Mary read it aloud:
“Do not start home. Letter follows. Every one well. Business reason for waiting.”
“Nothing to worry about in that. My father has often sent me just such word. Perhaps business calls him away. You see he says every one is well.”
“And he would not say that unless it were absolutely true,” said Elizabeth with conviction.
“You’ll have the letter by to-morrow’s mail. It’s something pleasant, depend upon it.”
“I hope so.” She sank down despondently into a chair and rested her head upon the study-table. “I wish something pleasant would happen. This is ‘blue’ week for me. Yesterday I became excited and almost said too much, and to-day I rush madly in and mix up affairs in the math. exams. I told Dr. Kitchell what I thought of his method of conducting them.”
Mary’s eyes grew bright. They fairly danced in surprise at Elizabeth’s action.
“Why, even I would not have dared do that,” she said. “I have dared everything at Exeter but Dr. Kitchell. I would as soon think of going to Dr. Morgan and telling her that I do not approve of her method of conducting Exeter.”
“That is about what I will do next,” said Elizabeth dolefully. “When one begins anything like this, there is no telling where she will end. Oh, dear, I’ll be glad to get home where people know me, and don’t act as though they expect me to lie or steal.”
“No one thinks that here, Elizabeth. You’ve run up against a snag. We all have our blue days when we wish we were somewhere else, and when we have a poor opinion of every one, ourselves included.”