During the next three days there were stirring times, and Leslie, even
with a heavy heart, was kept busy. Clive Terrence was ignored as
utterly as if he had been a fly on the ceiling, and Leslie managed to
keep every minute full. Moreover, her mind was so much occupied with
other things that she had not time to realize how fully she was
cutting their guest out of sight of her, nor how utterly amazed it
made him. He was not accustomed to being ignored by young ladies, even
though they were both beautiful and rich. He felt that he was quite
ornamental himself, and had plenty of money, too, and he could not
brook any such treatment. So he set himself to procure revenge by
going hot-foot after the Freshman "vamp"--who, to tell the truth, was
much more in his style than Leslie and quite, _quite_ willing--though
Leslie, dear child, was too absorbed to know it.
She came home at lunchtime a bit late and called Allison from the
table to give him an excited account in a low tone of something that
had happened that morning. Julia Cloud, from her vantage point at the
head of the table, could see the flash in her eye and the brilliant
flush of the soft cheeks as she talked and wondered what new trouble
had come to the dear child. Then she noted the sudden stern set of
Allison's jaw and the squaring of shoulder as he listened and
questioned. Meanwhile she passed Clive Terrence the muffins and jam,
and urged more iced-tea and a hot, stuffed potato, and kept up a
pleasant hum of talk so that the excited words should not be heard in
the dining-room.
"Jane's had a perfectly terrible time!" had been Leslie's opening
sentence, "and we've got to do something about it! Those little _cats_
in the AOU have done the meanest thing you can think of. Jane looked
just _crushed_! They've hauled up that old stuff about her father
being a forger and urged it as a reason that she shouldn't be made
treasurer in place of Anne Dallas--who is leaving on account of the
death of her father and she has to go home and take care of her little
sisters--and JANE HEARD THEM!"
A low growl of indignation reached Julia Cloud's ears from Allison,
who squared his shoulders into position for immediate action.
"They said----" went on Leslie in excited whisper. "They said
that since we had such a large sum to look out for now that the
subscriptions for the sorority house were coming in, we should put
in a treasurer of tried and true integrity. Yes, they used just
those words, _tried and true integrity_! Think of it! And OUR JANE!
The idea! The catty little snobs! The jealous little--_cats_! No,
it wasn't Eugenia Frazer who _said_ it, it was Eunice Brice--but
I'm certain she was at the bottom of it, for she sat with her nice
smug little painted face as sweet and complacent as an angel, all
the time it was going on, and she _seconded the motion_! Just like
that! With a SMILE, too! She said she fully agreed with what Miss
Brice had said. _Agreed!_ H'm! As if every one didn't know she had
started it, and got it all fixed up with enough girls to carry the
motion before the rest of us got down from an exam. Yes, they had
it thought out as carefully as that! They knew all the sophomore
girls would be up in that exam. till almost twelve o'clock, for
it's always as long as the moral law, anything with Professor
Crabbs--and they counted up and had just enough to a name to
carry their motion. They even got Marian Hobbs to cut a class to
get there. They hadn't counted on my getting in in time to hear, I
guess, or else they didn't care. Perhaps they wanted me to hear
it all; I'm sure I don't know. I suppose that must have been it.
They thought perhaps I'd tell _you_ and that would stop you from
going with Jane. You know Eugenia and Eunice are both crazy
about you, especially Eugenia----!"
An impatient exclamation from Allison reached the dining-room
thunderously:
"Where was Jane?" Julia Cloud caught that anxious question, and then
Clive, who had evidently heard also, roused himself to ask a
question:
"Who is this _Jane_ person they talk so much about? I don't seem to
have seen her! Where is she?"
"She is Miss Bristol," said Julia Cloud, stiffening just a little at
the young fellow's tone of insolence. "She is in college and very
busy, but has been unusually busy since you have been here because she
is caring for a little child whose mother has been very ill."
"Oh!--You mean she's a sort of sehvant?"--He drawled the question most
offensively, and Julia Cloud had a sudden ridiculous impulse to seize
his sleek shoulder and shake him. Instead she only smiled and quoted a
Bible verse: "I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as
servants upon the earth."
