As soon as she had received official notice that her proposal was accepted Betty went straight to Miss Ferris and explained the whole thing, as she understood it, from Georgia’s candid statement of motives to the Dutton twins’ admission of regret.
“But Lucile and Polly are so proud,” she added. “If they had to give it all up now they’d only go ahead and think up something sillier to do. So I thought if you’d chaperon it, and they promised not to boast of it—— They’re all going to the house dance now, except maybe Lucile, and most of the few girls who know about their first plan will think it’s given up. So it will create a lot less talk and excitement than if I’d made them find another place, and they’d telegraphed for one of their mothers and had their party this week Saturday, in spite of everything, as they first planned.”
Miss Ferris smiled at her. “That sounds like good logic. I’ll come; but suppose we don’t tell them who the chaperon is to be until they come to their dance.”
To arrive at what one has supposed to be a secret and forbidden entertainment and to find the head of the philosophy department waiting smilingly to receive you and your friends—well, it makes you feel at once foolish and relieved. The “Why-Get-Up” party was an undoubted success, but Georgia Ames told Miss Ferris that they were all ashamed of it.
“Because when you mean to be mean, why, it’s not your fault if Betty switches you off the track. Of course we all knew that we weren’t up here to be giving man-dances. We’ll stand by you, Miss Ferris, any way we can.”
The “Why-Get-Up-to-Breakfast Club” stood by Georgia’s promise. It paid to humor their little whim, if only because Fluffy Dutton’s light was out at ten for the rest of the year, and Lucile Merrifield’s chapel attendance was perfect. As for the Tally-ho Tea-Shop, it had never seemed like the other places of its kind in town, but now more than ever its unofficial connection with the college was noted and commented upon.
“Isn’t there anything that girl can teach?” the president asked, when he heard about the “Why-Get-Up” party. “We’ll have to find something to keep her here indefinitely. She knows how to make things run.”
But all Betty cared about was that the “Why-Get-Ups” were one and all on the same friendly and easy-going footing with her as ever.
CHAPTER XV
A SEA OF TROUBLES
Mr. Thayer’s month having been much shortened by his tremendous energy, the factory classes were successfully started, and Babbie, with her tantalizing fashion of appearing haughtily distant one minute and amazingly friendly the next, was off for the gay Southern resorts that she professed to hate. At some one of them, Mr. Thayer was morally certain, his fascinating cousin Austin would make it a point to find her. White flannels, he reflected glumly, were notably becoming to Austin’s style.