CHAPTER XVII
THE LAST STRAW
The days glided by rapidly. The Christmas holidays came, bringing withthem the usual round of gayeties. Thanks to the Phi Sigma Tau, thelonely element of High School girls did not lack for good cheer. As atThanksgiving, each member of the sorority entertained two or more girlson Christmas and New Year's, and were amply repaid for their good deedby the warm appreciation of their guests.
Tom Gray came down for the holidays, bringing with him his roommate,Arnold Evans, a fair-haired, blue-eyed young man of twenty, who provedhimself thoroughly likable in every respect. He lost no time incultivating Miriam's acquaintance, and the two soon became firm friends.
Tom gave a dinner to his roommate, inviting "the seven originals," as heexpressed it, and Miriam, who felt that at last she really belonged inthe charmed circle. David was even more pleased than his sister over theturn affairs had taken. To have Miriam a member of his own particular"crowd" had always been David's dearest wish, and the advent of ArnoldEvans had done away with Miriam being the odd one. So the circle wasenlarged to ten young people, who managed to crowd the two weeks'vacation with all sorts of healthful pleasures.
There were coasting and sleighing parties, and on one occasion a walk toold Jean's hut in Upton Wood, where they were hospitably entertained bythe old hunter, who had smilingly pointed to the wolf skins on the wall,asking them if they remembered the winter day two years before whenthose same skins held wolves who were far too lively for comfort. Thenthe story of their escape had to be gone over again for Arnold'sbenefit.
They had stayed until the moon came up, and, accompanied by the oldhunter, had walked back to Oakdale in the moonlight.
After the holidays came the brief period of hard study before thedreaded mid-year examinations. Basketball enthusiasm declined rapidlyand a remarkable devotion to study ensued that lasted until examinationsbegan. By the last week in January, the ordeal was past.
Eleanor Savell had not yet returned to school. Whether or not she wouldbe allowed to return was a question that occasioned a great deal ofdiscussion among three lower classes of girls. Edna Wright and the othermembers of the sorority organized by Eleanor were loud in theirexpressions of disapproval as to Miss Thompson's "severity" towardEleanor. They talked so freely about it, that it reached the principal'sears. She lost no time in sending for them, and after a session in theoffice, they emerged looking subdued and crestfallen; and after that itwas noted that when in conversation with their schoolmates, they made nofurther allusion to Miss Thompson's methods of discipline.
There was a faint murmur of surprise around the study hall onemorning, however, when Miss Thompson walked in to conduct the openingexercises, accompanied by Eleanor, who, without looking at the school,seated herself at the desk nearest to where the principal stood.
When the morning exercises were concluded, Miss Thompson nodded slightlyto Eleanor, who turned rather pale, then rose, and, facing the school,said in a clear voice:
"I wish to apologize to Miss Thompson for impertinence andinsubordination. I also wish to publicly apologize to the members of thePhi Sigma Tau for having accused them of treachery concerning a certainmatter that recently came up in this school."
"Your apology is accepted, Miss Savell. You may take your own seat,"said the principal.
Without looking to the right or left, Eleanor walked proudly up theaisle to her seat, followed by the gaze of those girls who could notrefrain from watching her. The Phi Sigma Tau, to a member, sat with eyesstraight to the front. They had no desire to increase Eleanor'sdiscomfiture, for they realized what this public apology must have costher, although they were all equally puzzled as to what had prompted herto humble herself.
Eleanor's apology was not due, however, to a change of heart. She stilldespised Miss Thompson as thoroughly as on the day that she hadmanifested her open scorn and dislike for the principal.
As for Grace and her friends, Eleanor was particularly bitter againstthem, and laid at their door a charge of which they were entirelyinnocent.
Eleanor had told her aunt nothing of her recent trouble in school, buthad feigned illness as an excuse for remaining at home. After attendingthe basketball game her aunt had told her rather sharply that if shewere able to attend basketball games, she was certainly able to continueher studies. Eleanor had agreed to return to school the followingMonday, and had started from home at the usual time with no intentionwhatever of honoring the High School with her presence. She passed themorning in the various stores, lunched in town and went to a matinee inthe afternoon. In this manner she idled the days away until the holidayvacation came, congratulating herself upon her success in pulling woolover the eyes of her long-suffering aunt.
But a day of reckoning was at hand, for just before the close ofvacation Miss Thompson chanced to call at Mrs. Gray's home while Mrs.Gray was entertaining Miss Nevin, and the truth came out.
When Miss Nevin confronted her niece with the deception Eleanor hadpractised upon her, a stormy scene had followed, and Eleanor had accusedGrace Harlowe of telling tales to Mrs. Gray, and Mrs. Gray of carryingthem to her aunt. This had angered Miss Nevin to the extent that she hadimmediately ordered Eleanor to her room without telling her from whomshe had received her information.
