After two weeks of undiluted happiness at home, Marjorie's return to
Hamilton was a wrench, keenly felt by all immediately concerned.
According to her own ideas it was like a plant; nicely rooted in one
soil, only to be jerked up by the roots and transplanted. Once returned
to Wayland Hall, it took her longer to settle down than at Thanksgiving.
She had little spells of yearning for her father and mother which only
time dimmed.
For a week following the return of the Five Travelers to Hamilton, they
heard nothing of basket ball interests save that Miss Reid had still
made no reply to the letter sent her. Another week passed, during which
the fall term ended and two days of written tests ensued. Then came one
day of vacation which was always given the students of Hamilton at the
closing of a term. It was on the afternoon of this holiday that the
freshman class, minus fourteen members, who had purposely been left out,
met in the living room of Silverton Hall. It was a tight squeeze, but
every one of the sixty-eight girls managed to crowd into the room.
Portia Graham stood on a chair backed against the wall to address them.
When she had finished speaking the room rang with cheers. She had
advocated a committee to wait on Miss Reid and insist on fair treatment.
"In the event that Miss Reid refuses us justice, are you in favor of
taking our grievance higher?" she questioned in purposeful tones.
"YES!" was the unanimous shout.
"Contrary?" she inquired sweetly, but there were no contrary members
present.
"Are you satisfied with the choice of the following members as a
committee? Their names are: Veronica Lynne, Marjorie Dean, Muriel
Harding, Elaine Hunter, Mary Cornell, Portia Graham."
Another resounding affirmative, followed by no dissenting voices, was
immediately forthcoming.
"That settles it," she declared grimly. "We will call on Miss Reid
tomorrow evening at eight o'clock. For the benefit of any one not yet
familiar with Hamilton, I will say that Miss Reid lives at Randolph
House. If she is not in, we will make another call on the next evening.
I ask you on your honor as freshmen of 19-- not to speak of this to
anyone after you leave here."
At ten minutes to eight the next evening the committee met in front of
Wayland Hall and proceeded across the campus toward the north to
Randolph House which was devoted to faculty. They walked briskly along
on the frozen lawn, almost in silence. Portia was to be spokesman, and
she was mentally framing her remarks as she went. She was not in the
least diffident when it came to facing Miss Reid, and she intended to
drive home her point.
The assurance of the maid who answered their ring that Miss Reid was in,
sent a queer little thrill over them all. Marjorie smiled to herself as
she entered the reception room. This was not the first disagreeable call
she had been obliged by duty to make.
A ten-minutes' wait, during which they conversed a little in low tones,
and Miss Reid appeared. She was a tall woman, rather attractive at first
glance, but not as one studied her features. Her small black eyes were
shrewd and furtive, while the expression of her full face in repose was
self-satisfied rather than agreeable.
"Good evening," she saluted, in an uninterested tone. She looked from
one to another of her visitors as though nonplussed by the invasion.
Both tone and look were intended to deceive. Miss Reid guessed the
nature of the call.
"Good evening," was the united salutation. The committee viewed the
instructor with a gravity which nettled her.
"We called this evening, Miss Reid," Portia began sternly, "because you
have paid no attention to the letter we sent you before the holidays. It
was signed by more than two-thirds of the freshman class and merited a
reply which you did not make. We were serious in our intent, and
expected you would treat our complaint with traditional courtesy. You
did not. We have, therefore, come here to ask you if you intend to grant
us the justice of a new team."
"Certainly not." A tide of dull color had risen to Miss Reid's face as
she listened to Portia's blunt arraignment. Her eyes had begun to snap
and her pronounced black brows were drawn together. "You are insolent,
Miss Graham. I simply will not discuss the matter with you. I will say
only that the present team remains, with the exception of Miss Page. I
have requested her resignation. Her team-mates complain she is not fast
enough for the work. I mailed her a note this afternoon. You must
understand that you cannot fly in the face of a member of the faculty
and hope to gain by such an act. I am amazed at freshman--we will
say--temerity."
A sinister stillness followed Miss Reid's caustic retaliation. A battery
of scornful eyes was leveled at the disgruntled instructor. The very air
was thick with the committee's displeasure. This latest piece of
injustice, directed against Robin Page, capped the climax. It was two
minutes, at least, before Portia could trust her voice in a reply. She
was angry enough to wrathfully denounce Miss Reid, then and there.
"It will not be necessary for Miss Page to resign from the team. She has
already been sufficiently humiliated by having been identified with a
set of scrub players. There will be a new freshman team and Miss Page
will play on it. I am certain that Doctor Matthews will understand that
something of unusual unfairness has happened to stir the majority of the
freshman class into revolt." Every word Portia uttered cut clearly on
the stillness of the room.
"Oh, not the majority of the freshman class, Miss Graham." Miss Reid's
intonation was that of one correcting a glaring exaggeration. It was
accompanied by a smile of malicious incredulity.
"If you will refer to the letter sent you before the holidays, you will
find that it was signed by sixty-eight freshmen. The class numbers
eighty-two. A meeting of the sixty-eight freshmen who resent your
unfairness was called yesterday. The result--we are here tonight."
Portia's retort was laden with cold, uncompromising dignity.
It was distinctly chilling to the physical instructor's audacious stand.
For the first time since her entrance into the room she became ill at
ease. The force with which she had to deal was altogether too active for
comfort. She knew that Portia would keep her word. With sixty-eight
incensed freshmen at her back, Doctor Matthews would not only listen but
investigate. An investigation would be decidedly humiliating to her, and
also jeopardize her position at Hamilton. She found herself caught
between two fires. She had promised Leslie Cairns that Lola Elster's
team would win. It would not be easy to pacify Leslie if she acceded to
the committee's demand. Self-preservation must be considered first,
however. After the high hand she had just taken in answering Portia, she
hardly knew what to say.
"I--that is----" she began, stopped, then said with as much of an attempt
at offended dignity as she could muster: "I cannot talk further with you
concerning this matter tonight. I have an engagement with two members of
the faculty and am already late. If you will come to the gymnasium at
four o'clock tomorrow afternoon I will see what I can do to pacify the
freshman class. I would prefer resigning all interest in basket ball
rather than be the center of a freshman quarrel." She rose from her
chair, as though determined to end the uncomfortable interview.
"Very well," Portia coldly inclined her head. "We shall expect to see
you in the gymnasium at four o'clock. We will not detain you longer."
She rose. Her companions immediately followed suit. Portia's "good
evening" was echoed by the others as they filed through the door, their
soft, young faces set in cold contempt.
Not a word passed among them until they were well away from the house.
Elaine Hunter was the first to speak. "Did you ever see anyone more
upset than Miss Reid was toward the last?" she asked her companions in
general.
"She had good reason to be," returned Portia grimly. "We have won our
point. I hope she does resign basket ball management. A senior told me
recently that she has always been a bugbear to the teams. She insists on
managing everything and everybody who will let her. Miss Reid has had
the reputation for years of favoring money and fighting principle. She
has repeatedly used basket ball favors as means of ingratiating herself
with wealthy students. If she really makes good what she said about
resigning it will be the first important victory for democracy at
Hamilton."