Part 10 (2/2)

”I'll try. I think I can get some of them anyway if I approach Uncle Ca.s.sius as a humble student seeking knowledge.”

All unprepared for the onslaught, the Dean sat enjoying his after dinner smoke that evening when Kit tapped at the door.

”Come in,” he called, a little bit testily, looking over his eye-gla.s.ses at the intruder. ”I don't think I can talk with you just now, my dear,” he said. ”I am very busy working out a dynasty problem.”

”Oh, but I'd love to help,” Kit pleaded, ”and I did help before on the aborigines of j.a.pan, didn't I? I even remember their names, the Ainos.”

”This is early Egyptian. Something you know nothing whatever about.”

”Just mummies?” inquired Kit. ”Oh, Uncle Ca.s.sius, we girls back home made up a lovely little couplet about that when we were studying Egypt at high school.

”'Heaven bless the royal mommies, And the jewels in their tummies.'”

No answering gleam of amus.e.m.e.nt showed in the Dean's eyes. In fact, be regarded her, Kit thought, rather severely for this unseemly display of levity.

”Of course,” she added, hastily, ”that was when I was very much younger than I am now. It was two years ago.”

The Dean coughed deprecatingly, and turned back to the pamphlets before him.

”Remains have been discovered,” he began in quite the tone he used in a.s.sembly, ”of the lost tribe of the Nemi. When the Greeks, my dear, obtained a foothold in Carthage and along the Mediterranean coast, the Nemi remained unconquered and retreated to the mountain fastnesses, west of the source of the Nile.”

”Well, I know all about that,” Kit answered, encouragingly, perching herself on the arm of a chair, across from him. ”Just see,” and she counted off on her fingers, ”Livingstone-Stanley,--Victoria Falls--Zambesi--and Kipling wrote all about the people in 'Fuzzy-Wuzzy.'”

”No, no, no, not a bit like it!” the Dean exclaimed. ”My dear child, learn to think in centuries and epochs. The long and short of it is, there have been some very wonderful remains of the Nemi recently discovered, and I have been honored by a commission from the Inst.i.tute to write a complete summary of the results of the expedition and its historic significance.”

”Don't you wish you'd been there when they dug them up? That's what I'd love, the exploring part, don't you know. I should think it would be fearfully dry trying to make bones sit up and talk, when you are so far away from it all.”

”They are not sending me bones,” replied the Dean with dignity, ”but they are sending me the Amenotaph urn, and a sitting image of Annui. I believe with these two I shall be able to establish as a fact the survival of the Greek influence in ancient Egypt. My dear, you have no idea,” he added, warmly, ”how much this explains if it is true. There may be even some Phoenician data before I finish investigating.”

”Phoenicians,” thought Kit, although she said nothing. ”Yes, I do remember about them, too. Tin,--ancient Britain--and something about Carthage, or was that Queen Dido?” Then she said aloud very positively and earnestly:

”I know I can help you a lot with this, Uncle Ca.s.sius, if you will only let me, because history is my favorite study, and the reason I came to speak to you to-night is this: We girls are going to have a Founders' Tea, Sat.u.r.day afternoon, up at Hope; just a little informal affair, but I'd like to give it a----” She hesitated for the right word, and the Dean nodded encouragingly, being in a better mood.

”Semblance of verity? Are you preparing a treatise?”

”No. I want something they can look at,” Kit explained, ”and I knew if I told you about it, you'd let us take a few of the old things out of that cabinet in your room at a.s.sembly Hall. All I need would be--well, say a few portraits of any of the founders of Hope, and any of the relics of the Indians or French explorers.”

The Dean graciously detached a key from the ring at one end of the slender chain which barred his waistcoat.

Kit retired with it, as though she bore a trophy, and the next day the last preparations were completed for impressing on the freshman cla.s.s the honor of having a Founder's granddaughter in their midst.

CHAPTER XIV

IN HONOR OF MARCELLE

<script>