"You"ll do nicely, my dear," said Mr. King encouragingly to her; then proceeded down the aisle after the usher. So there was nothing to do but to obey. And Cathie, who would have found it a formidable thing to be stranded on the companionship of one boy, found herself between two, and Polly Pepper far off, and not the least able to help.
"Now, then," said Jasper, taking up the program, "I suppose father told you pretty much all that was necessary to know about Irving. Well--" And then, without waiting for a reply, Jasper dashed on about the splendid plays in which he had seen this wonderful actor, and the particular one they were to enjoy to-night; and from that he drifted off to the fine points to be admired in the big playhouse, with its striking decorations, making Cathie raise her eyes to take it all in, until Clare leaned over to say:
"I should think you might give Cathie and me a chance to talk a little, Jasper."
"Oh, I don"t want to talk," cried Cathie in terror. "I don"t know anything to say."
"Well, I do," said Clare, in a dudgeon, "only Jasper goes on in such a streak to-night."
"I believe I have been talking you both blue," said Jasper, with a laugh.
"You certainly have," said Clare, laughing too.
And then Cathie laughed, and Polly Pepper, looking over, beamed at her, for she had begun to be worried.
"The best thing in the world," said old Mr. King, "was to turn her over to those two boys. Now, don"t give her another thought, Polly; she"ll get on."
And she did; so well, that before long, she and Clare were chatting away merrily; and Cathie felt it was by no means such a very terrible experience to be sitting between two boys at a play; and by the time the evening was half over, she was sure that she liked it very much.
And Polly beamed at her more than ever, and Jasper felt quite sure that he had never enjoyed an evening more than the one at present flying by so fast. And old Mr. King, so handsome and stately, showed such evident pride in his young charges, as he smiled and chatted, that more than one old friend in the audience commented on it.
"Did you ever see such a change in any one?" asked a dowager, levelling her keen glances from her box down upon the merry party.
"Never; it was the one thing needed to make him quite perfect," said another one of that set. "He is approachable now--absolutely fascinating, so genial and courteous."
"His manners were perfect before," said a third member of the box party, "except they needed thawing out--a bit too icy."
"You are too mild. I should say they were quite frozen. He never seemed to me to have any heart."
"Well, it"s proved he has," observed her husband. "I tell you that little Pepper girl is going to make a sensation when she comes out,"
leaning over for a better view of the King party, "and the best of it is that she doesn"t know it herself."
And Clare made up his mind that Cathie Harrison was an awfully nice girl; and he was real glad she had moved to town and joined the Salisbury School. And as he had two cousins there, they soon waked up a conversation over them.
"Only I don"t know them much," said Cathie. "You see I haven"t been at the school long, and besides, the girls didn"t have much to say to me till Polly Pepper said nice things to me, and then she asked me to go to the bee."
"That old sewing thing where they make clothes for the poor little darkeys down South?" asked Clare.
"Yes; and it"s just lovely," said Cathie, "and I never supposed I"d be asked. And Polly Pepper came down to my desk one day, and invited me to come to the next meeting, and I was so scared, I couldn"t say anything at first; and then Polly got me into the Salisbury Club."
"Oh, yes, I know." Clare nodded, and wished he could forget how he had asked one of the other boys on that evening when the two clubs united, why in the world the Salisbury Club elected Cathie Harrison into its membership.
"And then Polly Pepper"s mother invited me to visit her--Polly, I mean--and so here I am"--she forgot she was talking to a dreaded boy, and turned her happy face toward him--"and it"s just lovely. I never visited a girl before."
"Never visited a girl before!" repeated Clare, in astonishment.
"No," said Cathie. "You see, my father was a minister, and we lived in the country, and when I visited anybody, which was only two or three times in my life, it was to papa"s old aunts."
"Oh dear me!" exclaimed Clare faintly, quite gone in pity.
"And so your father moved to town," he said; and then he knew that he had made a terrible mistake.
"Now she won"t speak a word--perhaps burst out crying," he groaned within himself, as he saw her face. But Cathie sat quite still.
"My papa died," she said softly, "and he told mamma before he went, to take me to town and have me educated. And one of those old aunts gave the money. And if it hadn"t been for him, I"d have run home from the Salisbury School that first week, it was so perfectly awful."
Clare sat quite still. Then he burst out, "Well, now, Cathie, I think it was just splendid in you to stick on."
"Do you?" she cried, quite astonished to think any one would think she was "just splendid" in anything. "Why, the girls call me a goose over and over. And sometimes I lose my temper, because they don"t say it in fun, but they really mean it."
"Well, they needn"t," said Clare indignantly, "because I don"t think you are a goose at all."
"Those two are getting on quite well," said Jasper to Polly. "I don"t think we need to worry about Cathie any more."
"And isn"t she nice?" asked Polly, in great delight.
"Yes, I think she is, Polly," said Jasper, in a way that gave Polly great satisfaction.
But when this delightful evening was all over, and the good nights had been said, and Mother Fisher, as was her wont, had come into Polly"s room to help her take off her things, and to say a few words to Cathie too, Polly began to remember the scene in Mrs. Chatterton"s room; and a sorry little feeling crept into her heart.
And when Mamsie had gone out and everything was quiet, Polly buried her face in her pillow, and tried not to cry. "I don"t believe she will ever forgive me, or let me help her again."
"Polly," called Cathie softly from the next room, "I did have the most beautiful time!"
"Did you?" cried Polly, choking back her sobs. "Oh, I am so glad, Cathie!"
"Yes," said Cathie, "I did, Polly, and I"m not afraid of boys now; I think they are real nice."
"Aren"t they!" cried Polly, "and weren"t our seats fine! Grandpapa didn"t want a box to-night, because we could see the play so much better from the floor. But we ought to go to sleep, Cathie, for Mamsie wouldn"t like us to talk. Good night."
"Good night," said Cathie. "A box!" she said to herself, as she turned on her pillow, "oh, I should have died to have sat up in one of those.
It was quite magnificent enough where I was."
XXII PICKERING DODGE
"Jasper!"
Jasper, rushing down the long hall of the Pemberton School, books in hand, turned to see Mr. Faber standing in the doorway of his private room.
"I want to see you, Jasper."
Jasper, with an awful feeling at his heart, obeyed and went in. "It"s all up with Pick," he groaned, and sat down in the place indicated on the other side of the big round table, Mr. Faber in his accustomed seat, the big leather chair.
"You remember the conversation I had with you, Jasper," he said slowly; and picking up a paper knife he began playing with it, occasionally glancing up over his gla.s.ses at the boy.