Part 27 (2/2)

”No, I am not particularly glad. I can't stay now to talk it over, however; Hester Stuart wants me to practise a duet with her.”

”May I come to your room later on, Maggie?”

”Not to-night, I think; I shall be very busy.”

Miss Oliphant nodded brightly and disappeared out of the dining-hall.

Two girls were standing not far off. They had watched this little scene, and they now observed that Prissie clasped her hands and that a woe-begone expression crossed her face.

”The spell is beginning to work,” whispered one to the other. ”When the knight proves unfaithful the most gracious lady must suffer resentment.”

Priscilla did not hear these words. She went slowly upstairs and back to her own room, where she wrote letters home, and made copious notes from her last lectures, and tried not to think of the little cloud which seemed to have come between her and Maggie.

Late, on that same evening, Polly Singleton, who had just been entertaining a chosen bevy of friends in her own room, after the last had bidden her an affectionate ”good night,” was startled at hearing a low knock at her door. She opened it at once. Miss Oliphant stood without.

”May I come in?” she asked.

”Why, of course. I'm delighted to see you. How kind of you to come.

Where will you sit? I'm afraid you won't find things very comfortable, for most of my furniture is gone. But there's the bed; do you mind sitting on the bed?”

”If I want to sit at all the bed is as snug a place as any,” replied Maggie. ”But I'm not going to stay a moment, for it is very late. See, I have brought you this back.”

Polly looked, and for the first time observed that her own sealskin jacket hung on Maggie's arm.

”What do you mean?” she said. ”My sealskin jacket! Oh, my beauty! But it isn't mine, it's yours now. Why do you worry me-- showing it to me again?”

”I don't want to worry you, Miss Singleton. I mean what I say. I have brought your jacket back.”

”But it is yours-- you bought it.”

”I gave a nominal price for it, but that doesn't make it mine. Anyhow, I have no use for it. Please take it back again.”

Poor Polly blushed very red all over her face.

”I wish I could,” she said. ”If there has been anything I regretted in the auction, besides getting all you girls into a mess, it has been my sealskin jacket. Dad is almost certain to ask me about it, for he never made me such a handsome present before. Poor dad! he was so proud the night he brought it home. He said, 'Look here, Poll, I paid a whole sheaf of fivers for this, and although it cost me a good round eighty guineas, I'm told it's cheap at the price. Put it on and let me see how you look in it,' he said. And when I had it on he twisted me round, and chucked me under the chin, and said I was a 'bouncer.' Poor old dad! He was as proud as Punch of me in that jacket. I never saw anything like it.”

”Well, he can be as proud as Punch of you again. Here is the jacket for your very own once more. Good night.”

She walked to the door, but Miss Singleton ran after her.

”I can't take it back,” she said. ”I'm not as mean as all that comes to. It's yours now; you got it as fair as possible.”

”Listen, Miss Singleton,” said Maggie. ”If I keep that jacket I shall never wear it. I detest sealskin jackets. It won't be the least sc.r.a.p of use to me.”

”You detest sealskin jackets? How can you? Oh, the lovely things they are. Let me stroke the beauty down.”

”Stroke your beauty and pet it as much as you like, only let me say 'Good night' now.”

”But, please, Miss Oliphant, please, I'd do anything in the world to get the jacket back, of course. But I've ten guineas of yours, and honestly I can't pay them back.”

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