“It will be no trick to find a cast for the Merchant of Venice,” she told her interested companions. “Doris will add to her campus fame as Portia, Gussie will make an ideal Antonio, and Miss Duncan will cover herself with glory in playing Shylock. On Bassonio, I have not yet decided. I may ask Miss Taylor, the stout freshman, to play the part. She is tall enough, and broad enough of shoulder, to play a man’s part well.” Leila glanced questioningly from one to the other of her chums. “She interests me, and, incidentally, it may lead to a better state of affairs here at the Hall. I suspect her of having some influence upon her crowd. They babble like brooks when together, but she, I have noticed, says little, though her oddly pale blue eyes miss nothing.”
“Don’t ever talk to me again about marvelous managing,” Marjorie exclaimed. “You are the real Marvelous Manager. You’ve picked up a trail to a better state of affairs here, already. Go ahead; ask Miss Taylor to—”
The unexpected violent opening of the door cut off Marjorie’s unfinished sentence. Three pairs of eyes suddenly directed themselves at the tempestuous entrant. A very small girl in a peachblow-hued evening frock had fairly bounced into the room, banging the door behind her.
CHAPTER XVII
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FROLIC
“Hello, Jewel,” Leslie calmly greeted after a quick glance at the freshman’s anger-dark features.
Without answering the angry girl dashed across the room to her couch bed, flinging herself upon it. Her doubled fists began beating an enraged tattoo upon the pillows, to which her slippered feet kicked themselves in time upon the couch cover. “Oh, oh, oh!” she repeatedly ejaculated in rage-thickened tones. “I’ll never forgive her! Oh, oh, oh!”
The trio of silent spectators to the freshman’s gust of anger could not but exchange significant glances. Into the mind of each had sprung the question: “Had the blow, which Leslie had anticipated, fallen already?”
“Let us go into my room,” Leila proposed tactfully, rising from her chair as she spoke.
“We’ll wait for you there, Leslie.” Marjorie was already following Leila to the door.