“That’s not the point,” Julia evaded, stung to exasperation by her classmate’s cool reception of her revelation. “What I came here specially to tell you is that you had better not be seen going around with Miss Cairns. This story will travel, I feel sure. You’ll be severely criticized and dropped by most of the students. Even your good looks won’t save you. It was very inconsiderate and selfish of Miss Cairns to put you in such a risky position. She is certainly not your friend. The crowd last night was frisky. If the girls had had the least idea of whom she was they would have ripped off her mask, hooted her from the gym and maybe the campus. How would you have felt then?”
“I only know the way I feel now. I don’t like you, Miss Peyton, and I never have.” Doris chose to be drastically candid. “If a story such as you have just told me should go the round of the campus, I should not blame Miss Dean or Miss Everest for having started it. I should blame you. I intend to be silent. Let me give you a piece of advice. You had best be silent, too, about what you believe you know against Miss Cairns.”
CHAPTER XV.
THE TRUTH ABOUT “BEAN”
Doris had only time enough to hurry back to the Hall for her wraps before starting out again to meet Leslie. She did not regret her blunt words to Julia. The gossiping, jealous sophomore had deserved them. Doris had grown tired of Julia’s impudent interference into her personal affairs. This time Julia had gone too far. Doris had decided to drop her, oblivious of what the sophomore might afterward say of her. She believed sturdily that she could defend her own position at Hamilton.
“You certainly deserted me,” was Leslie’s greeting as Doris stepped into the roadster, parked at the central gates. “Last night, I mean,” she added with her slow smile.
“I never meant to,” Doris apologized. “You said you preferred to look out for yourself. I saw you in the middle of that crowd of freshies and was worried about you. By the time I could get free of my partner to go to you I saw you on the way out of the gym.”
“Thanks to little yellow gingham ruffles, Leslie Adoree broke away from the merry rustic scene with colors flying and her false face still on. I had a good time, though, while it lasted.”
“Did that unwieldy umbrella really trip a couple who were dancing?” Doris inquired abruptly. She was anxious to learn whether Julia had told her the truth in the matter.
“It really did.” Leslie’s face suddenly lost its half humorous expression. “One of them was a screech owl posing as a rustic youth. Her voice had a familiar sound. Still there are so many varieties of screech owl on the campus,” she ended sarcastically.