Part 33 (1/2)
”Of course I came. Do you think I'd have missed my own commencement?”
said T., shaking hands with four girls at once. ”Frank, this is Helen Adams, my best friend at Harding. Miss Parker, Mr. Howard. I'm sorry, Bob, but he's not a Filipino. He's just a plain American who lives in the Philippines.”
”Have you forgotten how to play basket ball, T.?” called somebody.
T. gave a rapturous little smile. ”Could we have a game this afternoon?
That's what I came for, really. We meant to get here last week, but the boat was late. Yes, I'm sorry to have missed the play and the concert; but it's worth coming for, just to see you all.” T.'s bright eyes grew soft and misty. ”I tell you, girls, you don't know what it means to be a Harding girl until you've been half across the world for awhile. No, I'm not sorry _I_ left, but it's great to be back!”
Mary Brooks, arrayed in a bewitching summer toilette, stood at the door of the Students' Building, and managed to intercept Betty and Roberta, as they went in.
”You may congratulate me now if you like,” she said calmly, leading them off to a secluded corner behind a group of statuary, where their demonstrations of interest wouldn't attract too much attention. The news wasn't at all surprising, but Mary looked so pretty and so happy and a.s.sured them so solemnly that she had never dreamed of anything of the kind at Christmas, that there was plenty of excitement all the same.
”And of course I must have posts at my wedding,” said Mary, whereat Betty hugged her and Roberta looked more pleased than she had when Mr.
Masters called her a genius. ”And bridesmaids,” added Mary, with the proper feeling for climax. ”Laurie is going to be maid-of-honor, and if you two can come and be bridesmaids and the rest of the crowd almost--bridesmaids, in the words of the poetical Roberta----”
She never finished her sentence for the rest of the crowd had discovered her retreat, and guessing at the news she had for them bore noisily down upon her.
”It's so convenient that she's going to be married this summer,” said Babbie jubilantly. ”We can have our first reunion at the wedding. I simply couldn't have waited until June to see you all again.”
”We couldn't any of us have waited,” declared Bob. ”Somebody else must get married about Christmas time.”
”Why don't you?” asked Babbie nonchalantly, while Madeline looked hard at Eleanor and wished New York and Denver weren't so dreadfully far apart. For how could d.i.c.k Blake, busy editor of ”The Quiver,” make love to the most fascinating girl in the world when she lived at that distance.
They had something to eat after a while, sitting on the stairs with Mary, while Dr. Hinsdale beamed on them all and brought them salad and ices.
”You mustn't talk about it, you know,” Mary explained, ”because it won't be announced until next week, and you mustn't think of running off and leaving us out here alone.”
”All right,” Katherine promised her. ”We'll be the mossy bank for your modest violet act. Only do try not to look so desperately in love or everybody who sees you will guess the whole thing, and it will look as if we told.”
Most of the seniors spent the afternoon at the station seeing their families off, but Betty left hers in Nan's care and went canoeing with Dorothy King in Paradise. Dorothy was just as jolly and just as sweet as ever. She wanted to know about everything that had happened at Harding since she left it, and especially all about Eleanor Watson.
”You've pulled her through after all, haven't you?” she said.
”No, she pulled herself through,” Betty corrected her. ”I only helped a little, and a lot of others did the same. Why even Jean helped, Dorothy.”
Dorothy laughed. ”I can't imagine Jean in that role,” she said, ”but I'll take your word for it. Let's go and see Miss Ferris.”
Miss Ferris was alone and delighted to see her visitors.
”Everything has come out right, hasn't it?” she said, smiling into Betty's radiant face.
Betty nodded. ”Just splendidly. Did you know about Eleanor's being toastmistress?”
”Yes, she came in to tell me herself. What has come over Jean Eastman, Betty?”
”I don't know,” said Betty with a tell-tale blush that made Miss Ferris laugh and say, ”I thought you were at the bottom of it.”
”Dorothy used to be the person who managed things of this kind,” she went on. ”Who's going to take your place, Betty?”
”According to what I hear n.o.body can do that,” said Dorothy quickly, and Betty blushed more than ever, until Miss Ferris took pity on her and asked about her plans for next year.
Betty looked puzzled. ”Why, I haven't any, I'm afraid. I never get a chance to make plans, because the things that turn up of themselves take all my time. I'm just going to be at home with my family.”