“The ‘screech owl’ was Miss Peyton. The other girl was—”
“Miss Peyton. No wonder I felt like pitching in and fighting her while I had my farm togs on.” Leslie’s tone indicated her disgust. “She was outrageous, Goldie. I tried to stay dumb, but I couldn’t. I finally said two or three pithy things to her. Little yellow gingham ruffles was all right. She tried to keep us from fussing. Afterward she came down to where I was and walked me away from a gang who had been trying to rag me. She walked me up the gym to the vestibule door and joked with me all the way. She had on a pale yellow gingham dress with little yellow ruffles and a white hat with—
“What did she say to you, Leslie?” was Doris’s anxious interruption. “I mean when you reached the door.”
“That was the queer part. She knew me. I’m almost sure of it. She didn’t say a word about my going, but she knew I wanted to get out of the gym before unmasking. She went to the door with me to keep off trouble. She was a good sport; an upper class girl probably. Some one I may have met. I know a few juniors and seniors who were freshies and sophs when I was a senior.” Leslie gave an inaudible sigh. Last night’s frolic had brought back vividly the memory of her failure as a student.
“The girl in the yellow gingham ruffled dress was Miss Dean,” Doris said in a peculiar tone.
“What?” In her surprise Leslie allowed the roadster to run off the course on the pike she was keeping by several inches. She instantly brought the machine back to course. Apparently struck dumb, she leaned forward, staring interestedly at the road ahead. Just then she could think of nothing to say. Presently she found speech again.
“Yes, it was Bean,” she said dully. “I know it now. Why didn’t you come and walk me away from her when you saw us together?” Leslie demanded, her accent displeased.
“I didn’t know then that the mask you were with was Miss Dean. I didn’t know it until I saw her after the unmasking.”
“She did me a good turn.” Leslie stopped, her face reddening. It was the first time she had ever said a good word for Marjorie to any one. “How soon after I got away from the gym did the whistle blow?” she inquired soberly.
“Not more than two or three minutes. You got away just in time. I didn’t know about Miss Peyton and Miss Dean and the umbrella business until this afternoon. Miss Peyton told me. I must have been outside the gym when it happened. I was out on the campus with a crowd for a few minutes.”