“Well,—but they must have seen, just the same,” hinted the practical Katherine.
“Oh, but they didn’t mind!” returned her radiant room-mate.
[CHAPTER X—TINSEL AND SPANGLES]
“My mother is coming.”
Lilian Moore made the announcement to Peggy in a tone of mingled joy and reluctance.
The Christmas holidays were over and the fearsome midyear examinations were things of the past. The dullest of the three terms had settled into full swing—day after day of white earth and grey sky.
The Ambler House girls had been having a Wednesday evening frolic down in the parlor, with the piano banging and gay voices shouting out their musical defiance of dullness in general.
“She writes that she’s coming for just a day to see a little bit of college for herself,” went on Lilian. “Peggy—she’ll—be disappointed in—my grandeur. You see, I raved so about everything when I was home at Christmas time. I guess it may hurt her feelings to see that I’m not—one of the foremost people in my class.”
Lilian essayed a laugh that broke into a sob.
Myra Whitewell, who stood near, impatiently turned away. “I never knew anybody to be so incessantly humble in my life. You really do make me tired, Lilian. Haven’t we all liked you for a long time——? You young Stupid, don’t you know that we all have to take some steps toward popularity ourselves? Don’t you know that we are all outsiders when we come here, and it depends at least partly on ourselves whether we ever become insiders? You are always bringing up the same thing.”