"Would I make her higher?"
Sutton M. tried to be sarcastic, but she showed in her manner the effect of the confidence.
"Yes, you would," said Biscuits. "Mary Winter's just spoiling her. She's a perfect nonentity, and she studies like a grammar-school girl—it just disgusts Martha. And Mary admires her so that Martha just rides over her and gets to despise good regular studying because Mary does it so childishly. If some one could be with her who was bright and jolly and liked fun and had a sense of humor and did good work, too, for you two do study well—I'll give you that credit—it would be the making of her. And Mary's such an idiot. She shows that Martha shocks her so much that Martha just keeps it up to horrify her—"
"I know," said Sutton M., wisely, "like those cigarettes—Martha never really liked them."
"Exactly," Biscuits agreed, though with an effort, for the Twins certainly knew far too much. "The moment I told Martha that it wasn't in the least a question of morals with us but entirely a matter of good taste—that we didn't think she was wicked at all but that it was very bad for the house, and that when we were all represented in the Police Gazette as trotting over the campus with cigarettes in our mouths, the college would get all the credit and she wouldn't get any—why, she stopped right away. And considering how it irritated her I think she was very nice and sensible about it."
"But just because Kate and I studied, Martha wouldn't, would she?"
"Yes, I think she would. She'd feel that it was an example to you if she didn't. And she's so bright. It's a shame she should flunk as she does. She knows we all know she could get any marks she chose, so she doesn't care."
Sutton M. looked thoughtful. "I think her stories are fine," she remarked. "And I suppose I'd have to go with some spook, if I don't," she added gloomily.
"Mrs. Harrow feels bad enough about the change," Biscuits interposed, "and she said she'd act very severely next time. I persuaded her that you'd—that is, I didn't persuade her, I'm afraid. Of course, she feels that if you should by any chance drag Martha into your kiddish nonsense, why—she doesn't like Martha any too well, you know, and—"
"Biscuits," interrupted Sutton M., hastily, "if I should go in with Martha, and I must say I should think anybody'd be welcome to her after that stick of a Mary Winter, I wouldn't drag her into a thing—truly, I wouldn't. I'd be careful! Kate says that Patsy says she's lots of fun and awfully jolly and nice when you know her," she added.