David shook his head. “She hasn’t been in Marchton since I received your letter. I went to the house and asked the woman who cooks for her when she expected Miss Fields back. She doesn’t know.”
Gale sighed. “It seems we are balked at every turn. I intend to find out what it is all about when I get back to Marchton. If not now, at Christmas.”
“I’ll try to keep Phyllis cheered up until you get back,” David promised.
Gale returned to the sorority house then. She had to help Ricky set the stage for their party. Phyllis would see David again at eight o’clock while the other girls were upstairs. Gale would see that they had the living room to themselves for a long talk. She knew Ricky would aid her if there was any difficulty in engineering a serene night for Phyllis.
Chapter XII
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
Gale tramped through the snow feeling light-hearted and gay. Snow always seemed to have such a psychological effect upon her. Whether it was the lightness of it, or the brightness of the sun shining on the surface of the snow she did not know. At any rate she felt at ease with the world.
College had resumed at high speed for the short time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now it was but a week until the Christmas holidays. Gale felt joyfully elated. Last night she and Phyllis had carefully wrapped Christmas presents and hidden them in their trunks. There was a spirit of excitement in the air. The girls went about with mysterious bundles and smiles.
Even Phyllis seemed to be nearly back to her old cheerful spirits. Ever since Thanksgiving when David had appeared at the college Phyllis was happier, calmer. Gale was glad. She had had absolutely no success in Marchton. Miss Fields had not been at home. It had been as David said. No one knew where she had gone or when she was coming back.
Gale ran lightly up the steps and disappeared into the Dean’s office. The Dean’s secretary was absent so Gale knocked on the door to the inner sanctum where the Dean had her private office.
“Come in.”