“If you begin to smite them, now, Shirley,” said Dick, “what it will be when you actually get into college, I shudder to think.”
“Nonsense,” said Shirley. “Perhaps I can stay two years at the other school. They have a junior college, you know.”
“Your father wouldn’t stand for that, Shirley. He wants you here for your University work.”
“I know.”
But they had reached the car in which two ladies were sitting. One was elderly, the other about the age of Shirley’s mother. “Well, here’s the orphan, Mother,” said Dick cheerfully, handing Shirley into the front seat and going around to the other door to climb into the driver’s seat himself.
“I would not remind her in that heartless way, Dick,” said his mother whose smile was as cheerful as Dick’s and whose kind eyes looked sympathetically at Shirley.
“I don’t mind, Cousin Molly. Thank fortune, I’m not really an orphan, and I’m going to do just what my revered Dad said to do, keep my mind on the adventures before me. Do you think that we can get off, ourselves, day after tomorrow, Auntie?”
Shirley addressed the older lady in this remark.
“You will be obliged to do so, my dear. You forget that your tickets are purchased and all the arrangements made. We may as well do the last of your shopping now, if Dick will drive us around. I knew that your mother could not manage all of it at the last, with all the interruptions that she had in the professor’s affairs.”
“Now, Auntie! don’t blame it on poor Dad.”