“Whatever is the matter?” demanded Edna. “I will go and fetch Tavia, and we will appoint a board of inquiry. This looks serious.”
“Don’t joke,” Dorothy finally said. “Sometimes jokes are painful.”
“Oh, my dear! I beg your pardon. I did not mean to annoy you,” apologized Edna, sincerely.
“I know you did not, Edna,” said Dorothy, “but we seem to have trouble, in spite of our very good friends.” She sighed, and glanced at Zada. The latter had almost dried her eyes. “Zada, I am afraid, is homesick, and I am trying to cure her——”
“Homesick!” interrupted Dick. “I had that so bad the first year, that I broke out in shingles. But even that did not get me free. I had to stay, and I am glad of it. Don’t you worry, Zada. There are worse places than Glenwood,” she finished cheeringly.
“Oh, I know that,” said Zada sniffling, “but it is very different here than at home.”
“Of course it is. That’s why we are here. If home were like this my mother would go crazy,” said the girl laughing. “Just imagine us tearing around as we do here! Why, my father would be so shocked he would put me in close confinement. At the same time, here we think we are very nice and proper. Well, there goes the bell, and we haven’t had a bit of fun. I wonder what happened to Jean? She did not come out at all.”
“And where is Tavia?” asked Dorothy, rising in answer to the bell, and pressing Zada’s hand kindly. “She must have had to do her work over.”
“Oh, worse than that. She had to apologize. Poor Tavia! She never makes a face but she is caught at it, I guess. Cummings does not love her as a sister,” said Molly Richards.
“Well, we had better hurry, or we will be tardy,” suggested Dorothy. “I have a lot to do—I did not study much last night.”