“Yes. How elegant that sounds, my ‘pearls,’ as if they were real.”
“Let me carry your skates for you, Miss Barnes,” said a pleasant voice just behind the girls, who had started from the dam toward the hall.
Betty glancing to the side was rendered almost speechless to behold Rudolph Holley, the instructor, resplendent in the school uniform, reaching out his hand for her skates.
“Our meeting was rather informal, I know,” continued the young man, “but I have always wanted to thank you for the courtesy you gave my sister and me. I had motored over with some of the boys and was in a hurry. I seemed to have missed my sister.”
“Yes,” thought Betty, “because of her trick on me!” But she was too courteous to want to show offense, besides being a little afraid of this man of night and motors and caves.
“You were very welcome for anything I may have done for you and your sister,” was Betty’s reply. “Miss Van Buskirk, this is Captain Holley,” for she noticed the captain’s epaulets on his shoulders. “He must have gotten my name from Louise, and probably knows all about her miserable little performance and is proud of it!” So Betty’s thoughts ran on. “I don’t like him one bit. But how good-looking he is.” There was something not unpleasant in having this courteous young instructor in attendance upon them, while the other girls and boys were going by. Few introductions had taken place as yet, though there were a few old acquaintances among the older members of each school, besides the brothers and sisters in the schools. All were a little hurried, especially the girls, for warm rooms, bright lights, a good dinner and companionship were waiting them.
Captain Holley meanwhile was thinking—though not in English—something like this: “She knows who I am, the little piece, and that was what I wanted to know.” He kept up the conversation with comments on the occasion, compliments to Betty and to Cathalina for their skating, and pleasant anticipations of the rest of the entertainment.
“Have you been an instructor at the school long, Captain Holley?” Cathalina inquired.
“No, not long,” replied the captain. “You know our sad history, I suppose. American is our country now. We came here,—I was a student in one of the schools and could not be recalled for military service because of a slight physical defect, a matter of eye sight, which was fortunate for me. I was very sorry that it was not deemed best to keep my sister here, but Louise is not adaptable like myself. Professor Schafer, whom I met when I was a lad in Germany and he was studying there, has been very kind and I come over occasionally to call on him.”
Captain Holley accompanied the girls to the door of Greycliff Hall, where he handed the skates to the girls, and with a courteous bow departed, following the boys to the gymnasium.