Constance standing beside Marjorie, an arm over her shoulder, Marjorie turned and childishly hid her flushed face in the frills of Connie"s white organdie gown. While her thoughts were far from collected, she was experiencing a gladness of spirit because Constance could thus be her refuge at a time of overwhelming happiness.
CHAPTER VII.-ON THE THRESHOLD.
The day after Constance"s party brought Marjorie her General. With her father at home, after a lengthy absence, the sorrow of leaving her dear ones came forward again. Marjorie tried earnestly to keep all locked within and succeeded in a measure. Her General was not blind to the situation, however, and exerted himself on all occasions to keep his somewhat sober-faced lieutenant in good spirits.
On the morning of the day before Marjorie"s departure for college, he announced his firm intention to help her pack. Nor did he swerve for an instant from his self-imposed duty. Breakfast over, he chased the lieutenant, screaming with laughter, up the stairs, landing in the middle of her "house" with a flying leap which an acrobat might have envied.
Regardless of his giggling daughter"s ideas on the subject of packing, he swept down upon whatever lay nearest at hand and stowed it into one of the two open trunks. His efforts at being helpful were brief. Three determined pairs of hands intercepted his bold attempt to safely cache a small taboret, a large embroidered doyley, a satin chair cushion, a cut gla.s.s scent bottle and a j.a.panese vase. The energetic general"s services were summarily dispensed with. He was banished from the room and the door shut in his face with a bang. In less than fifteen minutes he announced his return by a tattoo which threatened demolishment to the door. He was not re-admitted until he had given his word not to meddle with the packing. When Marjorie cautiously opened the door to him she found him staggering under a load of pasteboard boxes. He dumped them at her feet with a bow so profound that he all but stood on his head.
"There you are, unfeeling child!" he exclaimed. "How shocking to have a daughter who doesn"t scruple to turn her poor old father out of her house!"
"Well, I let you into my house again, didn"t I? Just please recall why you were turned out." Marjorie clasped both arms about her father"s neck and swung on him gleefully. No one could be the least bit sad when General elected to be funny. Mrs. Dean and Ronny had already busied themselves with straightening the pile of boxes which had scattered when dumped to the floor.
"It"s a good thing for you that you did," retorted Mr. Dean significantly. "I might have gone away from the door and never NEVER have come back again. Then think what you would have missed."
"Oh, you would have had to come back sometime," was the serene a.s.surance, as Marjorie plumped down on the floor to explore her newly-acquired riches.
They were all the heart of a girl could wish. One box contained a white chiffon evening scarf, thickly embroidered with tiny pink daisies. It draped itself in graceful folds to the waist, the ends reaching to the hem of her gown. Another held a white velour sports coat, the cut and design of it being particularly smart. From another box tumbled a dozen pairs of kid gloves. There was also a box of silk hosiery, another of fine linen handkerchiefs with b.u.t.terfly and bowknot corners, her favorite designs, a box of engraved monogrammed stationery, and a pair of black satin evening slippers.
One long wide box she had left until the last. The lid removed and the folds of white tissue paper lifted, Marjorie breathed a little "Oh!" She stared in admiration at an exquisite evening frock of delicately shaded Chinese crepe. It might have represented a spring dawn, shading as it did from creamy white to pale, indeterminate violet, and from violet to faintest pink. It was fashioned with a cunning simplicity of design which made it of the mode, yet strikingly individual. About the hem of the skirt, around the square neck and short sleeves and on the ends of the separate sash trailed shadowy cl.u.s.ters of violets, stamped upon the crepe with an art known only to the Chinese.
"Where did you find it, General?" she gasped, as she held up the lovely, shimmering frock for her captain and Ronny to see. "I never expected to own a dream gown like this."
"It is a spring poem in shades," declared Ronny, lightly touching an end of the sash. "I can guess where it came from. Only a high-grade Chinese bazaar could furnish a gown of its kind. There are a few such shops west of the Mississippi. I never saw a gown so beautiful as this one even in San Francisco."
"It did not come from a shop. A Chinese merchant sent to China for it as a gift to Marjorie. In Denver I have a good friend, Mah Waeo, the last of an ancient Chinese house. He looks like an Eastern n.o.bleman in carved ivory. He is a fine elderly man of irreproachable business and social reputation. He is a tea merchant and has great wealth. He lives very simply and spends most of his business gains in trying to educate and uplift his own people. We have been fast friends for fifteen years."
"I am familiar with that type of Chinese," Ronny spoke eagerly. "At home, Father and I have a good Chinese friend, too; Sieguf Tah. He lives alone on the smallest of his fruit ranches and acts as a benevolent father to all the China boys around there. The China boys, as they like to be called, are faithful, wise, intelligent and industrious. Best of all, they are strictly honest."
"I hope Mah Waeo will sometime make us a visit. I suppose you must have often invited him, General. He was a perfect dear to take such pains for a present for me." Marjorie raised a radiant face to her father. "All this is about the nicest surprise you ever gave me. I can"t help liking my spring poem gown best of all. I shall write to Mah Waeo and tell him so and ask him myself to please make us a visit someday."
"I don"t see how we are going to pack all these new treasures in your two trunks," Mrs. Dean practically interposed. "We shall have to do some skilful managing."
"They simply all _must_ go," decreed Marjorie. "I couldn"t leave one behind."
