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."