Their minds now bent on breakfast, nothing further of a confidential nature passed between them as they began an orderly rush down the stairs. The little heart to heart talk had, however, done much toward laying Ruth’s doubts to rest. She mentally reproached herself for having allowed them to trouble her, and resolved that she would somehow make up to Blanche for this brief season of distrust.
CHAPTER V
THREE LETTERS
“Here it is!” exclaimed Ruth Garnier as she bent an earnest scrutiny on the bulletin board in the hall and triumphantly plucked from it the fateful letter, addressed to herself in Marian’s familiar hand. Four days had elapsed since the posting of Ruth’s letter to her cousin, and the seven friends had been impatiently awaiting a reply.
“Get you ready, there’s a meeting here to-night,
Get you ready, there’s a meeting here to-night!”
joyously caroled Jane Pellew, who stood peering over Ruth’s shoulder. By way of expressing further approbation, Jane executed a few fantastic steps as she trilled.
“Sing the rest of it, Janie,” called mischievous Frances from the stairs. “Then Miss Belaire will hear you and come out of her office to compliment you on the sweetness and carrying power of your voice, particularly the carrying power. May I ask if that is an original ditty? If so, it is rather of a sameness. I suppose the third line is precisely like the first and the second, etc.”
“No, it isn’t an original ditty,” mimicked Jane. “It’s a good old camp meeting song that the darkies down home sing, and—”
“How interesting,” interrupted Frances blandly. “So glad you told me. I had an idea it was a kind of vocal announcement that the Equitable Eight would hold forth this evening.”