"Which reminds me that I have something for you and Captain which I brought from the Golden West and have been saving until an appropriate, moment. With your gracious permission, I will retire and return anon, as the old-style novelists loved to write."
Attired in a full, half-fitted morning gown of soft white silk, Ronny spread her arms, bowed down to the floor, East Indian fashion, and made a quick backward exit from the room.
"I am going to make Ronny dance for us tonight," planned Marjorie. "She isn"t going to pack that frock she has on. It will be a perfect dancing costume. We will have a little home party tonight; just the four of us.
No; five. I want Delia to be with us, too. I"ve grown up under Delia"s wing. She has always worked so hard to do her best for me whenever I have had a party, and she"s been so good to me in all ways."
"By all means let us have Delia at our party," heartily indorsed Mr.
Dean. "I shall ask her to dance the minuet with me. Do you think there will be music? I hope some one will be able to play a minuet fit to be heard. Did I hear you say that you had practised occasionally this summer?"
"No, you didn"t, you old tease!" Marjorie sprang to her feet and made a rush at her general.
"Careful! I"m very fragile," he protested. Then he caught her in his strong arms and held her close. Her face buried against his shoulder, Marjorie knew that her father had loosed one arm from around her and drawn Captain into the circle of it
Thus Veronica found them when she returned with her love offerings. She halted in the doorway, her face alight with tenderness for these three who had succeeded more nearly than any other persons she had ever known in living the ideal family life.
In her hand Ronny held two small black leather cases. The one contained a ring of pure gold, artistically chased with a running vine, and set with one large, perfect sapphire. This was intended for Marjorie. For Mrs. Dean she had bought a gold and pearl pin of ancient Peruvian handiwork. Both pieces of jewelry were from an old Spanish collection.
She had bought them at a private sale in San Leandro for her friends and now delighted to add her tribute to Marjorie"s happiness.
Standing very still in the doorway, her eyes meditatively sought the cases in her hand. Then she turned and stole noiselessly away from the little scene of adoration. Ronny knew that Marjorie was taking her real farewell of her general and captain.
CHAPTER VIII.-THE FIVE TRAVELERS.
"Hamilton, did you say? Lead me to it." Jerry Macy opened her eyes and peered through the car window with revived interest. For an hour or more she had been leaning back against the high green plush car seat dozing lightly. It was now five o"clock in the afternoon and active Jerry was feeling the strain of sitting still, hour after hour.
"No; I didn"t say Hamilton." Muriel gently tweaked Jerry"s ear. "Wake up, sleepy head. That station we just pa.s.sed was Harcourt Hill. What comes next?" Muriel opened a time table and frowningly perused it. "It"s hard to remember the names of these little stations. Now where was I at?
Oh, yes; Harcourt Hill. Next comes Palmer; then Tresholme. After that, West Hamilton, and then Hamilton. Hamilton is the first stop this express makes, thank goodness!"
"Muriel, you have really been invaluable to us on this journey. Allow me to decorate you." Ronny leaned forward and pinned a huge lace-paper rosette on the obliging Lookout. "Wear this for my sake."
While Muriel had been industriously engaged in calling out the stations, Ronny had hastily ripped a piece of decorative lace-paper from a half emptied box of candied fruit, which the travelers had shared, and busied herself with it. The result of her effort she now generously tendered Muriel.
"I will-not." Muriel intercepted the rosette before it found a place on the lapel of her brown taffeta traveling coat and crumpled it in her hand. "No such decorations for me when I"m so near Hamilton. Suppose I forgot about it and wore it off the train. Some college wag would be sure to see it and post me in the grind book. Freshmen are good material for grinds. Remember that and keep your old rosettes out of sight."
"What would be written about you?" asked Lucy Warner curiously. "I can"t see anything in that to write about."
"Don"t think for a minute that enough couldn"t be found in one foolish old paper rosette to make me feel silly for a half term, at least. I don"t know what the method of teasing me would be. I do know that I am not going to give strange students a chance to try it."
"Then I shall hardly dare answer anyone, even if I am first addressed."
Lucy fixed her green eyes on Muriel with an expression of alarm.
Muriel burst out laughing as she met the steady stare. She had never taken prim Lucy seriously. Lucy"s austere solemnity always had an hilarious effect on keen-witted Muriel. Coupled with a direct stare from those peculiar greenish eyes, Muriel invariably felt a strong desire to laugh when in her presence. As a result, there was no strain between the two, as was the case with the majority of the Lookouts and Lucy.
"You had better be very, _very_ careful," warned Muriel with simulated cautiousness.
"I intend to be. I may not even speak to you, once I am on the campus,"
was the retort.
"Oh, it will be safe to speak to me," Muriel a.s.sured. "You may even speak to others when you are spoken to and be safe. You are not strictly of the information-bureau type. Don"t worry about being afraid of the Hamiltonites. They will probably stand in awe of you."
"What is all this advice you are giving Lucy?" From across the aisle Marjorie leaned toward the quartette in the double seat. "Since it was my turn to be exiled across the aisle, I"ve lost a lot of pearls of speech."
As only four could occupy the double seat, the five girls had arranged on entraining, to take turns sitting in the seat opposite their own.
This was somewhat lonely for the fifth member of the party. The exclusive isolation of the chair car had not found favor with them. They preferred the more democratic day coach where they could be together.
While Marjorie could catch little of Muriel"s remarks to Lucy, she knew by the half-amused smile on Lucy"s face that she was being chaffed and enjoying it.