monday morning at half-past eleven o'clock jean reported at the office in answer to the summons she had received. the clerk, miss stetson, led her into the dean's private office and there she found miss thurston awaiting her. as yet jean had met her only in a social way and she felt a little ashamed at the thought of what brought her there.
"good morning, miss cabot. take this chair here by the window. i have a little matter to talk over with you. i find you have cut chapel ten times since the opening of college, which is altogether too many times. do you realize that only thirteen cuts are allowed for the whole first semester? chapel-cutting is a very serious offense here and i hope i shall not have to speak to you about it again. and then in the matter of gymnasium, miss matthews[155] reports an utter lack of interest on your part in the classes and frequent absences. gymnasium is required work and should be completed satisfactorily freshman year. i'm afraid, miss cabot, that you are not taking college seriously enough."
"i agree with you, miss thurston; i have not taken it seriously enough in the past, but from now on i intend to go at things differently. i do not think you will ever need to call me here again. i'm sure i shall never be an honor pupil, but i mean to do the best that's in me. it will be hard work, for i have practically all the work of the past three months to make up besides a condition in french to remove."
"yes, it will be hard, miss cabot, but i have the confidence that you can do it if you've made up your mind to it. that's all for to-day, thank you."
as jean left the office she started off in the direction of the library. there were some references in english literature which she wanted to look up as soon as possible. to tell the truth, it was the first time she had been[156] to the library except the evening she had rescued elizabeth from spending the night there, and she knew nothing about the system. however, she found natalie lawton in the magazine room and told her what she wanted.
"why, jean, aren't you getting rather studious all of a sudden? come right over here into the english department. you can take any of the books down to read here, or if you want to take books home for a week's use ask the librarian for a card and have the book charged. i always prefer to do my hard studying in my room, for there are so many girls down here talking and walking round that i can't ever get my mind on what i'm reading. after you get your books i want to talk to you a minute about basket-ball. when you're ready, come out to the desk and i'll help you."
after jean found the two books she needed and had obtained permission to keep them a week she and natalie left the building and strolled slowly up to merton. "i wonder if you've ever thought about athletics at college, jean. i think you ought to make something,[157] sure. it's up to you to choose what appeals most to you and try for all you're worth to make it. every girl ought to do something for her college and her class, and it's only the exceptional girl that can do more than one thing well. some make the glee club, some basket-ball, some the crew, some the track team, and some tennis. i've been thinking it over lately and i've decided that you're just the sort for basket-ball. if you don't make the college team perhaps you can make the 1915 team, and its really more fun to make that than the other, for the freshman-sophomore basket-ball game is the biggest thing of the year. basket-ball practice begins this week and i want to see you out wednesday afternoon. next to tennis, basket-ball is the very best sport i know of. you've got to try for tennis, too, in the spring, but that's a long way off. will you go out for basket-ball?"
"yes, natalie, if i have the time, but i've got to devote myself a little more to study from now on, so don't expect me to practise very often. i'll make an awful try, for i've always wanted to be able to play basket-ball. i've[158] never been in a game in my life, so of course i couldn't hope to make anything."
"lots of girls make the teams who have never played till they came here. it's good hard practice does it. to change the subject, what kind of a time did you have in new york?"
"i didn't go. tuesday night i got a telegram from tom saying my aunt was sick and our visit was all off."
"but you didn't stay at college, did you?"
"no; i went home with elizabeth and had a perfectly wonderful time. i've never been in the country before, and of course there was something new for me to do all the time. and she has the nicest family i've ever met. none of us here at college half appreciate elizabeth. i have discovered lots of things about her that i never would have dreamed of, and i think you other girls will, too, as you come to know her. are you going right in to supper or will you come up to my room while i brush up a bit?"
"i think i'll just stop a minute in clare anderson's room to help her a little on her algebra.[159] she asked me this noon if i'd go in before supper. poor little thing, she's having a terrible struggle with it and i pity her from the bottom of my heart. you ought to thank your lucky stars that you're not taking mathematics. here we are at her room. see you later," and the two girls parted on the second floor.
after supper it was jean's turn to play for the dancing, so marjorie remington did not have an opportunity to talk to her, although she had tried to ever since dinner. the minute jean arose from the piano marjorie hurried up to her and asked her to come up to her room for a few moments. "i hear you didn't go to new york after all, jean, but to your room-mate's instead," said midge, after they were comfortably seated in 47. "what possessed you to spend five perfectly good days with that stick? you knew i was going to be in boston at my aunt's and would love to have you with me. i should think you would have thought of that and come and told me. i never enjoyed myself more in all my life. jack certainly outdid himself to give me a good time.
[160]
"what on earth could you find to do up in the country with elizabeth? i think i'd prefer staying in my room here for a vacation to having to visit with such a little, insignificant goody-good as she is."
jean had listened as long as she could, and she stood up and started for the door, saying, "marjorie, elizabeth is my room-mate and i love her dearly and shall not stay here a minute longer to hear you abuse her. unless you are willing to show her some respect i do not care for your friendship," and she walked out into the hall.
