Part 38 (1/2)
”You will come?” said Miss Day; ”you must come.” Then coming up close to Maggie, she whispered in an eager voice: ”Would not you like to find out who has taken your five-pound note? Miss Peel is your friend.
Would it not gratify you to clear her?”
”Why should I clear one who can never possibly be suspected?” replied Miss Oliphant in a voice of anger. Her words were spoken aloud and so vehemently that Annie Day drew back a step or two in alarm.
”Well, but you would like to know who really took your money?” she reiterated, again speaking in a whisper.
Maggie was standing by one of the bookcases; she stretched up her hand to take down a volume. As she did so her eyes rested for a moment on Priscilla.
”I would as soon suspect myself as her,” she thought, ”and yet last night, for a moment, even I was guilty of an unworthy thought of you, Prissie, and if I could doubt, why should I blame others? If going to the Elliot-Smiths' will establish your innocence, I will go.”
”Well,” said Miss Day, who was watching her face, ”I am to see Meta to-morrow morning; am I to tell her to expect you?”
”Yes,” replied Maggie, ”but I wish to say at once, with regard to that five-pound note, that I am not interested in it. I am so careless about my money matters, that it is quite possible l may have been mistaken when I thought I put it into my purse.”
”Oh! oh! but you spoke so confidently this morning.”
”One of my impulses. I wish I had not done it.”
”Having done it, however,” retorted Miss Day, ”it is your duty to take any steps which may be necessary to clear the college of so unpleasant and disgraceful a charge.”
”You think I can do this by going to the Elliot-Smiths'?”
”Hus.h.!.+ you will spoil all by speaking so loud. Yes, I fully believe we shall make a discovery on Friday night.”
”You don't suppose I would go to act the spy?”
”No, no, nothing of the sort; only come-- only come!”
Maggie opened her book and glanced at some of its contents before replying.
”Only come,” repeated Annie in an imploring voice.
”I said I would come,” answered Maggie. ”Must I reiterate my a.s.surance? Tell Miss Elliot-Smith to expect me.”
Maggie read for a little in the library; then, feeling tired, she rose from her seat and crossed the large room, intending to go up at once to her own chamber. In the hall, however, she was attracted by seeing Miss Heath's door slightly open. Her heart was full of compunction for having, even for a moment, suspected Priscilla of theft. She thought she would go and speak to Miss Heath about her.
She knocked at the vice-princ.i.p.al's door.
”Come in,” answered the kind voice, and Maggie found herself a moment later seated by the fire: the door of Miss Heath's room shut, and Miss Heath herself standing over her, using words of commiseration.
”My dear,” she said, ”you look very ill.”
Maggie raised her eyes. Miss Heath had seen many moods on that charming face; now the expression in the wide-open, brown eyes caused her own to fill with sudden tears.
”I would do anything to help you, my love,” she said tenderly, and, stooping down, she kissed Maggie on her forehead.
”Perhaps, another time,” answered Miss Oliphant.
”You are all that is good, Miss Heath, and I may as well own frankly that I am neither well nor happy, but I have not come to speak of myself just now. I want to say something about Priscilla Peel.”