Clive eyed her with a puzzled expression:
"I don't getcha!" he answered finally, but Julia Cloud made no further
comment than to pass him a second cup of coffee. She could hear the
soft excited whispers still going on in the living-room and she
longed to fly in there and leave this ill-bred guest to his own
devices, for she knew something must have happened to trouble her
children, and that if this intruder were not present she would be at
once taken into their confidence. Still she had to sit and smile and
keep him from hearing them.
Leslie was talking more softly now, with cautious looks toward the
dining-room.
"Jane had finished her exam. and hurried down because she thought
there would be a lot of business and she wanted Emily Reeder to be put
in treasurer and was trying to work it, and hadn't an idea Alice and I
were working it to put _her_ in. We didn't think she would get there
and meant to have it all finished before she came, but someone turned
around and gave a queer little cough just as Eunice finished her nasty
speech, and we all turned quickly and there in the open door stood
Jane, as white as a sheet, with her great, big blue eyes looking black
as coals and such suffering I never saw in a human face--and she just
stood and looked at them all, a hurt, loving, searching look, as if
she was reading their souls, and no one spoke nor moved, only Eunice,
who got very red, and Eugenia, who straightened up and got haughty and
hateful, looking as if she was glad Jane heard it all. She had a kind
of glitter in her eyes, like triumph--and it was very still for a
whole minute, and then Jane put out her hands in a little, quick,
pleading motion and turned away quickly and was gone----"
"And what did you do?" Allison's tone had hope, threat, condemnation
and praise all held in abeyance on her answer.
Leslie drew herself up eagerly, her eyes shining.
"I----? Oh--I wanted to run after her and comfort her, but I had
something else to do. I jumped up and offered my resignation to the
AOU, and said I wished to withdraw my subscription to the Sorority
House, that I couldn't have anything to do with a bunch of girls that
would stand for a thing as contemptible and mean as that."
"Of course!" said Allison with a proud look at his sister.
"And Phoebe Kemp jumped up and withdrew hers until they all apologized
to Jane, and then Alice Lowe said she'd have to withdraw hers,
too--she's given the highest amount subscribed, you know; she has
slews of money all in her own right, because she's of age, you
know--and then the girls began to get scared and Elsie Dare got right
up and said she thought there had been some kind of a mistake--a
blunder--they mustn't get excited--they must begin all over, and
somebody must go after Jane and bring her back and explain--as if
there was any way to explain a bold, bare insult like that!--and they
sent a committee after her. They wanted me to go, but I declined to go
in their name. I said I had handed in my resignation and I wasn't one
of them any more, and they might send somebody who would better
represent them, and they said they hadn't accepted my resignation and
a lot of stuff, but they sent off a committee to find Jane, and they
tried to think up something quickly to say to her, and they got Eunice
Brice to crying and made Eugenia real mad so the powder came off her
nose from rubbing it so much, and I came away. I've been hunting for
Jane for half an hour, but I can't find her in any of the places she
always is, and I thought I better come and tell you----"
"That's right. I'll find her----" Allison made one step to the
hat-rack and took his hat, then raising his voice: "Cloudy, I've been
called away on business suddenly. Don't bother keeping anything for
me, I've had all I want----" and he was gone.
Julia Cloud gave a glance at Allison's plate and saw that he had
scarcely touched his lunch, and she sighed as she heard Leslie run
quickly up the stairs and shut the door of her own room. Was Leslie
going to spend the afternoon in weeping?
But Leslie was down again in a moment and standing in the doorway, her
curls tumbled, her eyes bright and anxious, an indignant little set of
lips and chin giving her a worried expression.
"Jewel, dear, I've got to go; there's something important on--I'll
tell you about it all when I get back. No, please, I couldn't eat now.
You get Cherry to save me some strawberry shortcake." And she was off
like a breeze and out of sight.
"Wait a minute, Leslie, I'll go up with you," called Clive with his
mouth full of shortcake and cream, but Leslie was already whirling
down the street like the wind. Allison had taken the car, so there was
nothing left for Clive to do but finish his shortcake and think up
some form of amusement with the Freshman vamp for the afternoon.
