“‘The Sargents of the Future,’” Mr. Hunt announced, “Katherine Benton Clark,” and no one was more surprised than Kitty herself.
“To think,” she whispered to Blue Bonnet, as she came back to her place, “to think how dreadfully near I came to not being allowed to try!”
After the general exercises were various gatherings in the different classrooms, congratulations to be made and received, good-byes to be said.
“And so,” Mr. Hunt said, meeting Blue Bonnet on the stairs, “you did not let your class go on without you?”
“Not either time,” she answered happily.
“I understand that you are off to Texas before long, taking a good portion of the school with you?”
“To make sure that they do not go on without me,” she laughed back. “Good-bye,” she added, holding out her hand, “and—thank you so much.” He had been mighty kind, she told herself,—what a perfectly delightful tutor he would have made!
It was towards late afternoon when she reached home, tired and happy. The General was there, looking very proud.
“For the second time,” he was saying, for rather more than the second time. “He really is a clever boy—they both are, for that matter; it seems that Boyd withdrew his paper almost at the last—for some reason or other I couldn’t quite make out—or we might have had a tie between them.” He turned to Blue Bonnet. “Alec tells me that it is really you, my dear, whom I have to thank—for supplying him with such an uncommonly good subject.”
Cousin Tracy looked interested. “So that’s what you did with it, Señorita?”