Part 16 (1/2)
”Strikes me,” said Uncle Tom, ”that Judy couldn't have tackled the pots and pans last year the way she does now.”
”Of course she couldn't,” said Aunt Nell, trying vainly to repair the damages Uncle Tom had done to her hair in his desire to show his sympathy--he inevitably wound the loose strands of her hair tightly around her ears. ”Judy has had to tackle all sorts of things this year, more things than she ever dreamed of, and she's caught the York Hill spirit of putting through any sort of job that her hands find to do.”
”Look here,” said Uncle Tom, ”wait until I get settled on the Chesterfield before we begin on York Hill. I often wonder how I manage to get on at the office without having had the inestimable privilege of being trained at York Hill Ladies' Academy!”
Yip arrived next morning at the promised time--it seemed too good to be true--bland, smiling, competent, and one of the first things Aunt Nell did was to send a telegram to Nancy inviting her to come just as soon as her mother would spare her. The answer came almost before Aunt Nell and Judith had finished planning their shopping expedition for the next day--Mrs. Nairn and Nancy were coming up to Toronto for a week's visit with some relatives from Boston who were pa.s.sing through on their way to Vancouver, and Nancy ”accepted with pleasure” for the last few days of the holidays.
Judith had a happy day buying her spring ”trousseau”--Nancy had cautioned her to lay in a goodly supply of white skirts and middies for the ”sports” term--and then came the looked-for morning when she waited for the Montreal express that was to bring her this best friend--whom she hadn't met a short seven months before and whom now she was sure she couldn't live without!
Seven months ago! Was it really less than a year ago that she herself had come into this very station feeling a little bit frightened of the new life at York Hill? Judith smiled happily. How different things were now--but that must be the train. Her heart beat quickly as she scanned the faces of the incoming travellers. Yes, there was Mrs. Nairn and there was Nancy's adorable little self. Oh, how good it was to see her again!
Breakfast over and Mrs. Nairn escorted to her cousins' hotel, the two chums settled down to a long morning's gossip. So many things can take place in two weeks! Judith had to hear every single thing that had happened to Nancy since they parted, and Nancy, every single thing that had happened to Judith.
”Jack thinks that is one of the funniest things about girls'
friends.h.i.+ps,” observed Nancy after she had received a very full account of the two weeks' doings, ”our wanting to know _everything_ about our friends; he thinks it's awfully queer, but I think it's queer not to.
Why, when he and Tom meet on Monday he'll say, 'h.e.l.lo, Tom;' and Tom will say, 'h.e.l.lo, Jack,' and then they'll begin talking about the state of the cricket crease very likely.”
[Ill.u.s.tration: JUDITH HAD TO HEAR EVERY SINGLE THING THAT HAD HAPPENED TO NANCY SINCE THEY PARTED]
Nancy was very full of all the delightful events of next term; there would be the Cup Matches first of all, and the teams of the various houses were discussed ”up and down and round and about”; then would come Field Day. ”I'm not sure,” said Nancy, ”just which is the nicest day of all at school; sometimes I think it's the day of the Reunion suppers when the Old Girls come back, or Prize-giving Day, or the day of the final Cup Match, and then when Field Day comes I'm perfectly certain it's the best of all.”
Then there was the Reunion play to discuss; it was to be ”Pride and Prejudice” this year and Judith had been reading the story during the holidays. Would Catherine be the heroine or would Eleanor be chosen, and what about Genevieve for one of the other parts? She would make a good Mrs. Bennet. Of course she could act splendidly, but still--Judith expressed her astonishment at Genevieve's returning popularity. ”After what she did I don't see how some of the girls can admire her so much,” she said to Nancy.
”But popularity's queer, anyhow,” said Nancy; ”look at Rosamond Fraser.
I suppose some people would say that Rosamond was one of the most popular girls in the house, and we know it's because she always has such good 'eats' to give away. And then there's Eleanor, we know she's popular because she is such a brick. There ought to be another word for _her_ kind of popularity. Genevieve is clever, you know, and she's awfully funny,” she continued, smiling as she remembered Genevieve mimicking Miss Langton in a temper; ”anybody who is amusing can be popular,” she concluded sagely.
Judith was impressed with Nancy's wisdom. ”Well, but--Miss Ashwell and Miss Marlowe are popular, too, aren't they?”
”Yes,” said Nancy; ”but it's not the same kind of popularity as Miss Morton's. Miss Morton is like Rosamond; the West House girls say you can always get a special permission from her if you're sweet enough to her.
She positively likes 'slush.'”
”And Miss Marlowe is like Eleanor,” a.s.sented Judith thoughtfully.
”Nancy, which do you like the best, Miss Ashwell or Miss Marlowe?”
But this was a question not to be easily settled; they spent a most enjoyable though perhaps not highly profitable morning discussing this and various other items of burning interest; they loved to gossip, as all schoolgirls--and most of the rest of us--do, but it was harmless enough and never unkind.
Aunt Nell, apparently, was determined that Judith should have a gay week-end, for after luncheon she warned them that this was to be their last quiet morning. Yip, it seemed, was so proud of his skill in concocting wonderful salads and ices, that he had no objection to company--and Judith was to invite any one she liked for dinner to-morrow, and they were to lunch with Mrs. Nairn downtown and go to a matinee, and Aunt Nell would be delighted to give them a tea-party the day before school opened.
They had the jolliest time possible; Judith loved playing hostess, and carte-blanche for a dinner and a tea-party was a great treat; and to have Nancy to discuss everything with--”just bliss” Judith confided to Aunt Nell.
And if holidays _will_ end, it wasn't hard to go back to the ”Jolly Susan” and look forward to the good times which were promised in ”the best term of all.”
CHAPTER XIII
THE MESSENGER