“’Tis a beautiful country, that.” Leila spoke purposely, with a faint brogue. “And did you say it was my last minute there? Suppose it was not? What? As our departed bogie, Miss Cairns, used to say.”
“Do you know what you are talking about?” inquired Jerry. “I hope you do. I haven’t caught the drift of your remarks—yet.”
“Do you tell her then, Midget.” Leila fell suddenly silent, her Cheshire cat grin ornamenting her features.
“Oh, let Helen tell it. She knows.” Vera beamed on Helen, who passed the task, whatever it might be, on to Katherine. She declined, throwing it back to Leila.
“What is this bad news that none of you will take upon yourselves to tell us?” Lucy’s green eyes sought Katherine’s in mock reproach.
“I have it.” Leila held up a hand. “Now; altogether! We are going to——” she nodded encouragement to Kathie, Vera and Helen.
“We are going to stay!” shouted four voices in concert.
“Stay where? What do——” Jerry stopped abruptly. Her face relaxed of a sudden into one of her wide smiles. She rose and began hugging Helen, shouting: “You don’t mean it? Honestly?”
The rest of the Lookouts were going through similar demonstrations of joy. For a moment or two everyone talked and laughed at once. Gradually the first noisy reception of the news subsided and Leila could be heard:
“It’s like this, children,” she said. “Vera wants to specialize in Greek. I am still keen on physics and psychology. Helen wants to make a new and more comprehensive study of literature, and Kathie is going to teach English. Miss Fernald is leaving and Kathie is to have her place. We’ve had all we could do to keep it from you. Vera and I might better be here next year than at home. We’d have not much to do there. We are anxious to help make the dream of the dormitory come true.”