"She made four. I imagine they must be beauties, too."
"Uh-h-h!" Robin pretended to crumple with relief. "That"s one torture off my mind. Naturally they will be great stuff. Ethel Laird draws better than any other girl at Hamilton. It was mighty fine in her to take such a job on herself. I asked her for only one you know."
"Probably she saw a wistful gleam in your eye and was kind," laughed Marjorie.
"There will be an entirely different gleam in my eye if those printers don"t hurry up with the programmes. Last I heard from them they hadn"t even started the work. We really took a good deal upon ourselves when we started this show. I"m glad I am not a manager for my living. It is too strenuous a life for Robin."
"We ought to call a rehearsal Sat.u.r.day evening. There won"t be anyone caring to use the gym, and there won"t be much time for it next week in the evenings, with all the studying we have to do. Just recall, the show is to be next Friday evening," was Marjorie"s reminder.
"Oh, I know it," groaned Robin. "I shall be enraged, infuriated and foaming at the mouth if those aggravating printers don"t have our programmes done in time."
"They will. Don"t worry. When did they promise you the tickets?"
"Tomorrow. They"ve done fairly well with the tickets," Robin grudgingly conceded. "That is, provided they deliver them tomorrow, as promised. I am just a little tired, I guess. I like the programme part of getting up a show, but I don"t like the tiresome details."
"Come on over to Baretti"s," invited Marjorie. "What you need is sustenance. We can talk things over and have dinner at the same time. I can stay out until eight. It"s only five-fifteen now. We shall have oceans of time."
"All right. Don"t you believe, though, that we"ll have much chance to talk. Some of our gang will be there, sure as fate," Robin prognosticated.
Surely enough, they were greeted by a hospitable quartette occupying a table near the door. It was composed of Ronny, Jerry, Elaine Hunter and Barbara Severn.
"Aren"t you going home to dinner?" quizzed Jerry accusingly. "And you never said a word to me this noon of your secret intentions."
"I hadn"t any. May I ask why you are here without having obtained my permission?" Marjorie drew down her face in an imitation of Miss Merton, a Sanford teacher both girls had greatly disliked.
"I have nothing to say," chuckled Jerry. "You and your friend may sit at our table, if you like."
"Thank you. My friend and I have weighty matters to discuss. We"re in the show business now, Jeremiah. We are bound for that last table in the row." Marjorie pointed. "We"ll join you later, and please don"t disturb us. Ahem!"
"I don"t even know either of you by sight. Beat it." Jerry waved both girls away with a magnificent gesture of disdain which sent them, giggling, toward their table.
"This is my first off-the-campus treat since we talked about getting up the show that day we went to Hamilton," Marjorie confided to Robin. "I have thirty-eight dollars saved. Captain gave me twenty-five when I came away from home. I told her I did not need it, but you see I had told her about saving my money, too. That"s the reason she gave it to me. I seem not to be able to make any real sacrifices," Marjorie smiled ruefully.
"I have saved close to thirty. I could have saved more, but I have had three Silvertonites to remember on their birthdays. Not my pals, but girls who appreciate remembrances and who don"t receive many. I haven"t been here but twice since we had that talk. We mustn"t desert Signor Baretti, either. He would feel dreadfully if we stopped patronizing his tea room."
"We will have to try to please all our friends somehow, and ourselves, too," Marjorie said gayly.
Their dinner ordered, the two settled down to talk over the progress of their "show" with the business energy of two real theatrical managers.
Later, however, Jerry and her trio sidled up to the forbidden table and were graciously allowed to remain. In consequence, it was half-past eight before the party left the tea room.
"Lucy will wonder what has become of me," Ronny declared, as the three Lookouts entered Wayland Hall. "I told her this noon I was not going anywhere after recitations. Oh, dear! I am a nice person! I promised to help Muriel with her French, before dinner. I forgot all about it until this minute. She will be raving."
"You seem to be in a bad case all around," sympathized Marjorie in most unsympathetic tones. "I"m sorry for you."
"I"m a great deal more sorry for myself," retorted Jerry.
"I haven"t broken any promise by staying out, but I won"t do much studying tonight. Let me see, what recitations do I have tomorrow that I can slight the least tiny bit?" Marjorie puckered her brows over her problem.
Entering their room, the first sight that met hers and Jerry"s eyes was Lucy Warner, fast asleep in an arm chair. Jerry laid a warning finger against her lips, then she stole softly up to Lucy.
"Wake up and pay for your lodgings," she growled in a deep, hoa.r.s.e voice.
