Mimi and Olivia jumped to their feet. Away went the text books and away almost went Olivia’s shell rimmed glasses. By throwing her head back, she managed to balance them on the tip of her nose. While she and Mimi joined hands ring-around-the-rosie-fashion about Betsy, all three shrieked.
“And that’s not all!” Betsy gasped when the three had let off the first burst of steam. “I can invite a guest and I’m asking you, Mimi—can you possibly go?”
“Can I? Can a duck swim?”
“I mean, will Mrs. Cole let you without a written permission?”
“She’ll have to. Oh Betsy, I’ll be a wreck if she won’t. Let’s ask her now.”
Leaving Olivia to gather up the notebooks and Spanish grammars, Betsy and Mimi clasped hands and ran toward Prep Hall—up the steps two at a time—knock, knock on Mrs. Cole’s door.
“If she’s not here!” wailed Mimi.
Mimi despaired that the door would ever open and doubled up her fist to pound her impatience out on the door before they gave up and left. She drew back her fist. As it went forward it met thin air. The door opened back before the advancing fist and Mimi almost pummeled Mrs. Cole in the stomach! She tripped trying to balance herself.
“Come in young ladies,” Mrs. Cole invited. They had interrupted her tea. “Have seats.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Cole.” Betsy found her voice first. “We’re too thrilled to sit down. We came to ask permission to go to Nashville, Thanksgiving, to the football game.”