As she drew near Margaret's room, she caught the sound of excited
voices. Abby Dunbar's tones reached her, high-pitched and shrill.
"You have been a fraud, nothing but a fraud, from beginning to end.
You have imposed upon us all. There is no use trying to carry it off
with such a high hand! You led us all to suppose that your people were
respectable, and so we took you in, and now it seems that your mother
was nothing but a servant, and--"
"And perhaps you would also like to know (as you evidently are not aware
of the fact as yet), that my father was a coachman. I am exceedingly
proud of them both, and--"
"I don't see how you dare to stand there and face us! Let me tell you
one thing, though--"
Dolly ran hastily down the hall. She could stand it no longer. Her
indignation burned hotly for Margaret. Why were girls so much narrower
than boys? Rob Steele had been a coachman and errand-boy, and even a
bootblack. He did not hesitate to say so; and yet, with possibly a very
few exceptions, none of the students at Harvard treated him with any
the less respect for it. But Margaret--
Dolly paused in the doorway, almost breathless. "Oh, Margaret, we are
going to have a little impromptu tea in my room--Miss Van Gerder, and a
couple of others. I have been sent for you. Please come!"
"You do not know that you are inviting the daughter of a coachman and
a housekeeper, Miss Alden. It is time for people to know exactly who and
what our class president is. She has been sailing under false colors
long enough."
Margaret stood pale and cold during this tirade. The room was full of
sophomores--Abby Dunbar's sympathizers, as was very evident.
"Oh, yes," said Dolly carelessly, "of course I've known all about
Miss Hamilton's parents since early in our freshman year, but I didn't
see what difference it made. Are you going to ask us all to write out our
ancestral history for your benefit? I'm afraid that we are too good
republicans here to do that for you. By the way, Margaret, Miss Van
Gerder is going to beg permission of Professor Newton for you to room
with her. In fact, she has gone to her now, and she wants to coax you
into the plan."
Dolly threw this little bombshell with secret glee. If Miss Van Gerder
intended taking Margaret up, how could these girls, with not a tithe of
her wealth or standing, urge their petty reasons for snubbing Margaret?
She carried her off before there was time for further controversy. There
should be no more ill words said than she could help. It is hard to
unsay harsh things. It is much better to prevent their being uttered at
all. There would doubtless be enough said at best, but Dolly felt that
her prompt action had probably prevented a few bitter flings anyway.
At the door of her room Margaret detained her. Dolly had chattered
all of the way down the hall. Margaret had not uttered a word. Now she
looked steadily at Dolly.
"Are you not laboring under some delusion or excitement? I had better
give you the details of our family history before I go in."
"Nonsense! I have known your history, as I said, since the Christmas
holidays. What does it matter? Come in, and Beth shall make tea for us."
"But do tell me how you knew."
"I will tell you everything, only come in," and Dolly gave her a
good-natured push into the room where the others were waiting for them,
for Mary and Miss Van Gerder had already returned with permission for
Margaret to change rooms, if she desired.
"I sincerely hope that you do desire, for I really want you, Margaret."
"You are very good, Miss Van Gerder."
"Now stop right there, Margaret. Whether you room with me or not, you
shall not be formal. My name is Constance, and you know it very well."
"I never called you by it," said Margaret steadily.
"I hope you will now. Please don't spoil the entire year for me. If you
will consent to share my rooms, and let me make up for my thoughtlessness
in so far as I may, you will be doing me a great favor."
"I do not see why you should not have said what you did; it was the
truth, and there was no reason why it should not have been told. You must
not feel that you owe me any reparation. That is not true. So far as
I am concerned, while the present moment may be a little disagreeable in
many respects, I cannot altogether regret what has occurred. Mother,
naturally, will feel sorry, but there cannot be further disclosures,
for I filled in, for Miss Dunbar's benefit, all the details that you
had omitted. She knows that Father was your uncle's coachman, and--"
"And he was a good one, and we all liked him. What a tempest in a teapot
this is! Now be sensible. You are going to be my room-mate as a favor
to me. I beg it. That is settled. I shall see that Patrick comes and
moves your trunks this afternoon, and as soon as we have had some of
Miss Newby's tea, we are all going over to your room to help you carry
the lighter things. There is no need to bother packing those."
"Of course not," said Beth readily. "We shall be delighted to help
you. With five of us at work, we shall have everything moved in half an
hour."
Margaret looked only half-satisfied. She had pride, too. If Constance
Van Gerder was taking her in a spirit of self-sacrifice, she had no
intention of becoming her room-mate. Things would not be pleasant, but
she could stand it, even if she _were_ ostracized.
But Constance read her easily, and without referring again to the
subject, she soothed her wounded pride and contrived to let her know
that she was actually wanted.
A little later they all started for Margaret's room to aid her in
the "moving process." The room was still filled with Abby Dunbar's
friends, and they were evidently much excited.
Constance included them all in the cool little nod that she gave on
entering. "You must not bear malice against me, Miss Dunbar, for
stealing your room-mate. I did not know that she was at Westover, so I
made arrangements to room alone, but now I must put in my claim. My
right is the prior one, for I have known her so much longer."
Constance had been talking against time. She wanted Margaret to leave
the room with her load of small articles. There was just one word that
she intended saying to these girls on the subject they were discussing;
then she intended to have the matter closed forever, so far as she was
concerned.
