Then again Lucia would be impulsive and in high spirits with Betty’s friends and tell them little things about her old schools abroad, for she had been in several, owing to the travel of her parents. This was all very interesting and Betty was becoming fond of Lucia, though she was sure that Carolyn, Kathryn, and Peggy would always stand first. But Betty liked “lots of friends.”
How high school affairs were impressing themselves upon Lucia Coletti she did not say and the girls did not ask, though they could see that she was interested. She spoke English very well indeed and made excellent recitations in her different studies. To every one she was uniformly polite, but not even Betty was invited to her confidence, though it must be said that Betty, absorbed in putting through her own work, did not notice it.
Among other things difficult to get started early, the G. A. A. hike was numbered. The heavy work of the opening weeks hindered the teachers who were in charge of athletics. Then Jupiter Pluvius took a hand and there was a week of almost steady rain. But warm days in October with bright sunshine came along and at nearly the end of the month the day was “actually appointed,” said Peggy.
“It’s a shame that we couldn’t have had it when it was so nice and warm,” said Mathilde, who was privately intending to offer Lucia a ride to the spot chosen for the breakfast.
“But it would have been too warm for the hike,” answered Lucia herself, who was a member of the Girls’ Athletic Association by this time and on one of the committees. “I think that I shall enjoy that.”
“Won’t it be too far for you?” asked Mathilde, who was lazy, and only “going in” for the easiest form of athletics she could find, though she was fond of games, which saved the day for her, and she liked the interpretive dancing, in which she was quite graceful.
“Only five miles?” asked Lucia. “Why, we think nothing of that in——”
Lucia broke off, for her mother had warned her not to compare anything to her life abroad. She made an excuse of speaking to Miss Fox, who had this expedition in charge, and moved away from Mathilde quite naturally. Lucia, however, was quite friendly with Mathilde. What girl would not like another who was flatteringly attentive and evidently impressed with her? Moreover, Mathilde was a fair, prettily-dressed girl, attractive enough when she chose to be.
“Listen, Finny,” said Dotty Bradshaw, coming up to Mathilde. “You can be on the soup committee if you like and ride out with us.”
“‘Soup Committee!’ I hope you are not going to have soup for breakfast!”