When he spoke it was to say: “You astonish me. Still I am confident you realize the peculiarity of the request you have just made.” He continued to regard Marjorie as though half curious to learn what strong motive had prompted her amazing plea for reinstatement of the girl who had despitefully used her.
“Yes, I understand fully how much I am asking of you. Can it be done for Miss Cairns?” Again she came directly to the point.
“You mean from the standpoint of my permission and that of the Board?” he interrogated with equal directness.
“Yes.” Marjorie inclined her head in affirmation.
“Well,” President Matthews paused briefly; “such a thing has never been done at Hamilton. I do not say that it could not be arranged. Let me ask you, Miss Marjorie, what I regard as a most pertinent question: Why should such a sweeping favor be granted Miss Cairns? She furnished in my opinion, the most glaring example of bad conduct of any Hamilton culprit with whom I have ever had occasion to deal. However, I know you would not be here today with such a request except under strong conviction of right.” He paused again, looking at her as though inviting an explanation.
“Miss Cairns has undergone a great change of mind and heart, President Matthews. I should like to tell you as much as I know of it,” Marjorie returned. She was resolved to be frank, yet to choose her words so carefully as to spare Leslie so far as she could.
“I never knew Miss Cairns personally when she was a student at Hamilton,” she began, “but last spring we became acquainted by chance.” Marjorie thus magnanimously bridged over her years at Hamilton which Leslie Cairns had made so troublous for her.
Followed the interesting story of Peter Carden who had run away from Carden Hedge and made a name in finance for himself as Peter Cairns. She felt the intensity of President Matthews’ interest as she continued to tell of Leslie’s humiliating business mistake of having paid sixty thousand dollars for a garage site, the ground of which had already belonged to her father. Again Marjorie omitted all reference to the intended spitefulness of Leslie’s business venture as in relation to the Travelers’ dormitory enterprise. Nor was she to learn until long afterward that President Matthews had been in possession of the true state of Page and Dean’s dormitory set-backs at the time when she made her earnest plea for Leslie.
Generously ignoring the past Marjorie chose to dwell instead upon Leslie’s great affection for her father and of her desire for re-instatement at Hamilton solely on his account.
“I came to you upon my own responsibility, and unbeknown to Miss Cairns. Miss Susanna Hamilton and six of my best friends know this. Last night we met informally at Wayland Hall and discussed the matter. We are ready to help Miss Cairns in any way that we can should she be permitted to return to Hamilton. When she told me, on the way home from California, about her call upon you, I felt that she had not done herself justice. You were not in possession of the real facts of why she wished to come back to Hamilton. She could not put them before you as I could. So I am here.” Her smile of kindly resolution was very beautiful.