many of the upper-class girls shared Jerry's opinion. The Sans' open
championship of Elizabeth Walbert had excited unfavorable comment on the
campus. While the upper-class students aimed to be helpful elder sisters
to the freshmen, college etiquette forbade a too-marked interest in
freshman affairs. The Sans had over-reached themselves and were bound to
come in for adverse criticism in college circles where tradition was
still respected.
The Sans, however, were oblivious to everything save the fact that they
had gained their point. Leslie Cairns was radiant over the victory and
gave an elaborate dinner that evening at the Colonial in honor of
Elizabeth. Besides the Sans, Alida Burton and Lola Elster, twenty-two
freshmen were invited. She engaged the restaurant for the evening and
spared no pains and expense to make the dinner what she termed "a
howler."
Following on the heels of her triumph strode calamity. The mail next
morning brought her a letter which lashed her into a furious rage. It
was a terse summons to appear at Doctor Matthews' office at eleven
o'clock that morning. More, the four lines comprising it had been
penned, not typed. Her instant surmise was that the summons had to do
with the recent accident of Katherine Langly. She could think of no
other reason for it, unless--Leslie turned pale. There was another
reason, but she preferred not to give it mind room. She boldly decided
that she would ignore the letter that morning. She would receive a
second summons. It would be easy enough to assert that she had not
received a first. This would give her time to see a certain person and
perhaps gain an inkling of what was in the wind.
An interview with the "certain person" yielded nothing. That person was
unable to throw light upon the reason for the summons. Two days elapsed,
then Leslie received a second communication too austere to be
disregarded. She went to the president's office in considerable
trepidation and emerged from it an hour later, her heavy features set in
anger. Undertaking to assume her usual nonchalant pose, she had been
brought with alarming suddenness to a wholesome respect for Doctor
Matthews' dignity. She had also received a lecture on reckless driving
which she was not likely to forget.
"While it seems unfair to deprive students who are careful drivers of
the privilege of using their automobiles at college, simply because
careless young women like you will not conform to the traffic
conditions, it will come to that." Doctor Matthews was a study in cold
severity as he made this threatening statement. "I shall take drastic
measures if another accident occurs as a result of speeding or reckless
driving on the part of a student. I have been informed, Miss Cairns,
that you are in the habit of exceeding the speed limit. It is a
particularly dangerous proceeding on the highways adjacent to the
college on account of the number of students who make a practice of
walking. Referring to the accident to Miss Langly. What restitution
could you have made if her back had been permanently injured? There is
nothing more pitiful than a helpless invalid. Remember that and see that
you are not the one to cause lifelong unhappiness or death by an act of
sheer lawlessness. Let this be the last offense of this kind on your
part."
Thus the president concluded his arraignment. Leslie left Hamilton Hall
with but one flaming purpose. She would be even with the person or
persons who had reported her to the president. Suspicion instantly
pointed out "that Sanford crowd." She gave Katherine clearance of it,
strange to say. She preferred to lay the blame at either the door of
Marjorie or Jerry. Yet she had dark suspicions of Leila and Vera. Then
there were the freshmen who had been in Harriet Stephens' car. Harriet
had told her that they were in sympathy with Katherine's crowd. Whoever
was to blame would suffer for it. On that point she was determined.
Shortly after her return to Wayland Hall, she resolved to cut her
classes that day. Leslie received a telephone call. It was not
unexpected. She had notified the maid that she would be in her room in
case she should be called on the 'phone. Her sullen features cleared a
trifle as she listened to the voice at the other end of the wire.
"All right," she said in guarded tones. The students had already begun
to drop in from the last recitations of the morning. "Nine o'clock
sharp. I'll walk. I'm not going to take chances of attracting attention.
Yes, I know where you mean. It's not far from Baretti's. Don't fail me.
Goodbye."
On her way to her room she encountered Natalie. "Come with me," she said
shortly.
"Where were you this morning?" Natalie asked. "Professor Futelle was
awfully fussed about absentees. Eight girls cut French today."
"Where was I? I was in bad, I'll say. What? Well, I guess. I got a
second summons this A. M. I couldn't side-step it. His high and
mightiness had the whole story of the accident from some tattle-tale. He
wouldn't give me a chance to say a word hardly. One more break in the
speeding line and our cars go home for good. He certainly laid down the
law to me. I've a mind to tell you something else." Leslie paused before
the door of her room, hand on the knob.
"What is it? You know I never tell tales, Les." Natalie eyed the other
girl reproachfully. "That's more than you can say of your other pals."
"You are right about that, Nat," Leslie conceded. She motioned Natalie
into the room and closed the door. "Laura says she knows who told Doctor
Matthews. I'm to meet her tonight. Keep that dark. I don't want a person
besides you to know it. I'm to meet her behind that clump of lilac
bushes the other side of Baretti's. You know; where that old house was
torn down."
Natalie nodded. She was inwardly jubilant at having thus been given
Leslie's confidence. It was quite like old times. "Have you any idea who
told?" she questioned, trying to hide her gratification under an air of
calm interest.
"No. I'm positive it wasn't Langly. She gave me her word that she would
drop the whole thing. A goody-goody dig like her would not break it.
I'll tell you as soon as I come back. Come here at ten. I shall not be
later than ten-fifteen. I intend to put up a 'Busy' sign tonight so as
to keep the girls out of here before I start. They know better than to
try to get by it, too."
