"A house-party! You are planning a house-party? Oh, how perfectly adorable. Oh, which girls are you going to invite? Oh, I"ll never, never tease Peggy again as long as I live. I"ll be perfectly lovely to her and I"ll make the other girls be nice too. To think of going up there and meeting all those darling boys. Oh please tell me all about it! The girls will be just crazy when I tell them. Which of these fellows will be there?"
Helen had rushed over to Polly"s dresser upon which in pretty silver frames were photographs of Ralph, Happy and Wheedles. On Peggy"s dresser Shorty and Durand looked from their frames straight into her eyes, while several others not yet framed looked down from the top of the bookshelf.
Silly little Helen was in an ecstasy. Her mamma had never believed in companions of the opposite s.e.x for her "sweet little daughter" but had kept her in a figurative preserve jar which bore the label "you may look but you must not touch." Mamma"s instructions to Mrs. Vincent upon placing Helen in the school had been an absolute ban upon any masculine visitors, or visits upon Helen"s part where such undesirable, though often unavoidable, members of society might congregate. "She is so very innocent and unsophisticated, you know, and so very young," added mamma sweetly. Mrs. Vincent smiled indulgently, but made no comments: She had encountered such mammas and such sweetly unsophisticated daughters before and she then and there resolved to keep an extra watchful eye upon this innocent one. Thus far, however, nothing alarming had occurred, but Mrs. Vincent knew her material and was prepared for almost anything. She also knew Lily Pearl and felt pretty sure that if an upheaval ever took place it would turn out that Lily Pearl or Helen had touched off the mine. The foregoing scene gives some hint of the viewpoints of the young ladies in question.
During this digression Helen had caught up Wheedle"s picture and was pressing it rapturously to her fluttering bosom and exclaiming:
"You"re a perfect darling! If I could have just one dance with _you_ I"d be willing to _die_! Polly, how old is he!"
But Polly had left the room and was on her way back to Stella"s. As she reached it she came face to face with the Sturgeon and the Sturgeon"s eyes held no "lovelight" for her.
"Miss Howland, what was the cause of the wild shrieks which disturbed me a moment since? Miss Montgomery says you can tell if you will and since none of your companions seem inclined to do so, I will hear your explanation. I was on my way to inform Miss Stewart that Mrs. Vincent wished to see her in her study at once when this hideous uproar a.s.sailed my ears."
Polly glanced quickly about the room. Sure enough, Peggy had left it.
Some of the girls looked concerned, others quite calm; among the latter were Stella and Juno. Rosalie, with Tzaritza"s head in her lap, looked defiant. She hated Miss Sturgis.
Polly turned and looked squarely into Miss Sturgis" eyes.
"The girls were screaming because I carried Helen out of the room," she answered quietly.
"It seems to me you must be somewhat in need of exercise. I would advise you to go to the gymnasium to work off your superfluous energy. Why did you carry Helen from the room? Has she become incapable of voluntary locomotion?"
"Not yet," answered Polly, a twinkle coming into a corner of the gray eyes.
"_Not yet?_" emphasized Miss Sturgis. "Are you apprehensive of her becoming so?"
"She needs more exercise than she gets," answered Polly, half smiling.
That smile acted as salt upon a wound. Miss Sturgis" temper rose.
"Please bear in mind that it does not devolve upon _you_ to decide that question."
"I did not try to settle that question, Miss Sturgis. If you wish to know why I carried Helen out of the room I did it because she was running--"
"Doing what? I don"t think I understand your boyish slang."
"Well, teasing Peggy, and I won"t have Peggy teased by anybody if I can stop it. She doesn"t understand girls" ways as well as I do because she hasn"t been thrown with them. So when Helen teased her I picked her up and carried her down to our room and I don"t reckon she will tease her any more."
"So you have come into the school to set its standards and correct its shortcomings, have you? Are you so very superior to your companions--you and your protegee?"
Polly looked straight into the narrow eyes looking at her, but made no reply.
"Answer me, instantly."
"I have never considered myself superior to anyone, but I _do_ consider Peggy Stewart superior to any girl I have ever known, and I think you will agree with me when you know her better," a.s.serted Polly loyally.
"You are insolent."
"I do not mean to be. Any one who knows her will tell you the same thing."
"I repeat you are insolent and you may go to your room."
Polly made no reply, but started to leave the room. Tzaritza sprang to her side. Miss Sturgis interposed.