"Oh-h! Ah-h!" Lucy sat up with a suddenness which narrowly missed landing her on the floor. "I thought you would never come home," she mumbled, not yet fully awake. Blinking sleepily at the two laughing girls, she continued: "I had some news for you. I sat down to wait until you came. Ronny was out; so was Muriel. I"ve been here since eight o"clock. Were you out to dinner?"
"That means _you_ were not here." Jerry pointed an arraigning finger at Lucy. "Where have you been? Lately you have become a regular gad-about.
It must be stopped, Luciferous."
"Gad-about nothing," disclaimed Lucy. "You, not I, belong to that deplorable cla.s.s, Jeremiah Macy. _I_ have been working. True, I dined outside the Hall, and in distinguished company. I am President Matthews"
secretary pro tem. I had dinner at his house tonight. I told you I had news for you."
"Can you beat that?" Jerry sank into the nearest chair as though about to collapse. "You are mounting the college scale by leaps and bounds, aren"t you? Chummy with the registrar, a friend of Professor Wenderblatt"s, and now established in Doctor Matthews" good graces. The unprecedented rise of Luciferous Warniferous; or, Secretaries who have become famous."
"How did it happen? Where is Miss Sayres?" Marjorie exhibited lively curiosity at the news.
"Miss Sayres is at home with a cold. Nothing very serious, I imagine.
Miss Humphrey recommended me to the doctor. He was away behind in his correspondence. Miss Sayres has been ill for two days. It was nearly six when I finished his letters. He still had an address to dictate. He asked me if I would stay until after dinner and take the dictation. I had a beautiful time. He and his wife are such friendly persons. He is a great biologist, too. His son was there. He is a New York lawyer and is home for a few days" visit." Lucy added this last without enthusiasm.
"Well, well, Luciferous!" patronized Jerry. "And were you afraid to talk to the young man?"
"Oh, stop teasing me! No, I was not. He talked to his mother most of the time, anyway. I must go and find Ronny. Was she with you girls?" Lucy rose, gathered her books from the table, and prepared to depart.
"She was with us, Lucy. You"d better stay and talk to us," coaxed Marjorie. "It"s growing later and later and still I am not studying. I might as well wind up a pleasant but unprofitable evening with gossiping about Doctor Matthews. Come on back and resume your chair, Miss Warner."
Lucy had now reached the door. "Wait until I go and see Ronny, and I will come back." She exited, returning five minutes afterward with Ronny.
"You don"t seem to have the study habit tonight, either," commented Jerry genially to the new arrival. "Well, sit down and have a good time.
That"s what college is for."
"How do you like the doctor, Lucy?" There was a note of sharp interest in the question. Marjorie was anxious to hear Lucy"s opinion of the president. "I know you said he was friendly; but, I mean, what do you think of him in other ways?"
"I understand you. You are thinking of Miss Remson. So was I, whenever I had a chance to study the man. He is one of the kindest, finest men I have ever come in contact with," Lucy declared impressively. "He is so courteous; he goes to great pains in answering his letters. I know he never wrote that letter to Miss Remson."
"I felt that way about him, too, the day I played messenger for Miss Humphrey." Marjorie nodded agreement of Lucy"s emphatic praise.
"I wish I could solve that letter mystery while I am there." Lucy"s green eyes gleamed. "My one chance would be to have a talk about it with Doctor Matthews. That"s not likely to happen. I could find out a good deal about Miss Sayres by going through the letter files, but I would die rather than touch one of them. I shall only be there for a day or two, I suppose. If I could be his secretary for two or three weeks I might be able to say a good word for Miss Remson. I am sure there has been a great misrepresentation and I believe Miss Sayres is at the bottom of it."
"What would you do, Luciferous, if, while you were there, you found out something that was plain proof against the Sans?" was Marjorie"s thoughtful query.
"I would take it up with Doctor Matthews at once, wouldn"t you, in the same circ.u.mstances?"
"Yes," came the unhesitating reply. "That is the one thing I have always thought I would not mind telling against the Sans." Marjorie"s features grew sternly determined. "It was such a cruel thing to do; to estrange two friends of such long standing. For all we know, Doctor Matthews may wonder why Miss Remson has not visited him and his wife for over a year."
"It is not likely that I shall find any such proof. If I should, I would use it very quickly. Miss Remson was dreadfully hurt over that miserable letter. I would put the proof before Doctor Matthews if I had to fight all the Sans single-handed afterward."
CHAPTER XVIII-WHEN FRIENDS BECOME FOES