At precisely twenty minutes to nine that evening Leslie took the "Busy"
placard from her door and locking it proceeded to the rendezvous. She
had put on a long dark motor coat and a black velour sports hat. The
instant she had left the Hall's premises behind her she pulled the hat
low over her face and broke into a run. An expert tennis player, she was
swift and nimble of foot. Only once she paused, stepping behind a
thicket of rhododendron bushes until a party of girls returning from
town passed by. Once off the campus, she kept to the darker side of the
road and was soon at the designated spot.
Her brisk run had brought her to the meeting place ahead of time. It was
five minutes before the faint sound of a footfall among the fallen
leaves rewarded her small stock of patience. Leslie's hand sought the
pocket of her coat. A tiny stream of white light outlined the figure now
very close to her. Instantly she snapped off the light with a soft
ejaculation of satisfaction.
"You should not have turned that light on me," objected the other dark
figure rather pettishly. "We might be seen from the road."
"Not a soul passing," Leslie assured. "I was not going to take chances
of hailing the wrong party."
"Please remember that I have to be even more careful than you. No one
must ever be allowed to suspect that we know each other." Laura Sayres
spoke with cool precision.
"Is that what you came all the way here to tell me?" Leslie gave a
short laugh. It announced that she was on the verge of being unpleasant.
"Of course it isn't." Laura prudently retreated from her lofty stand.
While she enjoyed grumbling, she was too cowardly at heart to venture to
do more. "I couldn't say a word over the 'phone today. I will tell you
now and quickly for I have a long walk home and the road is quite lonely
in places."
"Sorry I couldn't bring my car, but I didn't dare," carelessly
apologized Leslie. She divined that Laura was somewhat peeved because
she had not.
"Oh, it doesn't matter. Now I don't know just how much this information
will be worth to you--" Miss Sayres paused. "I can only--"
"Give it to me and I'll do the square thing by you." Leslie frowned in
the darkness.
"Oh, I don't mean in money," weakly defended Miss Sayres. "I mean that
it's circumstantial. You must form your own opinion from what I tell
you."
"I understand." Leslie quite understood that despite the secretary's
protest she was not above being mercenary. "Go ahead."
"Last Tuesday afternoon about five o'clock I was just starting for home
from Doctor Matthews' house, when who should come marching up the walk
but Miss Dean," related Laura. "I wondered what brought her there. As
soon as the maid let her in I turned and went back. I had made up my
mind to wait around until she came out. I have a key to the front door
now. One day when college first opened the doctor sent me over to the
house for some papers he needed. No one was at home and I had to go back
to Hamilton Hall without them. He had a key made for me right after
that. You see I occupy a position of trust. No wonder I have to be
careful."
"I see; but what about Miss Dean?" Leslie promptly switched the
secretary back to her original subject.
"I am coming to that. I decided after I got as far as the veranda to let
myself into the house. I supposed Miss Dean had come to see the doctor.
The minute I stepped inside I heard voices. The door of the office was
open just a little. I did not dare stand in the hall so I slipped into
the living room. It is directly opposite the office. I couldn't
understand a word Miss Dean said, but I heard the doctor say he was
incensed at the behavior of someone, and that they would have to come
before the Board. Then he said that if someone, I couldn't find out who,
refused to do something or other, she would have to leave college. It
remained for him to write her.
"I heard Miss Dean say very plainly: 'It is a case of the innocent
having to suffer with the guilty.' They talked a little more, but both
lowered their voices. I heard the doctor's chair turn and knew he was
going to get up from it. I made the quickest move I ever made and slid
out the door. I had left it a little open. Sure enough, in a minute or
two Miss Dean came out of the house and went away."
"I think that's pretty good proof against the foxy little wretch."
Leslie's voice was thick with wrath. She was still smarting from the
morning's humiliation. "I wish I could tell you how I hate that little
sneak. I'll get back at her, believe me."
"I certainly would, if I were you. Just to be on the safe side I went
into the house and stopped at the office door. I said, 'If you have
nothing more for me to do I will go now, Doctor Matthews.' I thought
perhaps he would ask me to write the letter he had spoken of. Not he. He
said: 'No, thank you, Miss Sayres. You need not have waited.' So I had
no excuse to stay."
"That's another proof. The letter he sent me was penned. You have picked
the culprit, all right enough. I have an idea I know how to deal with
her." Leslie threatened in an excess of spite. "One thing more and then
we must beat it. Do you believe that Remson affair will ever leak out?
I shiver every time I think of it. That was a bold stroke."
"It doesn't worry me. I know enough about Miss Remson to know she will
keep far away from Doctor Matthews after the letter she received from
him. The one he received from her, after she had been over to see him,
made him think she had had a heart-to-heart talk with you girls and
you'd all promised to do differently. He wouldn't interfere after that.
Unless they should happen to meet, which isn't likely, matters will stay
as they are. I destroyed the letter supposed to be from Miss Remson. The
doctor told me to file it, but if he ever asked for it I would pretend
not to be able to find it. He wouldn't remember what she wrote. While I
am his secretary I can manage the affair. As time passes it will be
forgotten. Doctor Matthews would not mention it if he happened to meet
Miss Remson. That's not his way."
"Glad to hear it. It lifts a weight from my mind. I've only one more
year at Hamilton after this. My father expects me to be graduated with
honor. He would never forgive me if I were to be expelled from Hamilton
at this late date." Leslie was moved out of her usual indifferent pose.
Fear of exposure gripped her hard at times.
"Better let this Miss Dean alone," was Laura's succinct advise. "I hear
she is very popular on the campus. She looks independent enough to take
up for herself. Be careful she doesn't turn the tables on you as she did
last spring."
"Not this time. She won't like my methods, but she won't be able to
prove that they are mine. In fact she won't know where to place the
blame."