Part 15 (1/2)

”I daresay I can, child. Let us change the subject. It is unpleasant to me. You girls had better walk about the tea room and enjoy the curios until I recover my good humor.”

Prompt to obey the mandate, the girls spent at least a half hour in the Oriental room, examining and admiring the departed connoisseur's individual arrangement of a marvelous collection. Miss Susanna sat and watched them, almost moodily. Returned to the library, the sight of her roses mollified her. She decided to do a certain thing which had risen to her mind. The desire to give pleasure to these young girls who had thought of her conquered her sudden gust of spleen against Hamilton College.

”Would you like to see my great uncle's study?” she asked, turning from the flowers to her guests.

”Oh!” Ronny drew a wondering audible breath. She could hardly believe her ears.

The others laughed at her, but the eager light in their eyes told its own story.

”May we see it, Miss Susanna?” Vera's tone was almost imploring.

”You may. Another time, when all of you come to see me, I will show you about the house. It is well worth seeing. My great uncle gathered beauty from the four corners of the earth. He loved to travel and brought back with him the treasure of other lands. I should like you to see the study. It holds one thing, in particular, in which I am sure you will be interested.”

”There is no corner of this house without interest,” Leila said warmly.

”I am sure of that.”

”So it seems to me,” nodded Miss Hamilton. ”I have lived in it many years. I am not over the wonder of it yet. At times I am sorry that others cannot enjoy it with me. Again I am glad to be alone.”

Following the old lady, who mounted the broad staircase as nimbly as any of them, they found on the second landing the same solid magnificence of furnis.h.i.+ng that marked the first floor. Down a long hallway, which extended back from the main reception hall, they went. At the end of the hall was a door of heavy walnut, its upper half of stained gla.s.s. This their guide opened. They were now seeing the room where the founder of Hamilton College had spent so many hours planning the inst.i.tution which bore his name.

The murmur of voices died out among them as they stepped into the study.

Compared with other rooms in the house which the girls had seen, it was rather small. The floor was bare save for one medium-sized rug in the center of the room, on which stood a heavy-legged mahogany writing table. A tall desk, a book-case, three high-backed chairs and a filing cabinet, all of carved mahogany, completed the furnis.h.i.+ngs, plus one broad-seated chair, leather cus.h.i.+oned, and with a rounding back. It was drawn up before the library table; Brooke Hamilton's own chair.

The most notable object in the study was a framed, illuminated oblong about five feet long and perhaps two and a half feet wide. It was hung at a point on the wall directly opposite the founder's chair.

”This is what you wished us to see, isn't it?” Marjorie cried out, stopping in front of the oblong. ”I think I know what it is.”

”Tell us, then.” Miss Susanna was smiling fondly at the animated face Marjorie turned toward her.

”The maxims of Mr. Brooke Hamilton,” she guessed breathlessly. Her eyes traveled slowly down the oblong. ”There are fifteen of them,” she announced. ”What a beautiful illumination!”

”Yes; they were his favorite sayings. He originated them all except the first one. More, he lived up to them.” The old lady's intonation had grown singularly gentle.

A reverent silence visited the study as the knot of girls gathered about the oblong to read the sayings of one long gone from earth. The colors used in the illumination were princ.i.p.ally blue and gold with mere touches of green and black. Red had been left out entirely from the color scheme.

”Remember the stranger within thy gates.”

”To the wise nothing is forbidden.”

”Becoming earnestness is never out of place.”

”Let thy grat.i.tude be lasting.”

”Ask Heaven for courtesy; the supply is greater than the demand.”

”Make thy deference to age not too marked.”

”Truth flies a winning pennant.”