For three days Eleanor had remained in her room, refusing to speak toher aunt, who, at the end of that time, decreed that if she did not atonce apologize roundly and return to school her violin and piano wouldboth be taken from her until she should again become reasonable.
In the face of this new punishment, which was the severest penalty thatcould be imposed upon her, Eleanor remained obdurate. Her violin andpiano were removed from her room and the piano in the drawing room wasclosed. Still she stubbornly held out, and it was not until the daybefore the beginning of the new term that she went to her aunt andcoldly agreed to comply with her wishes, providing she might have herviolin and piano once more.
Aside from this conversation they had exchanged no words, and Eleanortherefore entered school that morning still believing the Phi Sigma Tauto be at the bottom of her misfortune.
In spite of her recent assertion that she could not forgive Eleanor,Grace's resentment vanished at sight of her enemy's humiliation. Apublic apology was the last thing that either she or her friendsdesired. Her promise to Mrs. Gray loomed up before her. If Eleanorreally did believe the Phi Sigma Tau innocent, then perhaps this wouldbe the opportunity for reconciliation. After a little thought, she torea sheet of paper from her notebook and wrote:
"DEAR ELEANOR:
"The members of the Phi Sigma Tau are very sorry about your having to make an apology. We did not wish it. We think you showed a great deal of the right kind of courage in making the public apology you did both to Miss Thompson and to us. Won't you come back to the Phi Sigma Tau?
"YOUR SINCERE FRIENDS."
At recess Grace showed the note to her friends. She had signed her nameto the note and requested the others to do the same. Here she met withsome opposition. Nora, Marian Barber and Eva Allen were strongly opposedto sending it. But Jessica, Anne and Miriam agreed with Grace that itwould be in fulfillment of the original promise to Mrs. Gray to helpEleanor whenever they could do so. So the Phi Sigma Tau signed theirnames and the note was passed to Eleanor directly after recess.
She opened it, read it through, and an expression of such intense scornpassed over her face that Nora, who sat near her and who was covertlywatching her, knew at once that Grace's flag of truce had been trampledin the dust.
Picking up her pen, Eleanor wrote rapidly for a brief space, underlinedwhat she had written, signed her name with a flourish, and, folding andaddressing her note, sent it to Grace.
Rather surprised at receiving an answer so quickly, Grace unfolded thenote. Then she colored, looked grave and, putting the note in the backof the text-book she was holding, went on studying.
By th
e time school was over for the day, the girls of the Phi Sigma Tauknew that Eleanor had once more repudiated their overtures of friendshipand were curious to see what she had written.
"Don't keep us in suspense. Let us see what she wrote," exclaimed NoraO'Malley as the seven girls crossed the campus together.
"Here it is," said Grace, handing Nora the note.
Nora eagerly unfolded the paper and the girls crowded around, readingover her shoulder, Grace walking a little apart from them. Then Noraread aloud:
"TO THE PHI SIGMA TAU:
"Your kind appreciation of my conduct in the matter of apology is really remarkable, coupled with the fact that your inability to refrain from discussing my personal affairs with Mrs. Gray forced this recent humiliation upon me. To ask me to return to your society is only adding insult to injury. I am not particularly surprised at this, however. It merely proves you to be greater hypocrites than you at first seemed.
"ELEANOR SAVELL."
"Well, of all things!" exclaimed Marian Barber. "Grace Harlowe, if youever attempt to conciliate her again, I'll disown you."
"What does she mean by saying that we discussed her affairs with Mrs.Gray?" cried Jessica impatiently. "We have always tried to put her bestside out to dear Mrs. Gray, and you all know it."
"The best thing to do," said Anne, smiling a little, "is to tell Mrs.Gray all about it. We might as well live up to the reputation Eleanorhas thrust upon us. It isn't pleasant to admit that we have failed withEleanor, but it isn't our fault, at any rate. I am going there thisafternoon. I'll tell her."
"May I go with you, Anne?" asked Grace.
"You know I'd love to have you," Anne replied.
"As long as I was the first to agree to look out for Eleanor, I havedecided I had better be with you at the finish," said Grace, as the twogirls walked slowly up the drive.
"The finish?" asked Anne. "Why do you say that, Grace?"
"You've heard about the last straw that broke the camel's back, haven'tyou?" asked Grace. "Well, Eleanor's note is the last straw. I know Isaid that once before, and I broke my word. I don't intend to break itagain, however. I am going to ask Mrs. Gray to release me from mypromise."
Grace Harlowe's Junior Year at High School Page 17
