"We don"t, and that"s a fact," admitted Alicia. "We"re taught manners and, oh, well, I s"pose it"s up to the girl herself, as to what she learns. Maybe I won"t go back to school, after all."
"Oh, Alicia," cried Bernice, "what do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing," and Alicia smiled as she tossed her head. "I"ve got a secret. I can"t tell you now. Maybe you"ll know soon."
Dolly looked at Alicia, in bewilderment. Could she be referring to her intended elopement with Marly Turner?
"Good gracious! What do you mean?" and Janet laughed.
"Never mind," returned Alicia, airily, "don"t ask me any questions. You know they call me "that awful Alicia!" So be prepared for anything."
Dolly grew thoughtful. Only she and Geordie Knapp held the secret of Alicia"s strange remarks, and she couldn"t decide whether it was her duty to tell anyone of her knowledge or not. She made up her mind to tell Mrs. Berry, as soon as she went home, and then she had compunctions about that, for Dolly was very conscientious and she really didn"t know what was right to do.
"I go to an awfully nice school," Corinne Bell said. "It"s quite near my house and I can go alone every day. We have such interesting teachers, and such a jolly lot of girls. You"d love it, Alicia."
"Yes, I"d love it, but how could I go there? It isn"t a boarding school, is it?"
"No; but couldn"t you board somewhere in New York?"
"Alone! No, I should say not! You know I live out in the western wilds, at least the middle western wilds, and I think they"re wilder than the far west. This little New York visit is all poor Alicia will see of the glittering metropolis for,--oh, well, it may be for years and it may be forever!"
"What do you do in vacation time?" asked Janet.
"Oh, Dad and I go to summery places. Couldn"t come to New York then, you know. But when I get married, I"m going to live in New York, you can bet on that!"
"You"re not thinking of marrying soon, I hope," and Janet laughed.
"Never can tell!" said Alicia, smiling saucily. "I have all sorts of wonderful schemes in my noodle. Some of "em materialise,--some don"t.
But trust little Alicia to do something big! Oh, girls, my secret is just TOO splendid!"
"Is it--is it all right?" and Dolly stammered, as she looked at Alicia with a doubtful glance.
"Is it all right! You little sanctimonious-eyed prude! You bet it"s all right! Maybe we"ll meet again, Janet. You can"t "most always sometimes tell."
"I hope you"ll come to Berwick to visit me, Alicia," said Bernice; "I think as we"re cousins we ought to see more of each other."
"I"d love to, Bernie. Maybe I"ll come this summer."
"We could have a sort of reunion at our house," went on Bernice; "Muriel and you girls could come for a few days, and the two D"s and I would be there, and we"d scare up a lot of fun."
""Deed we would! I"ll surely come if it can be arranged. But I never know Dad"s plans from one day to the next," Alicia said.
"h.e.l.lo, girls," sang out a boyish voice, and in came Geordie Knapp with half a dozen comrades. "We just sorter, kinder thought we"d see a bunch of peaches here about this time o" day! h.e.l.lo, everybody!"
Marly Turner was not among the group, and Dolly looked anxiously at Geordie, as if to ask him what he knew concerning him.
"What is it, Dolly?" asked Geordie, with a blank look.
"Secret!" laughed Dolly, "come over here and whisper to me."
"Oh, how rude!" cried Alicia; "even out West we don"t whisper in polite society!"
"But this is a special case," and Dolly smiled and dimpled, as if about to discuss the most trivial subject with Geordie.
The boy looked surprised when Dolly spoke to him about what they had overheard the night before.
"Why," he said, "I never gave it another thought! I don"t believe they really meant what we thought they did."
"Yes, they did," a.s.serted Dolly. "All day, Alicia has been keyed up to some great excitement. She had a letter from Marly this morning, and she expects a telephone from him. Also, she said things that could only mean that they really are going to elope to-night."
"Such as what?"
"She said maybe she"d live in New York soon, and said she had a big, wonderful secret and we"d know it to-morrow,--why, she even said she expects to live in New York after she"s married!"
"Whew! that"s going some! Still, Dolly, I don"t just see what we can do."
"I think I ought to tell Mr. Forbes, don"t you?"
"I don"t know. I do hate tell other people"s secrets."
"Yes; so do I. Perhaps I"ll just tell Mrs. Berry."
"I say, I"ve an idea! Suppose I get hold of Turner, and get him to go home and spend the evening with me. I"ll insist upon it, you know, and if he objects, I"ll ask him what"s up."
"Oh, yes, Geordie, that will be fine! You do that, will you?"
"Yes; suppose I telephone him now, and ask him."
"Go ahead, and then tell me what he says."
Geordie excused himself and went off to the telephone booth.
"You seem to have a lot of secrets, too, Dolly," said Alicia.
"Yes, I have," and Dolly looked demure. "Can"t let you have all the fun, "Licia."
"Nothing doing," Geordie reported to Dolly, as he came back, and his face looked more serious. He made an opportunity to speak to her alone again, and he said, "I got him all right, and he said he couldn"t see me this evening, for he"s awful busy. Said he was busy with his father."
"His father! Why, Mr. Turner is an actor, isn"t he?"
"Sure he is, one of the best."
"Then how can Marly be with him? Isn"t Mr. Turner acting?"
"Not just now. He"s rehearsing, I think."
"Well, I believe Marly made that up. He"s planning the elopement."
"I"m afraid he is. He was sort of queer and didn"t answer as straightforwardly as he usually does. Oh, what a silly performance to cut up! Why, they"re just a couple of kids!"