“I wish I could,” said Ruth, as she left Marjorie to go to her room.
CHAPTER XXIV
RESTITUTION
When Ruth reached her own room, she found Ethel already there untying her pack and putting away her scout equipment. Ruth explained that she had been with the Wilkinsons—that they had brought her and Marjorie both back to the school.
“Now tell me all about the accident,” said Ethel. “Of course we got the story from Jack, but he wasn’t there the whole time so he couldn’t tell us everything.”
Ruth went into detail about the adventure, but she omitted to describe her own feelings when she thought she was drowning. That was too personal, and too humiliating; it was bad enough to have to tell Marjorie, but she could not bear the thought of a public acknowledgment.
And then, for the first time, she realized something of what the consequences of her confession would be. It would be only fair to allow Marjorie to tell Miss White, Miss Allen, and Miss Phillips, so that she might be given another opportunity to join the troop. This would necessitate an explanation to the other scouts, and they, in turn, would undoubtedly tell all the girls in the school. A confession would doom her to the lasting contempt of her companions and her teachers; she would probably be put out of the troop and be shunned by her former friends.
Even now it was not too late to change her mind; no one was suspicious. It was true that she had hinted of a confession to Marjorie; but she could tell her about the crochet, and she would probably laugh and forgive her.
While these thoughts were going through her mind, Ethel was talking about the ghost incident, and laughing at Jack’s cleverness. “It was funny,” she said, “to think that he put one over on you, Ruth; for you’re not easily scared. But you were scared when you thought you were drowning?”
“Was I!” exclaimed Ruth. “Dying is a good deal worse than I ever thought it would be!”