To her surprise, however, she found that it would not be necessary to make much conversation, for McDaniel had eyes for no one but Daisy, who sat on his left, and Wallace became at once deeply engrossed in his hostess. So Marjorie had plenty of time to look about her, and to think things out. During the progress of the whole six-course dinner, which was as elaborate as any she had ever attended, she knew that she did not experience a really enjoyable moment.
Yet when she analyzed her discontent, she could not trace it to any happening in the past or present; the girls had, it was true, encountered unusual obstacles during their trip; but they had surmounted them all. Moreover, everything here was absolutely perfect; she felt that she ought to be enjoying the ease and the luxury of it all to the fullest extent. But still she was not happy.
As she shifted her gaze about the softly lighted table from one smiling group to another, she realized suddenly that the merriment was forced rather than spontaneous; that with the exception of Daisy and Florence, who were thoroughly enjoying McDaniel’s and Cryton’s society, the guests were not congenial. The other four young men were not of the type which had always appealed to the scouts, and no one was quite at ease.
“It’s all due to those Crowell boys,” she concluded, as the dessert was brought on. “We don’t like them, or their friends, or their influence over Miss Vaughn. If anything does go wrong, it’ll be their fault!”
It had always been the hostess’s habit to comply with the English custom of having the ladies withdraw from the dining-room first, leaving the young men alone to finish their cigarettes. Accordingly she arose, nodding to the girls to accompany her; but from the very manner in which her request was given, Marjorie sensed that something portentous was about to transpire.
Instead of leading her guests to the porch or the reception-room where they had naturally expected the party to be continued, she conducted them off to a wing of the house and opened the door into a charming little study that was evidently all her own. More than one of the girls were impressed with the antiques, the tapestries, the paintings, and yet for some unknown reason no one ventured to voice her admiration. Miss Vaughn seated herself at the carved chair at the desk, and the scouts dropped quietly into seats about the room.
“Girls,” she began slowly, allowing her glance to travel from one to another in turn, “I have something to tell you that pains me very much. You know that when I suggested this trip, I gave you certain conditions which I wanted you to fulfill, and I put you on your honor in reporting about them. I had to take your word for your statements, for I did not have any thought of finding out for myself. You are Girl Scouts, your first law is trustworthiness; that was enough for me.
“Yet, entirely by accident, I learned, since you have been here, that my trust was misplaced, that two of your number have lied to me!”
She paused for a moment, and caught the varied expressions on the girls’ faces—registering anger, incredulity, surprise, resentment, and even distress. But she did not allow anyone to speak.
“Now I want to hasten to assure you that I am not blaming the girls to whom this does not apply; for, as far as I can learn, it was done without the knowledge of the rest of the party. And of course both the captain and the lieutenant of the troop are blameless; the deceit was kept successfully from them.”