“Of course I won’t,” said Betty indignantly. “I’m sure you’ll make love beautifully. Do you know who’s going to try for Shylock?”
“Only Jean Eastman,” said Bob, “and Christy and Emily are thinking of it. I came up from down-town with Jean just now. She thinks she’s got a sure thing, though of course she isn’t goose enough to say so. If Kate Denise gets Portia, as everybody seems to think she will, it will be quite like freshman year, with the Hill crowd on top all around. I think Jean has been aiming for that, and I also think—you don’t mind if I say it, Betty?”
“I haven’t the least idea what you’re going to say,” laughed Betty, “but I don’t believe I shall mind.”
“Well,” said Bob earnestly, “I think Jean’s counting on you to help her with her Shylock deal.”
“I help her!” said Betty in bewilderment. “How could I?”
“What a little innocent you are, Betty Wales,” declared Bob. “Have you forgotten that you are on the all-powerful play-committee, and that you five and Miss Kingston, head of the elocution department, practically decide upon the cast?”
“Oh!” said Betty slowly. “But I can’t see why Jean should expect me to push her, of all people.”
“She’ll remind you why,” said Bob, “or perhaps she expects me to do it for her. Can’t you honestly think of anything that she might make a handle of?”
Betty considered, struggling to recall her recent meetings with Jean. “She has been extra-cordial lately,” she said, “but she hasn’t done anything in particular—oh, Bob, I know what you mean. She expects me to help her because she nominated me for the committee.”
Bob nodded. “As if fifty other people wouldn’t have done it if she hadn’t. I may be wrong, Betty, but she had a lot to say all the way up from Cuyler’s about how glad she was that you were on the committee, how she felt you were the only one for the place and was glad the girls agreed with her, how hard she had talked you up beforehand, and so on,—all about her great and momentous efforts in your behalf. I told her that Miss Ferris said once that you had a perfect command of the art of dress and that every one knew you planned the costumes for the Belden play and for the Dramatic Club’s masque last spring, also that Barbara Gordon particularly wanted you on if she was chairman, so I didn’t see that you needed any great amount of talking up. But she laughed her horrid, sarcastic little laugh and said she guessed I hadn’t had much experience with class politics.”