"Leave that dog where she is. Go back, you horrible beast," and she raised her hand menacingly. Tzaritza was not quite sure whether the menace was intended for Polly or herself. In either case it was cause for resentment and a low growl warned against further liberties.
"Be careful, Miss Sturgis. Tzaritza thinks you are threatening me," said Polly. It was said wholly in the interest of the teacher.
Miss Sturgis" early training and forebears had not been of an order to develop either great dignity, or self-control. Her ability to teach mathematics was undisputed. Hence her position in Mrs. Vincent"s school, though that good lady had more than once had reason to question the wisdom of retaining her, owing to the influence which she exerted over her charges. The grain beneath did not lend itself to a permanent, or high polish, and it took only the slightest scratch to mar it. Polly"s words seemed to destroy her last remnant of self-control and she turned upon her in a fury of rage. As she seized her by the arm and cried, "Silence!" Polly whirled from her like a flash crying, "Charge, Tzaritza!"
But it was too late, the "hound had sprung to Polly"s defense, only it was Polly"s protecting arm into which Tzaritza"s teeth sank. The girl turned white with pain. Instantly the beautiful dog relinquished her hold and whining and whimpering like a heartbroken thing began to lick the bruised arm. Then arose a hubbub compared to which the screams of which Miss Sturgis had complained had been infantile plaints. Lily Pearl promptly went into hysterics. Juno shrieked aloud and even the self-contained Stella cried out as she ran to catch Polly in her arms, for the girl seemed about to faint. But Miss Sturgis, now thoroughly terrified at the crisis she had brought to pa.s.s, called madly for help.
Helen"s screams mingled in the pandemonium, for Helen had been brought hack from her romantic air castle with a rush.
Notwithstanding the fact that Mrs. Vincent"s study was down one flight of stairs and at the other end of the building, she became aware of the uproar and her conversation with Peggy came to an abrupt pause. Then both hurried into the hall to see the tails of Horatio Hannibal Harrison"s coat vanishing up the broad stairway and to hear Fraulein Hedwig wailing, "Oh ze house iss burning up _and_ down I am sure!"
Meanwhile upon the scene of action Polly had been the first to recover her wits. The skin had not been broken, for Tzaritza had instantly perceived her error and released her grip almost as soon as it was taken. But Miss Sturgis would not have escaped so easily, as well she knew, and her hatred for Tzaritza increased tenfold. When Mrs. Vincent and the others arrived upon the scene she broke into a perfect torrent of invective against the dog, but was brought to her senses by the Princ.i.p.al"s quiet:
"Miss Sturgis, you seem to be a good deal overwrought. I will excuse you. You may retire to your room until you feel calmer."
"Let me explain! Let me tell you what a horrible thing has happened!"
cried Miss Sturgis.
"When you are less excited I shall be glad to listen. Fraulein, kindly accompany Miss Sturgis to her room and call the housekeeper. Now, Polly, what is it?" asked Mrs. Vincent, for Polly was the center of the group of excited girls, though calmer than any of them.
"Tzaritza made a mistake and caught my arm in her teeth, that is all, Mrs. Vincent. But she has done no harm. It doesn"t hurt much now; she did not mean to do it any way."
"What!" cried Peggy, aghast, "Tzaritza attacked _you_, Polly?"
Polly nodded her head in quick negative, striving to keep Peggy from saying more. But Tzaritza had crawled to Peggy"s feet and was literally grovelling there in abject misery.
"Charge, Tzaritza!"
The splendid creature lay motionless. "Polly, what happened?" demanded Peggy, once more the Peggy of Severndale and entirely forgetful of her present surroundings. Mrs. Vincent smiled and laying her hand gently upon Peggy"s arm said:
"Don"t embarra.s.s Polly, dear. Leave it to me."
"Oh, I beg your pardon, Mrs. Vincent. I forgot," answered Peggy, blushing deeply. Mrs. Vincent nodded forgiveness, then turning to Stella, asked:
"Were you here all the time, Stella?"
"Yes, Mrs. Vincent."
"Then please tell me exactly what happened."
Stella told the story clearly and quietly. When she ended there was a moment"s hush, broken by Rosalie Breeze crying:
"And Tzaritza never, never would have done a single thing if Miss Sturgis hadn"t lost her temper. She is forever scolding us about losing ours, but she"d just better watch out herself. I wish Tzaritza had bitten her!"
"Rosalie!"