Hilary patiently bore her disappointment in not singing with the glee club that night. The thought that she might not have to miss the trip to New York made her able to bear lesser ills. The girls took Aunt Hilary to dinner and to the concert, brought her back to say goodnight to Hilary, and took her to her room at the Hall, when Hilary and the nurse both insisted that it would be absurd for her to stay with Hilary. The nurse had had special directions from the doctor and bathed, rubbed and bandaged the ankle several times during the night, that first night so hard to bear unless something is done for relief. So the time passed till morning.
When the doctor came in the morning, he was surprised to find the sprain in such good condition. “How would you like to be wheeled on the platform, with the rest of the girls, when they get their diplomas?”
Hilary was feeling so frisky and free from discomfort that she wanted to ask him if the rest were to be wheeled on too,—but did not.
“Do you mean it, doctor?”
“Indeed I do. I don’t want you to walk on it today, but you can go to everything if some one takes you. Come back for the treatment regularly and don’t have any more accidents. I would not try to leave tonight, as I believe you had planned. But by tomorrow night, I think you will feel quite comfortable. Stay in the hospital tonight and have the same treatment you had last night.”
Aunt Hilary walked out with the doctor, to make sure that Hilary was really in good condition, and came back rejoicing. “We shall really go tomorrow night, then, but I shall be on hand all day to see that nothing more happens to that foot.”
So it happened that Aunt Hilary did see her niece receive her diploma. Hilary, dressed in the pretty white graduate frock, a white shawl thrown over the bandaged foot, was carefully wheeled from the back entrance of the platform to a place in the line of girls who had been called forward and had mounted the platform to receive their diplomas. Her name had just been called, and Miss Randolph, departing from custom, stepped back to hand the diploma to Hilary. Returning to the front of the platform again, she said, “It would have been disappointment, indeed, if Miss Lancaster, who is the student receiving highest honors in scholarship, had not been able to receive her diploma in person.”
Finding that Hilary would be able to leave Wednesday, the other girls also decided to stay, help her pack and be on hand to “do her bidding,” as Lilian put it, while they made the journey. They were able to change their reservations, the railway authorities glad to get back the berths, and able to make better arrangements for them, it happened, for Wednesday night. Aunt Hilary, not Cathalina, engaged the stateroom, but promised to stay at Cathalina’s instead of at a hotel. “It would be terrible not to be all together!” Cathalina had exclaimed.
The packing was a great undertaking. The girls were all thankful for that extra day at Greycliff. The three at Lakeview Suite, though worn out with much Commencement, finished their packing early Wednesday morning while Hilary was still at the hospital, and with Aunt Hilary packed Hilary’s things later. Most of the girls had left Tuesday night, but there were still some trying goodbyes to be said. Fortunately, some of the girls could still look forward to schooldays together.
Miss Randolph paid a special visit to Lakeview Suite and earnestly expressed her pleasure at having had such loyal, fine girls at Greycliff. The girls tried to tell her how much they had appreciated what she had taught them, in so many inspiring ways, but felt that they had not been equal to the occasion. “But she knows, girls,” said Hilary consolingly, as she watched Aunt Hilary and Miss Randolph stroll off down the hall together.