“Now, or not at all.” Doris stood firm. “I’d prefer not to invite you to my room because of Miss Harding. I don’t like to go to yours. You and Miss Carter nearly always quarrel. It’s such a bore to listen to you.” She affected a weary expression.
Julia cast a frowning glance about her. She glanced hastily up at the clock tower and said doggedly: “I must go. I’ll meet you at the big green seat near the west side of the campus at five this afternoon. I have your welfare at heart, even though you don’t think so,” she flung this reproachfully at Doris. “I simply must speak to you about Miss Cairns.”
Doris knew nothing of Julia’s unfortunate fall over Leslie’s umbrella. She had gone outdoors after a spirited dancing number, in company with half a dozen merry masks, for a breath of the sweet spring air. The spill had occurred while she was outside. When she had returned she had been immediately claimed for the next dance. A little later while dancing she had caught sight of Leslie surrounded by hilarious maskers. She had hurried to extricate her from her difficulties as soon as the dance was over. She had then spied Leslie moving towards the vestibule door in company with the mask in yellow gingham. It filled her with an immeasurable relief to know that Leslie had, as she supposed, escaped discovery and was then on her way to leaving the frolic.
To learn soon afterward that Marjorie Dean had been Leslie’s companion to the door was not re-assuring. Her heart sank at the very thought until her first agitation had passed. She had recollected that, masked, Miss Dean might not have recognized Leslie. Leslie had promised not to talk. She and Marjorie were as strangers to each other; had been for some time. Doris could only marvel at the queer twist of fortune which had brought Leslie and Marjorie together. According to Leslie’s accounts the two were bitter enemies. Masked, they had paraded up the gymnasium together on apparently congenial terms.
This latest thought completely re-assured Doris. Of course they had not recognized each other! Knowingly, neither would have gone a step with the other. Leslie had undoubtedly managed to free herself from her partner before reaching the door. Directly after the unmasking Doris had skipped a dance purposely to make a careful search on the floor for Leslie. Leslie had disappeared, completely and satisfactorily.
Doris had not said to Julia Peyton whether or not she would meet her at the big green campus bench near the west entrance. She changed her mind about going half a dozen times before five o’clock came. She had expected to hear from Leslie on the telephone through the day. No call from Leslie came until a quarter to five that afternoon. The message was a fairly polite invitation from Leslie to drive to Orchard Inn to dinner. She agreed to meet Doris on Hamilton Pike in front of the central campus gates.
Since she had come downstairs to answer the telephone Doris decided to walk over to the campus bench and learn what Julia had to say about Leslie. She was to meet Leslie at half past five. She would not spend more than ten or fifteen minutes in Julia’s company. Since the romp was over, and nothing of mishap had occurred to Leslie on the frolicsome occasion, Doris was not inclined to borrow trouble over whatever Julia might have to say of Leslie.
“I’m glad you came.” Julia rolled her black eyes at Doris in an expression of spiteful satisfaction. “You must have some idea of what I have to say, after what happened last night.”
“I didn’t intend to come. I happened to be downstairs, so I changed my mind about meeting you. I do not know what you mean by saying ‘after what happened last night.’ How can I possibly know what you are going to say?” Doris asked the question with a suspicion of sarcasm in her tone.
“Are you pretending you don’t know what happened?” Julia asked offendedly. “Weren’t you on the floor most of the time before the unmasking?”