“Well, we boys will look out for you,” declared Donald when Betty had finished her story of the cave incidents. “When we skate back, I’ll see that Holley does not skate with you. They are probably fussing at me now, because I’m keeping the prize skater all to myself. It’s funny about Holley. Some of the boys are much attracted to him. He is real popular with a certain set, and makes himself generally agreeable. Then there are others of us that do not like him.”
Fortunately it did not happen that Captain Holley sought out Betty. She had a happy evening skating with one and another of Donald’s friends, closing it with another exhilarating turn with that young man himself. The other girls were as busily engaged as herself till the bell rang and the cadets and officers escorted the maids of Greycliff back to the Hall.
CHAPTER XVI.
“YET A LITTLE SLEEP.”
“I’m glad it’s Saturday,” said Cathalina sleepily the next morning, reaching out a hand across the space between her bed and Betty’s. Betty extracted a hand from beneath the warm covers and took Cathalina’s.
“Let’s not go to breakfast,” said lazy Betty. “I’m stiff from skating so much and we’ve got some fruit if we get hungry before lunch. We’re late anyhow. The rising bell rang ages ago.”
“Won’t we get a mark against us if we don’t appear?”
“I don’t think so, not on Saturday or Sunday, though we’ll be asked why.”
“All right, we’ll risk it. I’m proud of my record, though. Little Cathalina hasn’t missed a meal since she’s been here except on account of sickness.”
“And I suspect you hardly ever used to go down to breakfast at home in the days you were telling me about.”
“My, no. Poor Etta had a life with me before I came to Greycliff. I took a lot of waiting on. I like a certain amount of it yet, about clothes and hair and some things, but I like activity now and I didn’t want to do one thing! Still, I was about sick all the time.”