“Well, they are determined to do something at any rate, and it occurs to me that you might pick up your piano work a little closer. We have to take part in the musicale as well as they.”
“No, indeed,” Tavia answered, shaking her already tossed head. “I read the other day that more children become deaf from piano work than from any other cause, and I’ll take no chance. Besides that, I knew a man in Dalton who was almost stone deaf from working in a boiler factory, and if that music room isn’t worse than a boiler factory I’d like to know it. Well, if you won’t go, I must. I know I’m missing something now,” and she flitted off as if there was but one thing for a girl to do, and that was to enjoy herself.
When there was no danger of her being discovered Dorothy made her way to Zada’s room, and listened at the door. Yes, she was still sobbing bitterly, and with a whisper, and a slight knock, Dorothy asked to be admitted.
There was the little one—the smallest girl in the school—packing up her things!
“What are you doing, Zada?” asked Dorothy in surprise. “You must not think of leaving school!”
“But I can’t stay,” she sobbed. “I am going to write a letter to Mrs. Pangborn and—I—am going—to run away!”
“Zada! Run away!”
“Yes. I know how to get home if it is away down South. And I never would have believed,” she rubbed her eyes, “that there could be such treacherous school girls! If only I had known you better, first.”
It flashed before Dorothy’s mind that the Jean Faval club had perhaps made a tool of this child. But how to remedy it now? How to convince her that even at Glenwood all things might be made right? Had not Dorothy studied to save Tavia from serious trouble through a number of terms? Now Tavia was able, or ought to be able, to take care of herself, and here was poor little Zada rubbing her eyes out!
“I’ll tell you, dear,” Dorothy began, “I have found that some girls cannot get along away from home without keeping up trouble for other girls. They do not mean to have things go so wrong. It’s almost a habit—this plotting and scheming against those of the other sets. Do be sensible, and just rest your head down there, while I hang up your things again. You will feel entirely different in the morning.”