“We’ve gotten ourselves into a lovely fix now,” said Betty solemnly, staring after him.
“You have, please say,” Madeline corrected. “He doesn’t expect me to do anything about his old clubs, after the way I piled the Stockings off on Babbie.”
“I should love it if I had time,” sighed Betty. “It’s the only kind of teaching I know enough to do, just the plain three R’s,—and you could feel as if your work counted for something, when they must learn and can’t in any other way.”
“It would be splendid practice,” added Madeline. “I should almost think some of the college girls who are going to teach might like to take classes a night or two each week.”
Betty gave a little cry of pleased assent. “Why, of course! Why didn’t you think of that when he was here, Madeline? I know they’d like it, and girls who don’t mean to teach would, too—Fluffy Dutton and Georgia and their kind. They’d like the queerness of it.”
“I might even take a class myself,” Madeline conceded, “if I were allowed to choose my pupils. I hereby speak for my fascinating little Italian boy.”
“It will be a fine chance to practice modern languages, too,” cried Betty eagerly. “Some girls will like it for that. But the classes wouldn’t get on very fast, studying only a night a week; and every night would be a good deal to give. Oh, Madeline, I know what! He could hire some girls for the big stupid classes that would have to come several nights a week, and that would help with the Student’s Aid work.”
“You’re worrying about those waitresses again,” said Madeline accusingly. “I believe you care more about them than you do about tea-room profits.”
“You don’t really think that, do you, Madeline?” demanded Betty solemnly, “because the tea-room pays me for looking out for its profits, and if I didn’t put that ahead of anything else, I shouldn’t be honest.”
“Of course I don’t think it,” Madeline told her quickly, with a loving little hug. “You’re altogether too honest, and you work lots harder than you ought to. If we decide to serve dinners, I shall insist on your having an assistant. And that will be more help for the Student’s Aid,” she added mockingly, and went off to Dramatic Club’s dress rehearsal of the Masque of the Twelfth Night Cakes.