"jean, pardon me," said marjorie, hastening after her, "i didn't realize you two were such great friends. when did all this happen? must have been rather sudden. by the way, have you found your coral beads?"
"why, marjorie, how did you know i'd lost them?"
"oh, i heard all about it. a little bird told me," said marjorie, as she shut the door into her room.
when jean entered her own room she found elizabeth waiting for her. she was sitting at[161] her desk and held in one hand jean's coral beads.
"oh, jean, what do you think! i've found your coral beads, but in the queerest place. i just went to my desk to get my fountain pen which i keep in the little drawer at the right, and there were the beads. how do you suppose they got there? some one must have put them there, but you don't believe i did it, do you?"
"no, indeed, elizabeth. you'd be the last person in the world to put them there."
without another word jean turned and almost ran up to grace hooper's room and fortunately found her alone. "gracie, did you tell any one besides mary boynton about my losing my beads?"
"no, jean; don't you know we decided it was best to say nothing about it. have you found them?"
"yes, they were only misplaced, so please don't say anything more about it to anybody. i'm glad now that i didn't put up a notice on the bulletin board; it would have caused so much talk. good-by. i can't stop;[162] i've a lot of studying to do," and she hurried on to mary boynton's room, where she found mary and her room-mate hard at their lessons for the next day.
"please excuse me, ethel, if i take mary out in the hall to whisper to her a moment." when they shut the door behind them jean began excitedly, "mary boynton, did you tell any one besides grace hooper about my losing my coral beads? i've found them again; they were only misplaced, and i'm sorry i bothered you about them. did you tell any of the girls?"
"no, jean; to tell you the honest truth, i haven't thought about the matter since tuesday night. you were coming to me monday morning if you didn't find them, and when you didn't appear i decided you'd found them."
"well, please don't say or think anything more about the matter. sorry to have taken you from your studying. did you have a pleasant vacation?"
"yes; i went home with ethel. come up and see us when you can stay longer. good night."
[163]
jean hastened down the corridor and up the stairs and along fourth floor until she came to marjorie remington's room. she hesitated a moment at the door and then hearing no voices she knocked. marjorie appeared and looked a little surprised to see jean back so soon, but she motioned her to a comfortable rocker and offered her a plate of fudge which looked as if it had just been made. jean refused the chair and the candy and stood perfectly still in the center of the room, without saying a word. marjorie, to relieve the situation, said, "i'm glad you've come back, jean. can't you sit down and talk to me? i'm awfully lonesome to-night."
"no; i can only stay a moment, marjorie. i came in to tell you that i've found my coral beads and to ask you why you put them in elizabeth's desk."
"why, jean, what do you mean? what have i got to do with your coral beads? i don't understand what you're talking about."
"well, if you will not answer my first question, will you tell me who told you i had lost my beads?"
[164]
"i did tell you it was a little bird," answered marjorie, laughingly.
"this is no time for joking, marjorie. i ask you once more to explain it to me."
"and if i refuse?"
"well, if you refuse i shall give you my explanation."
"very well, your explanation then."
"for some reason all the year you have disliked my room-mate and have tried to make her uncomfortable on every possible occasion. lately you seem to have had the same feeling towards me. when you were talking to me last tuesday evening as i was packing, you must have taken my coral beads when i went into the bedroom to get my opera coat, and sometime later, probably on sunday, before we arrived home, you put them in elizabeth's desk to point suspicion towards her. fortunately i have come to know elizabeth so much better these last few days than all the rest of the term that i am sure stealing is the very last thing she would resort to. it is true that she is poor and has none of the things that you and i have, in abundance, but she is honest and conscientious,[165] and kind to every one with whom she comes in contact. no one knows what i have just told you but ourselves, and i ask you now to tell me why you did such a thing. you may be perfectly sure that i never shall say anything about it if you will promise never to do such a thing again."
"well, jean, you're a regular old sherlock holmes. there isn't very much for me to say now. it's pretty much as you've said. i did take the beads and put them in elizabeth's desk because i wanted you to believe she stole them. i've never liked her from the first time i saw her. i was provoked that she broke up our plans for the first night at college by coming in late. i'm jealous, horribly jealous, and i didn't want her to be your friend. i was disappointed because you didn't join gamma delt. i've wanted you all along for my best friend, and i saw i was gradually losing you. i haven't many friends and i couldn't stand yours. that's all. what do you think of me now?"
jean answered very slowly, "i'm very sorry, marjorie. i had hoped from the first that we[166] might be good friends. you were kind to me and seemed like a girl after my own heart. we still can be friends, i hope, but you must not injure me or any of my friends. we'll forget this incident and begin over again if you say so."
"all right, jean. thank you for your kindness. i'm afraid i don't deserve it. you see what a nasty disposition i've got, but i'll try to conquer it in the future. now won't you stay a while? i want to tell you about my good times in boston."
"no; not to-night, marjorie; i'm going to study, but some other time i'll be glad to hear all about it. good night." and then jean opened her own door and said to elizabeth, "now, dear, i'm ready for the german lesson."
