Part 10 (2/2)

A tide of pink flooded Veronica's white skin. Her forehead smoothed itself magically. With a short, embarra.s.sed laugh, she said briefly: ”I don't mind if you girls call me Ronny.” She made no attempt, however, to affirm or deny Jerry's guess. ”Now I mustn't stay another moment, or some of your guests may wander downstairs and find me here.” So saying, she began to move determinedly toward the doorway that opened into the hall, Jerry and Marjorie following. Pausing at the front door only long enough to offer them her hand in parting, Veronica made a quick exit from the house and sped down the drive. Accompanying her as far as the veranda, Marjorie and Jerry watched her in silence until she had been swallowed up in the black shadows of the night.

”Some little puzzle.” It was Jerry who spoke first. ”I've always said that I knew everything about everybody, but I'll have to make one exception. I don't know a single thing about Veronica except what she has chosen to tell me. There's no way of finding out anything, either.

I'd as soon think of asking the Shah of Persia how much gold he had in his royal treasury as to ask Miss Archer about her.”

”No; we couldn't question Miss Archer,” Marjorie agreed soberly. ”We must accept Ronny at her own face value, and not trouble ourselves about her peculiarities. Some day she may explain to us of her own accord the very things that puzzle us now. The best way to do will be to pretend not to notice anything mysterious about whatever she may say or do. We know that she is generous and high-principled and truthful. That ought to be enough for us to know.”

”Yes, that's so,” admitted Jerry. Tearing her thoughts from the strange girl, who had just left them, she linked an arm in one of Marjorie's, saying: ”We'd better go back to the town hall. We've already missed two or three dances.”

Deeply absorbed in conversation, they entered the house and climbed the stairs to the ball room, quite unaware that a black-eyed girl in an elaborate old gold satin evening frock had slipped cautiously from the living room and sheltered herself for a moment in the alcove formed by the stairs.

Mignon La Salle had left the ball room almost immediately after Marjorie and Jerry had exited from it. She had not seen them leave it, however.

She had come downstairs on an errand of her own, which had nothing whatever to do with them. Overjoyed at having Laurie Armitage for her partner for the evening, she had resolved to make hay while the sun shone. Mignon had arrived at the Macys' in her runabout, driven by the long-suffering William. But she did not purpose to return home in it.

She intended to return in Laurie's roadster. On arriving, her lynx eyes had spied it parked before the gate. As Laurie had drawn her for a partner for the evening, she was positive that courtesy would prompt him to see her home, if the occasion demanded it. To make sure of this, she planned secretly to telephone her residence and leave word that William need not come for her. As her father was out of the city on business, she ran no special risk of having her plan fail. When the party was over, she would loudly bewail the non-appearance of her runabout and lay it at the door of poor William's stupidity. Then Laurie would be obliged to take her home in his roadster, or appear in a most ungentlemanly light. It would also be a great triumph over that hateful Constance Stevens.

Filled with this laudable intention, Mignon had sped cat-footed down the stairs. The sound of girlish voices suddenly emanating from the back parlor brought her to a halt. She heard Veronica's warm greeting of Marjorie and recognized her unmistakable tones. Breathlessly she took in the conversation that ensued. The moment she heard Veronica announce her departure, Mignon made a swift, noiseless dash for the living room, gaining it just in time to avoid being seen by the trio as they pa.s.sed from the back parlor into the hall. Hardly had the front door closed upon them when she darted across the room and took refuge behind a j.a.panese screen.

Determined not to be balked in her resolve to telephone her home, she crouched there and waited until the sound of the reopening and closing front door followed by footsteps on the stairs and the hum of receding voices, informed her that Marjorie and Jerry had returned to the ball room. Fearing further interruption to her project, she lost no time in calling up her home and impressively delivering her command to the maid who answered the telephone. Well pleased with what she had heard and done, Mignon returned to the dancers inwardly congratulating herself on her own cleverness.

