“Doris Monroe is a very selfish girl. I don’t intend to bother being nice to her at all this year,” Clara declared, pursing her lips in disapproval.
“Don’t be alarmed. She won’t bother herself about you, or me, either,” Julia threw open the door of their room and stalked into it. She flung herself sulkily into a chair, her pale, moon-eyed face full of vengeful spleen. “I detest that hateful crowd of P.G.’s!” she exclaimed. “They do precisely as they please, here. We other students have no rights. What good does it do to assert oneself to Miss Remson? She is hand in glove with them.”
“I think it would be a good idea for us to change houses,” was Clara’s meditative suggestion. She had seated herself in a chair opposite Julia with an air of great wisdom. “It’s not too late to engage board somewhere else on the campus.”
“What are you talking about?” Julia turned a contemptuous gaze upon her chum. “I’ll say there is not a vacancy on the campus by now.”
“Well, we could find a couple of girls who would be glad to exchange houses with us. Wayland Hall is considered the best house on the campus.” There was crafty method in Clara’s suggestion. Secretly she had no desire to leave the Hall. Knowing Julia’s stubborn contrariness she had but to propose making a change in order to clinch her roommate’s determination not to do so.
“You are correct in saying it’s the best house on the campus. When you see me leaving it because of a crowd of girls like the one down stairs, you will see something startling. Last year I endured a great deal of unfairness rather than be continually making complaints. This year I shall do differently. I intend to begin this very evening,” Julia announced with belligerent decision.
“What are you going to do?” Clara focussed eager attention upon her companion. In spite of hers and Julia’s frequent disagreements she could be relied upon to do battle under Julia’s banner.
“I’m going to unpack my traveling bag, first of all.” Julia rose with a sudden burst of combative energy. “If those girls begin to be noisy when they come up stairs I shall go straight down stairs to Miss Remson and demand that she does something about it.”
“Suppose she should be upstairs with them? You know yourself that she was up there a long time before dinner. And her sister was with her.” Clara had kept a vigilant watch upon the movements of the company in 15 through a discreetly narrow opening in their own door.
“Then I shall reprimand her before the whole crowd in 15 for not keeping better order in the house.”