"Doris, of course!" This carelessly. Then, looking closely at her room-mate, she realized that something was wrong.
"What's happened, Marj? No bad news from home?"
"Oh, no—it isn't that." Marjorie swallowed hard, in the effort to keep her voice calm. Then, blurting it out, "I've lost my canoe!"
Lily stood perfectly still in open-mouthed amazement, while Alice, assisted here and there by Marjorie, told of the afternoon's adventure. But Lily smiled reassuringly.
"You're worrying yourself needlessly, Marj. Somebody's borrowed it, of course! It couldn't have drifted away—there's no place for it to drift—and surely nobody would steal it!"
"Somebody must have!" declared Marjorie, feeling now that any moment she would break down. To her relief, Alice arose to go.
As soon as the door closed upon the retreating freshman, Marjorie began to sob violently. Lily went over and sat beside her.
"Don't, Marj, please don't!" she begged. "Wait till after supper, at least. I'll go over and tell Miss Allen all about it the minute I'm dressed, and we'll see what she can do."
Marjorie dried her eyes, and the girls got ready for supper. In fifteen minutes, Lily was ready to go.