“Yes, but you began to act just like a play.”
“Order in the court room! Order! Order! Is Grace Hathaway in the room? Grace Hathaway! Grace Hathaway!” roared from the front.
Now Grace was a shy little thing, new, and surprised, for she supposed that one case would end the mock court. But she rose, and timidly went to meet the two girls who came for her. “Don’t be scared,” whispered one of them. “Just answer up, or keep still if you like.”
The case against Grace was quickly put through, with few witnesses. She was charged with disturbing the peace, her alarm clock going off for three consecutive mornings at five o’clock. Grace gasped and said, “But I don’t even own an alarm clock!” She was properly rebuked by the court, and found guilty by the jury. Another freshman was charged with eating bean soup with a fork, on the day that the beans swelled and the soup dishes were full of “beans, not soup,” according to the defense. It was proven, however, without a doubt that bean soup is bean soup, and should be eaten with a spoon. The prisoner was found guilty.
Several other grave offenses were brought up against freshmen girls and finally the rest were brought up in a body, charged with being too popular, and found guilty. The judge then passed sentence upon all the prisoners, who were to eat ice cream and cake till the supply was exhausted. At that sentence, the senior girls scattered to bring in and serve the cooling refreshments, for September usually is a summer month is some respects, at least, and ices still taste as they should. The rest of the time was spent in getting acquainted. The piano was opened and all the sounds of revelry indicated a good time. “It was a splendid party,” said one of the youngest freshmen to Lilian as the company broke up. “And I think you made a wonderful judge!”
CHAPTER VI.
THE WRECK OF THE GREYCLIFF.
Betty and Cathalina strolled away together from the senior-freshman party, and Betty asked if Cathalina thought it possible to have a short meeting after dinner to consider whether they wanted to be a “Psyche Club” or not.
“I have to study like everything tonight,” said Cathalina. “Just think,—I didn’t do a thing last night on account of the Shakespeare Society, and I spent lots of time that I couldn’t spare on the invitations. I’m not ahead on anything, not even French, and I have to keep ahead to get along!”
“‘Keep ahead’ to ‘get along’? Our little Chinese girl would wonder what that meant, I guess.”
“Very likely. Isn’t she a dear? We must take her into the literary society. It will help her to get the English. Well, as I was saying,—O, yes I did get out a Latin lesson with one of the girls in Patty’s Caesar class, right after class Friday afternoon. So much has happened that I had forgotten it. It wasn’t very long and we had part of the first book in the back of the beginning Latin book last year. I looked up the words we didn’t know, in the vocabulary, and she kept the place in the notes, and we finished it in a little while, read it through twice. I love to work for Patty!”