“They are what I said you could wear all the time, you know,” said Cathalina.
“I shall, day and night.”
CHAPTER XIV
SKIING ON HIGH HILL
When the girls gathered again at Greycliff after the winter vacation, there was much to tell. Lilian and Hilary exchanged confidences, and Cathalina told Betty all about her vacation days, and the romance surrounding Philip and Lilian. Lilian had left her ring at home with her mother, for safe keeping and lest she be tempted to wear it. But her “chains” she wore constantly, and took great comfort in the thought that Philip considered them quite as binding as a ring. She was quite sober at times, plunged into her work with determination, finding time, however, for two long letters a week to Philip, and wrote more poetry than ever.
Virginia’s candy went off like hot cakes, as she said, giving her a comfortable little sum to begin on. She planned to make more of the popular varieties every Saturday. In a talk with Miss Randolph, she was assured that she might pay over what she had at the beginning of the next semester, and wait to settle finally until the end. This relieved her mind of all immediate worry, for there was a prospect of her winning one of the prizes. Affairs might prove better with her father also, by that time, and meanwhile she would earn and save all she could. She had a complete outfit for mending, with all shades of thread, silk or cotton, and plenty of darning cotton. Her business descended upon her “like the wolf on the fold,” she said.
“Talk about one’s business growing! I don’t even need to advertise. I didn’t know there were so many lazy girls that hate to do anything for themselves!” Here Virginia cocked her head on one side. “That isn’t really true, though, Isabel. I know all you girls have planned to waste your pin money on me by having as much done as possible. I’ll have to make a new schedule of hours, and see how much time I can afford to spend on this without neglecting my lessons.”
“And you must plan to take enough exercise, too, Virgie,” said Isabel. “It wouldn’t pay to get sick.”
“No; but a little skating and skiing will give me what I need, with the walking to and from class, and I want to get ahead on funds while it is winter, before the lovely days come in the spring. I thought perhaps I could get one of the bird prizes, too, for an original description and a long bird list. Has the list of prizes been posted yet?”
“I haven’t seen anything of it! I think it should be pretty soon, though, if there is anything new, so we could be working toward it.”
“If I can just get the academy diploma I shall be partly satisfied. I think I could get some country school to teach out near home, where I could see Father occasionally, and perhaps I could go to college later.”