As the evening progressed she found Lawrence Armitage a far from devoted knight. True he danced with her several times and was uniformly courteous in his behavior toward her, but whenever he could seize an opportunity to spend a moment or two with Constance Stevens he made good use of it. At supper, which was served at small tables in the dining room, she was secretly furious to find herself and Laurie at the same table with Constance Stevens and Miles Burton, the senior from Weston High School. Her instant suspicion was that the situation had been arranged by Jerry at Laurie's request. Although she had only surmised this, at least part of her conjecture was quite true. Out of sympathy for Laurie, good-natured Jerry had favored him to this extent. Hal also had privately rallied his boy friends to the cause by saying to them sub rosa: ”You fellows had better keep Mignon busy dancing. Are you on?”

Mignon's swift rise in popularity as a dancer proved that they were.

This, however, she did not at first suspect. Her insatiable vanity prevented her from seeing through that ruse.

It was not until supper had ended and the dancing had been resumed that light began to dawn upon her. It came with the dismaying knowledge that Laurie had not been near her for six dances. Three of them he had danced with Constance Stevens. Following on that discovery came the disagreeable suspicion that perhaps he had persuaded his friends to help him out. She was by no means anxious to believe this. Nevertheless, the bare idea of it plunged her into a most unpleasant mood. Too wise even to intimate to the young man that she disapproved of his tactics, she began to look about for someone on whom she might vent her spite.

It may be said to Laurie's credit that he was entirely innocent of the crimes she attributed to him. He knew nothing whatever of Jerry's and Hal's private campaign for his benefit. Noting that Mignon was receiving plenty of attention from his friends, he very naturally gravitated toward Constance. In reality none of the young folks except Mignon looked upon the broom episode as being other than a huge joke. Her sentimental preference for Laurie, which she knew was not reciprocated, caused her to clutch at any straw that would win her his attentions.

Gradually becoming convinced of her cavalier's perfidy, Mignon crossly snubbed two Weston High boys who asked her to dance and switched haughtily toward a corner of the room where a big punch bowl of fruit lemonade awaited the thirsty. As she neared it her elfish eyes began to sparkle with malicious purpose. Standing beside it was Lucy Warner, her small face aglow with half envious delight as she watched the dancers.

Unfortunately for Lucy, she did not know how to dance.

”Having a good time?” inquired Mignon patronizingly, as she toyed with the handle of the silver ladle preparatory to filling a cup with lemonade.

”Oh, yes.” Forgetting the disapproval of Mignon which Marjorie Dean's recent explanation concerning the secretarys.h.i.+p had caused her to feel, Lucy answered almost eagerly. The next instant she stiffened perceptibly, and started to move away from Mignon.

”Wait a minute,” ordered Mignon, quick to note the change. ”What's the matter? Are you angry with me? I'm sure you have no reason to be.”

Remembering Marjorie's injunction not to allow herself to be drawn into a quarrel with the French girl, Lucy hesitated. ”You will have to excuse me,” she said quietly. ”I am going home now.”

”Oh, are you? That's too bad. I was just about to tell you something.

Never mind. Perhaps it wouldn't be wise to tell you.”

”What do you mean?” Lucy's green eyes gleamed surprised displeasure. The suspicious side of her nature, however, clamored for information. She knew that she ought to go on about her business, but curiosity stayed her feet.

”Oh, nothing much.” Mignon shrugged her shoulders. ”It was merely about something that happened last year. I've changed my mind. I am not going to tell you. You know it's forbidden among the Lookouts to gossip. I'll just give you a piece of advice. As a Lookout, it would pay you to keep your eyes open. There are some very deceitful girls in Sanford High School. One of them in particular pretends to be your friend. I should advise you to be careful what you tell her. She is not to be trusted.”

”What do you mean?” Lucy again demanded, with a deep scowl. She wondered if Mignon's last insinuation meant Marjorie Dean.

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