Allison, meantime, had made a straight dash for the college and sent a
message up to Jane that he must see her at once on very important
business. After what seemed to him an endless wait, word came down
that Jane was not in her room and her roommate knew nothing of her
whereabouts. Allison made a wild dive for his car and drove to every
one of the places where Jane sometimes went to help out with the
children when their mothers were particularly busy, but no Jane
materialized. He drove madly back to the college, forgetting his usual
cool philosophy of life and fancying all sorts of terrible things that
might have happened to Jane. He swept past Eugenia Frazer without even
seeing her and brought up in front of the office once more, intending
to send up and see if Jane had yet returned, but on the steps stood
Leslie waiting for him.
"She's gone to the woods up above the old quarry!" she said anxiously.
"I've just found out. Benny, the kitchen boy, told me. He says he saw
her go out between Chemistry Hall and the Boys' Gym. about an hour
ago. She must have gone right after she left the meeting. Nobody seems
to have seen her since. Nobody but Benny knows anything about her
going to the woods and I gave him some money and told him not to say
anything about it if anyone asked. I was just going to hunt her----"
"That's all right, kid! You take the car and follow up the road. I'll
go through the woods and look for her----!" said Allison, springing
out.
"You will be careful, won't you? You know that quarry is terribly
deep----"
"I _know_!" said Allison, his tone showing his own anxiety. "And Jane
hasn't scrambled around here as much as we have; she hasn't had the
time. And there is so much undergrowth close up to the edge, one could
come on it unaware--especially if one was excited, and not paying
attention----! I better beat it! Jump in and drive me around college
and I'll get off at the gym."
Leslie sprang in and Allison stood on the running-board. His sister
cast a wistful glance at him as she started the car.
"Allison--I think maybe you needn't worry----" she said softly. "You
know Jane is--REAL! She isn't weak like some people. She won't go all
to pieces like--well, like I would. God means something to her, you
know."
"I know!" said Allison gravely, gently. "Thank you, kid! Well. I get
off here. Meet me at the top of the second hill in half an hour, and
hang around there for a bit. I may whistle, see? So long."
He dashed off between the buildings and disappeared between the trees
in the edge of the woods. Leslie whirled off down the drive to the
street. As she passed the big stone gateway, ivy garlanded and sweet
with climbing roses, three seniors turned into the drive, and the
foremost of the three was Howard Letchworth. Her heart leaped up with
joy that here was someone who would understand and sympathize, and she
put her foot to the brake to slow down with a light of welcome in her
eyes, but before she could stop he had lifted his hat and passed on
with the others as if he were just anyone. Of course he had not seen
her intention, did not realize that she wanted to speak with him, yet
it hurt her. A week or two before she would have called after him, or
even backed the car to catch him, but now something froze within her
and with her heart beating wildly, and tears scorching her eyes, she
put on speed and whirled away up the hill. It seemed to her that all
her lovely world was breaking into pieces under her feet. If it had
not been that she was worried about Jane, she would have been tempted
to abandon everything and rush off in some wild way by herself,
anywhere to be alone and face the ache in her heart. It was such a
torrent of deep-mingled feelings, hurt pride and anger, humiliation,
and pain--all these words rushed through her mind, but there was
something else besides, something that ought to have been beautiful
and wonderful, and was only shame and pain, and she had not yet come
to the point where she was willing to call that something by name. She
knew that soon she must face the truth and have it out with herself,
and so her cheeks flamed and paled, and the tears scorched and hurt in
her eyes and throat, and she tried to put it all away and think about
Jane, poor hurt Jane. Jane gone into the woods to have it but with
herself. But Jane was strong and Jane trusted in God. Her God was
strong, too! Jane would come through only the sweeter. But what would
become of her--little, fiery, tempestuous Leslie, who always did the
wrong thing first and was sorry afterwards, and who forgot God when
she needed Him most? These thoughts flitted like visions through her
brain while she put on all speed and tore away up the hill at a much
faster rate than she had any business to do. But the road was clear
ahead of her and there was some relief in flying along through space
this way. It seemed to clear the mists from her brain, and cool down
her throbbing pulses. Yet just when she would think she had control of
her thoughts, that stern, distant expression on Howard's face would
come between her and the afternoon brightness, and back would roll the
trouble with renewed vigor. What a world this was anyway and why did
people have to live? Just trouble, trouble, trouble, everywhere! And
who would have thought there would come trouble between her and
Howard, such good friends as they had been now almost two years--two
wonderful years! And again her weary brain would beat over the
question, what had been the matter? What made Howard act that way?
Surely nothing she could have done.