“I am sorry to hear of your mother’s illness,” Ruth said gravely. She was still cogitating as to what relation this news bore to the “great favor.” She was also reflecting that Mrs. Shirly’s attitude toward her daughter was rather unfeeling. She experienced a sudden excess of pity toward the undesired Blanche.
“I knew you would be,” returned Blanche with a deep positiveness intended to be flattering. “You are so—so—sympathetic. I really feel free to confide in you. I wouldn’t think of asking a favor of any of the other girls. Somehow, you are so different.”
A tiny pucker of impatience appeared between Ruth’s brows. Was Blanche really sincere, or was she bent on making positive refusal of her request a difficult matter? “Please tell me what you wish me to do for you, Blanche,” she returned almost brusquely. This beating about the bush was annoying, to say the least.
“I don’t like to ask you—you’ll think me presuming, I’m afraid, but—well, I heard that you and a number of the Hillside Camp Fire Girls were going to get together during August, and I wondered if you would mind letting me join you. I know I belong to the Drexal group, but as long as it is to be a Camp Fire affair I thought you wouldn’t object to my making one of the crowd. I am really crazy about this Camp Fire movement. I can’t see why I didn’t take it up last year. But now I’m going to do my best to make up for lost time. It would help me so much to be with the Hillside group and live outdoors and—and—commune with Nature.” Blanche’s ideas on Nature communion were decidedly hazy. She rather liked the sound of the phrase, however.
Ruth struggled to preserve an outward show of serenity, as she listened to this amazing request. For the instant she was totally bereft of reply. Having taken the sacred pledge of the Torch Bearer, it became her duty to respond to Blanche’s appeal for help. Still, she could not see her way clear to do so. Blanche had undoubtedly been misinformed. In some inexplicable fashion she had been led to believe that the reunion which the Equitable Eight were to hold at Ruth’s home during the month of August, was to be a Camp Fire affair. Personally, Ruth felt that, rather than refuse Blanche’s plea, she would be willing to invite her to the reunion. There were others besides herself to be considered, however. She was positive that her chums would raise strenuous objections to any such arrangement on her part. Although she disliked to shatter Blanche’s forlorn hope, all that remained to be done was frankly to inform her of her mistake.
“Blanche,” she began, with brave gentleness, “I would like you to feel always that I am ready to help you in any way I can. I hope you won’t be hurt by what I am going to say, but—somehow—you’ve received a wrong impression about this Camp Fire affair. It isn’t the Hillside group that are to be together during August. It is only the eight girls who were at Betty’s cottage last summer. I mean that is the only thing planned that I know of. I haven’t heard that the Hillside Camp Fire has made any such summer plan. If they had, surely I would have been told of it before now.
“The Equitable Eight, as we call ourselves, are to be at my home during August. So far as I am concerned, I’d be willing to invite you, too.” Ruth could not honestly say that she would be glad to do so. “As we are a sort of informal organization, I couldn’t do it unless the others were willing that you should join us. You see, it is—”
“Oh, dear, that settles it! I’m so sorry! I didn’t understand.” With a doleful wail, Blanche’s auburn head went down on her arms. “Those—girls—wouldn’t—have me!” she sobbed out brokenly. “Emmeline Cerrito—hates—me. She—hardly—notices—me. How—could I—have—made—such a mistake? It’s humiliating.” The last word trailed off into a disconsolate gulp.
“Don’t cry, Blanche.” Springing to her feet Ruth laid a sympathetic hand on the elaborately-coiffed head, bowed so forlornly forward. Tender-hearted to a degree, she was touched by the other girl’s noisy distress. Regardless of the fact that she was in no sense to blame for Blanche’s mistake, nevertheless she was resolved to do her best to salve the weeper’s wounded pride. “Don’t take it so to heart,” she comforted. “I think it was fine in you to wish to join a Camp Fire party. You only misunderstood. That’s all. Now brace up and listen to me. I am going to have a talk with the girls to-night. We are to have a meeting in Betty’s and Jane’s room. I shall tell them that I wish you to be my guest during August. I hope you won’t mind if I explain things. It wouldn’t be quite fair to them not to. If they don’t see things as I do, then will you accept an invitation to spend July with me? That would help some, wouldn’t it?”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that,” mumbled Blanche, half raising her head. “I’ll have to be with Mamma until she goes to the sanatorium. She isn’t going there until the last of July, after Papa leaves for the West.” Blanche straightened up with a jerk as she delivered this dampening information. She had not anticipated Ruth’s proposed method of thus solving her difficulty, and it did not coincide with her views.