Abby Dunbar herself gave the opportunity for the desired remark, just
as Margaret passed from the room.
"Are you actually in earnest? I did not believe you could mean it! Have
you asked her to room with you? Of course, we understand that you did
it in a charitable spirit, and because you are sorry for her position
here, since she has been found out, but--"
"Excuse my interrupting you. I have asked Miss Hamilton to room with
me because her companionship will be a pleasure. I had to coax rather
hard before she would consent. There is just one other thing to be said.
Our sitting-room is common property, and I shall never care to see anyone
there who is at all discourteous to Margaret!"
With that she turned away and picked up a pile of Margaret's books.
She had made a telling speech and she knew it. Constance could not be
unaware of the influence she exerted socially, by means of her mere name.
The girls would not wish to shut themselves out from all the privileges
of her room, and there would be no more open acts of aggression so far as
Margaret was concerned. Of that Constance felt assured. At the same
time it was certain that Margaret would be subjected to many petty
slights and snubs and wounds. But she would have to endure those, and
her nature was too fine to allow of her growing bitter because of them.
There was gossip and much quiet talk, but Constance Van Gerder's
determined stand put an end to open insults and recriminations. Two
days later, there was another subject for gossip, also, for Margery
Ainsworth had been readmitted to college on "probation." Such a thing
had rarely been known before, and the stigma of disgrace attaching to
such students as were on "probation" was great. It was understood
that they were under special surveillance, and the many privileges
accorded other students were withheld from them. Of course, Margery had
come back as a freshman. The girls had heard that Mr. Ainsworth was
intensely angry with Margery, and had declared that she must stay at
Westover until she graduated, if it took a hundred years. She was to
room with a freshman, and, judging from her expression, she had come
back reluctantly and rebelliously. Dolly and Beth talked it over, and
wondered what good end Mr. Ainsworth could hope to effect by sending her
to college, when she was in such an obstinate frame of mind.
"At least, she has diverted the attention of the girls from Margaret,
and, Beth, I like her more than I ever supposed I could. Didn't she
preside with dignity at our class meeting last evening, though? No one
would ever have guessed how some of the girls stormed at her only a few
days ago."
"'Tis fortunate that she has Constance Van Gerder as a loyal friend.
To tell the truth, I think that she is relieved now. There is nothing
for her to hide or cover up. We must see Constance about the class
elections, though. They will come in two days, and I am positive that
Abby Dunbar will try to prevent Margaret's being elected chairman of
the executive committee. That is a position which has always been given
to the retiring president, and certainly Margaret has done enough for
our class to deserve the honor. It would be a shame to slight her."
"Yes, it would. Constance is in her room now, I think, and Margaret will
be at the literature lecture. Come, we will see her at once."
Constance was very glad to promise her help to the girls, and the
work commenced that day in earnest. They soon found that Abby and her
particular coterie had been hard at work for some little time, but
Margaret's supporters labored with a will, and went to their class
meeting with hopeful hearts.
"I am anxious about two offices," Dolly confessed to Miss Van Gerder
as she walked down the hall toward the room in which the meeting would
be held. "I want to see Beth elected president, and I want Margaret
made chairman of the executive committee." Some way, rather to their
own astonishment, Beth and Dolly found themselves on very intimate terms
with Miss Van Gerder. The three, with Margaret, made a very congenial
quartette.
Mary Sutherland felt at a disadvantage before this girl, whose father's
name was a world-wide synonym for wealth. She was never at her best
when Constance was present. She utterly refused to go to her room, and
Dolly finally lost all patience with her.
"You must have a very low opinion of yourself, Mary Sutherland, if
you think that a few dollars are worth more than you are. Can't you
see what kind of a girl Constance Van Gerder is? Of course, she knows
that she is immensely rich, but she is not silly. She doesn't dress
extravagantly, or load herself with jewelry. In fact, there are a dozen
girls here, who spend more on dress in the course of a year than she
does. Her gowns fit to perfection, and they are always made in good
taste, but she doesn't care for such things. She is forever doing
quiet, lovely things for other people. Your aunt told me that she thought
Miss Van Gerder would take up college settlement work. Whether she does
or not, she will not be a useless butterfly of fashion."
"There is no use my trying to know her better. We have nothing in
common. I am poor and she is tremendously rich."
"You mean that you are vilely proud, Mary Sutherland. If you were not
so proud, you would see how gracious and lovely Constance Van Gerder is.
It is just as much a crime for a poor person to be proud as for a rich
one. Why can't you be yourself, and enjoy Constance and her bright ways
as Beth and I do?"
But Mary refused to listen to reason, and drew more and more into her
shell. College had only been in session a short time now, but it was
evident that Mary was going to isolate herself, despite all that Dolly
and Beth could say, and despite Dolly's exasperated appeals to Professor
Newton. There was a strong vein of stubbornness in Mary, and much as
she loved her aunt, she declined to argue this matter with her. "The
girls had been good to her last year, because Dolly had been compelled
to room with her, but she was not their kind, anyway, and she wasn't
going to force herself in where she was not wanted."
Professor Newton and the girls had given up the effort in despair, and
Mary was left to gang her ain gait. The sophomore elections had been
deferred a little for one reason and another, and it was now the end of
the third week.
If Margaret's friends had worked hard in her behalf, the opposition had
been working hard, also, and before the meeting had advanced far, Dolly
began to lose heart.