“We spent three days with her in Paris. She was with an aunt in a cunning little apartment in the Rue de Rivoli. Her father and his party of explorers have unearthed a buried city in Peru. He will not return to France for another year.” Vera went on to relate the details of their visit to Doris Monroe. She ended with: “Doris must be on the way across the Atlantic now. She was intending to sail for the United States the first of September.”
“What news from the Bertramites?” asked Muriel.
“None,” replied Leila. “That means you may expect them to come breezing back to Hamilton any day. Kathie and Lillian will be here on next Friday evening, according to Kathie’s letter. And now are you not glad that I would tell you nothing about the campus news last night?” Leila viewed her friends with indulgently twinkling eyes.
On the previous evening she had laughingly refused to give out a word of information concerning campus matters. “If Midget and I were to tell you all the news tonight we should have nothing to entertain you with at the Hall tomorrow,” she had argued.
Leila’s good-humored inquiry evoked a buzz of laughing rejoinders. “I am so kind,” she continued, “I will keep on giving you the news. Besides you girls and ourselves there are only four other students back at the Hall; Miss Peters and Miss Finch, those two nice freshies who had 14 last year, and Miss Keller and Miss Ryan, the two sophs who roomed next to Miss Peyton and Miss Carter. They are sophs and juniors now, but their hats will continue to fit their heads, I believe. Let me see. Midget and I have only half unpacked our trunks. We have done a great deal of visiting at the Arms, and no work.”
“Tomorrow we are going to clean house and unpack and buy some plates at the ten cent store. Lead really useful lives, you know,” Vera announced with joking energy.
“Midget is that ambitious!” Leila became colloquially Celtic.
Vera’s light announcement brought forth plenty of similar jesting resolves from the others. With conversation flowing in a purely personal channel Leslie Cairns’ name was not mentioned again. Having pledged their word to do all they could to help her six of the reunited Travelers were only too well content to allow the subject to drop. They had not yet come to the stage of regarding Leslie from Marjorie’s great-spirited viewpoint.
Of them all Vera was the nearest to Marjorie in tolerance. She was willing to help Leslie for Leslie’s sake; not because of her regard for Marjorie. With the others it was solely on Marjorie’s account that they had agreed to stand by Leslie, should future need of their support arise. Jerry and Ronny, the only ones besides Marjorie who knew of Leslie’s plan for Leila, had at heart not yet entirely forgiven Leslie for past offenses against Marjorie. Muriel Harding would probably never cherish any degree of liking for Leslie, no matter how well she might do in future. Muriel had a peculiarly obdurate side of character in spite of her natural sunnyness of disposition.
As for Leila, only Leila herself knew how greatly she still detested Leslie Cairns. Though she had been first to credit Leslie for her courage in seeking President Matthews, even this incident had not altered in the slightest degree her basic dislike for the financier’s once lawless daughter. Her secret aversion for Leslie had not died with the knowledge of the other girl’s change of heart.