“If she flunks in the soph exams, she can still try for freshie estate,” Lucy reminded.
“It seems she likes no one but herself,” Leila now made dry observation. “We thought in the summer it was only the four of us at the Hall and Kathie who were not to her taste. Now we may banish our sorrow. We are no worse off than the rest of the college.”
“Such a relief to my mind,” snickered Jerry. During the three or four days that the Sanford group of girls had been back at Hamilton she had seen Doris Monroe half a dozen times and had formed one of her peculiar dislikes to the self-centered young woman. “Behave Jeremiah.” She gave one plump wrist a resounding whack. “Remember the stranger; et-cætera; et-cætera.”
“But never think about your old friends.” A tall girl in a gray sports coat and hat, her charming face alive with laughter, had opened the door on Jerry’s curtailed quotation of Hamilton’s first tradition.
“Muriel Harding; you rascal of rascals!” Jerry reached the newcomer at a bound. She caught her about the waist and pranced Muriel over the floor in a wild dance which landed both against the opposite wall with force.
“Call off Jeremiah,” begged Muriel mirthfully. “She’s too rough to belong in polite society. The rest of you aren’t much more ladylike,” she called out as a determined quartette hemmed her in and attempted to embrace her in a body.
“You deserve rough house tactics,” declared Jerry. The happy light in her eyes told another story. The other girls’ faces also reflected their pleasure in Muriel’s return.
“You mysterious old goose. I can’t think of anything to say to you that would be really disrespectful,” Marjorie assured the broadly beaming Traveler. “We’ve missed you dreadfully. I’m so glad you’re back.”
“So am I. I was fairly sure she wouldn’t desert us,” Lucy said with a wise nod of her dark head. “She used to make fun of me so much that I learned her tricks. I had an idea all the time that she couldn’t stay away from this illustrious crowd.”
“How sweet in you all to miss me.” Muriel wept a few mock tears of appreciation into her handkerchief. “As for you, Luciferous, you know too much.” She treated Lucy to a glare of displeasure which broke up in mirth. Lucy’s rare, childish giggle invariably sent Muriel into peals of laughter.