"Tell me about it," she said, "everything--from the beginning."
And Blue Bonnet did tell her, omitting not a single detail.
When she had finished Professor Howe was silent for a moment.
"Did you ever think, Miss Ashe," she said presently, "what a chaotic, unpleasant place this world would be without law, and order, and discipline?"
Blue Bonnet had to confess that she had not thought much about it.
"Think _now_, for a moment. Take the case of your friend, Carita. If there had been no rule against your going to the Infirmary this morning, and Carita had come down with a contagious disease, you, by your presence there for only a moment, might have carried the contagion to a dozen others. Would you have had the right to do that, do you think, simply because of your interest in your friend?"
Blue Bonnet shook her head slowly.
"And in regard to sending for your aunt. Could you not have trusted Miss North, my child? She has been operating this school successfully for many years. She has the interest of each and every pupil at heart--she knows their needs. She has perfect confidence in our physician."
"Yes, but Mary--one of the girls--said that he was awfully slow and old fashioned, and I--"
"Mary Boyd is only a silly little girl. She wouldn"t know the qualifications of a good doctor if she were asked to give them. You should never rely on immature judgment. It is apt to be colored with prejudice."
Blue Bonnet got up.
"I reckon I have made a mistake, Professor Howe. I"m sorry. I was so awfully worried and upset about Carita."
"Of course you were. I can quite understand that. On the other hand, we do not expect you to love and trust us all at once. Confidence comes by degrees; but we _do_ want you to believe that your _best_ interests are considered here--always."
Blue Bonnet started to leave the room.
"One moment, Miss Ashe. Will you say to Fraulein Herrmann what you have just said to me--that you are sorry--sorry for what she deems an impertinence on your part in the study hall?"
Blue Bonnet flushed to the roots of her brown hair.
"But I am _not_ sorry, Professor Howe."
"Not sorry to have been rude, Miss Ashe?"
"I think Fraulein Herrmann was rude to me. She called to me before the whole room--she--"
"You were disobeying the rules, Miss Ashe. Fraulein was right. Study hour is not the time for letter writing. You will apologize, I am sure."
The little smile so rare and fleeting that Blue Bonnet loved appeared for a brief second. It won the girl as nothing else could.
"I will then--to please you," she answered, and went to find Fraulein immediately.
The day dragged on drearily. Blue Bonnet was unhappy and ill at ease.
Although Professor Howe had been so kind, she felt that she was by no means out of the woods yet. There was still Miss North to reckon with, and Fraulein Herrmann had been none too gracious about accepting her apology. Perhaps they might still expel her. There was that f.a.n.n.y Price last year that the girls had spoken of. She had been sent away for breaking the rules. What a blow it would be to Grandmother and the We Are Sevens. They"d be disgraced forever--and Aunt Lucinda! The thought brought terror to her heart. Why, Aunt Lucinda wouldn"t be able to hold up her head in Woodford.
It was getting on to four o"clock and still Cousin Tracy had not come.
Evidently Cousin Honora had had difficulty in locating him.
There was no news from Carita, either. Mrs. Goodwin was not in her room, and Blue Bonnet was afraid to venture to the Infirmary.
At four o"clock there was a stir along the hall. The girls were visiting. Blue Bonnet decided to have a minute"s chat with Annabel Jackson.
Annabel, as usual, had the chafing dish going. She was making cocoa, and hailed Blue Bonnet"s presence with delight.
"Goodness," she said, after a moment, during which Blue Bonnet had not spoken, "what"s the matter? You look like a funeral!"
Blue Bonnet tried to smile, but the effort was a failure.
"Got the blues?"
"No."
"Not homesick?"
Blue Bonnet shook her head, and a tear splashed down on her blouse.
"Why, Blue Bonnet, what is it, dear?" Annabel asked, really surprised.
Blue Bonnet struggled for self control. She sat up very straight, and made a remark about the cocoa.
"Never mind about the cocoa. What"s happened?"
"Nothing--at least--I can"t tell you, Annabel."
"Why can"t you?"
"Because--I can"t!"
Annabel slipped down on the couch beside Blue Bonnet and put an arm over her shoulder.
"Oh, please," she said. "Come, tell me. Maybe I can help."
It was at that identical moment that Sue Hemphill put her head in the door.
"Why, Blue Bonnet," she said, "Martha"s been hunting everywhere for you.
Miss North wants you in her office right away. There"s a man with her--a dumpy--I beg your pardon--but a short, stout man with a bald head. I think it"s your uncle, or cousin. Anyway, hurry! There"s something doing. Miss North looks like a war cloud without a ghost of a silver lining. She was just laying it off to your--ah--em--relative. Do hurry.
I"m simply wild to know what"s up, and come right back and tell us all about it. Don"t forget!"
She gave Blue Bonnet a gentle push out into the hall and watched her as she descended the stairs slowly.
CHAPTER VIII
PENANCE