“That must be Amy,” she said. “Now I don’t have to tell my history twice.”
She strode to the door to let the new arrival in, and in a few seconds ushered her into the living room.
“This is Amy Preston,” she announced, “and this,” she continued, waving a hand at the five girls in the living room, “is a room full of girls. Come on in and meet them.”
Peggy thought that Amy Preston was just about the prettiest girl she had ever seen, and as she watched her gracefully shaking hands and saying hello, she felt sure that they would be friends. Amy’s honey-blond hair framed a small oval face, large brown eyes and a smiling, self-possessed expression. When she spoke, it was with a soft, pleasant Southern accent and a low voice. Irene introduced Amy to Peggy last of all, and Peggy said, “I’m really glad to have you here. I’m new too. I just came in about a half hour ago, and I was so relieved to know that I wasn’t going to be the only new girl.”
“It makes me feel heaps better too,” Amy said. “In fact, as much as I’ve been looking forward to New York, I’ve been half dreading this first meeting. I may not look it, but I’m really quite shy.”
“And I was just thinking how well you handled yourself during all these introductions!” Peggy said.
“Oh, you have to do that if you’re shy,” Amy said. “That way, people never know about it. It’s the same thing as going on the stage, I guess. They say that the best actresses and actors are always just nearly paralyzed with stage fright. In fact, I think that’s what adds the extra excitement to their presence. At least I hope so!”
“Did you come to New York to act, too?” Peggy asked.
“I hope to, if I’m lucky,” Amy replied. “But first off, I came to study.”
“So did I,” Peggy said. “Where are you studying?”