“Don’t you ever believe it, Miss Susanna.” Jerry laid emphasis on each word. “Marvelous Manager began it. Robin is a close second, though. The ‘dorm’ ought to be called the Page and Dean Dormitory. Sounds something like a business directory, but it tells the story. And the great beauty of it is this:—it includes both distinguished promoters.” Jerry directed a refulgent smile at Marjorie, who promptly made a saucy mouth at her.
“The Page and Dean Dormitory,” repeated Miss Susanna with a humorous glance at Jerry. “I rather like the sound of the combination. You’re right about it, Jerry. When one has two such retiring persons to deal with as Marjorie and Robin it becomes necessary to drag them both to the front. So be it. Now for Uncle Brooke’s study and our library catalogues. Only a limited number of them were issued. I wish you had been with me at the auction. There was some very brisk bidding at first. There were perhaps a dozen wealthy New York men interested in the auction. Richard Garrett represented me. I had nothing to do but keep quiet and listen to the bidding.”
Miss Hamilton continued to relate in her abrupt, lively way the interesting circumstances of the auction as they left the Chinese room and stepped into the lift which Jonas manipulated for them.
“Send Selma to clear away the tea things, Jonas,” she ordered as she stepped from the tiny elevator. “Then come to the study. You must go over the catalogues with us. Nothing like familiarizing yourself with the books you are going to pack.”
Jonas disappeared with alacrity. He returned as speedily to the study, an utterly pleased smile decorating his placid, old face. He was immensely proud of being invited to make a fourth member of the group in the study.
The four friends sat at the massive, claw-legged library table and were soon deep in exploring the copies of the auction catalogue with which Miss Hamilton had supplied them. They read by snatches, browsing avidly here and there among the descriptive pages; exclaiming exultantly over one rare book or another which they discovered listed there.
“I’m positively dizzy with pride and vanity over the dormitory’s wonder of a present!” Marjorie’s eyes gleamed like stars. There was a wealth of feeling in her gratefully gay utterance. Presently, she allowed the catalogue to drop from her hands to the table. She sat gazing at the erect little figure on the opposite side of the table with boundless affection. “I’m sure you must love the dream dormitory that you helped make a reality as dearly as we Travelers do,” she said fervently.
“We’ll say I have nothing against it,” Miss Susanna said dryly. “Why should I? It’s not on the campus.” She cast a defiant glance about her. “But we’ll not go into that subject. Back to our library. Having acquired it, the next thing to do is to get it here.” The independent donor declined to hear of her own generosity. “You’d best start for New York in the morning, Jonas,” was her next terse remark.
“What train, Miss Susanna?” Jonas inquired imperturbably.
“An early morning train. One that will bring you into New York, it ought to be called New Pandemonium Let Loose, while daylight lasts,” the old lady pithily replied.