“Maybe you did, Betty, but I can’t remember, only about those you ‘rave’ about, like Carolyn.”
“I imagine that you’ll meet a lot of them at Carolyn’s. Isn’t it wonderful of her to entertain for us? I think I did say to her not to have too much planned for Saturday and that I was hoping that nothing would happen to keep you girls from coming. I was pretty scared about it when I heard from Sue that her mother was half sick; but you did come, thank fortune!”
It was more easily possible for bits of conversation with one person to be held, since when more were included it was necessary to raise the voice. The general conversation and laughter, the jingle of silver and the clatter of trays and dishes seemed to be louder than the numbers served would justify, although there was no special carelessness among the boys and girls, and oversight made rude scuffling or trick playing impossible, had there been any temptation or time for it. “It’s just this big, echoing room, Sue,” said Janet, for both visitors noticed it. “But it’s lots of fun, and such good eats for next to nothing, according to what Betty says.”
“They just charge enough to cover expenses, of food and help and so on,” said Betty, who had turned back from talking to Kathryn in time to hear this last. “How was the pie, Janet?”
“Grand; good as home-made.”
“It is ‘home-made.’ I wish we had time to go back and see all the place they have to cook and bake. Well, we can’t do everything in one day, can we?”
“We are doing enough,” replied Janet. “My brain is whirling as it is, going from one thing to another and trying to remember who is who and what is what.”
“Don’t try,” said smiling Betty. “I’ll tell you again, or remind you. I felt the same way at first, and remember that I had to learn to live it and do it–them–everything!”
On the way out Betty had a chance to point out, figuratively speaking, both Freddy Fisher and the “Don” of football fame, and she almost ran into Ted Dorrance in the hall. “Say,” said he, catching Betty’s shoulder for a moment, “we seem to run each other down, don’t we? Oh, beg pardon!” The last expression was addressed to Janet, whom he had brushed against in avoiding Betty and a crowd of teachers that were coming from the opposite dining hall, sacred to the instructors of youth.
“Please stop a second and meet my friends that are visiting me–Miss Light and Miss Miller, Mr. Dorrance, a prominent junior, girls.”