The Mystery of Arnold Hall

by Helen M. Persons

  CHAPTER XXII CLARICE

  Rehearsals for the ballet in which Jack and his partner were featured hadended before Patricia was banned; so it was not until Saturday night thatJane discovered who the sub was to be.

  "What is _she_ doing here?" whispered the harried director to Frances,who had sufficiently recovered from her annoyance to help with themake-up.

  "Who?" inquired Frances, busy laying out grease, paint, and powder.

  "Clarice. She's out there on the stage as large as life. We can't haveany unnecessary people back here."

  Just then Jack approached his partner, and as they practiced a couple ofdifficult steps together, the awful truth dawned upon Jane. Thoughusually slow to anger, her temper suddenly flared up at the trick whichhad been played on her.

  "I think that's just contemptible!" she exclaimed, rapping a brushsharply on the table.

  "What on earth is the matter?" inquired Ruth, who had just entered withan armload of costumes.

  "For Pat and Jack to have given Clarice a part in the dance withouttelling me."

  "But," said Ruth, "you didn't ask Pat who was to take her place. Iwondered at the time."

  "I never dreamed of its being Clarice! I thought it was some friend ofJack's."

  "I have an idea," cried Frances. "It isn't for nothing Pat's turned overher boy friend to Clarice. It's my opinion that it is Clarice Pat isshielding."

  "What makes you think that?" asked Ruth.

  "I just have a hunch, and I'm going to ferret out the truth."

  "What's the use of that now?" asked Jane.

  "Lots of use; for it would restore Pat to the good graces of--"

  "But we couldn't go out and squeal on someone else," objected Jane.

  "For cats' sake, girls, stop talking and get busy," pleaded the harasseddirector. "We'll never be ready for the curtain at eight-fifteen."

  It was not until the very end of the long program that the Arnold Hallgirls went on. A series of dances made up the scene, which was in aforest. The dance specialty by Jack and Clarice was just over when littleSylvia, the niece of Dean Walters--as a lost princess--danced to thefront of the stage.

  Excited by the crowd, she flung out her arms and fluffy skirts as shecame forward. A sudden whirl brought her up against a torch held by oneof the woodsmen, and in an instant she was ablaze. Like a flash, Clariceupset a huge jar of daisies and rolled the child back and forth on thesoaked rug. While the curtain was hastily rung down, Clarice picked upthe child and tried to soothe her. The fluffy dress was a wet, charredrag, but Sylvia was unharmed.

  "Darling," choked Dean Walters, snatching the child, "it was thequickest--" she began. Then turning to Clarice, she said, "Come in to seeme tomorrow."

  "Isn't it lucky I had to give up the part!" said Pat to Jack. "I shouldnever have known what to do. And since the kiddie wasn't harmed, howwonderfully it will help to reinstate Clarice."

  Frances, who was in the woodsmen's hut just back of them, heard no more;but this much was enough.

  "Clarice," cried Mrs. Vincent, "are you burned at all?"

  "Not a bit," replied the girl, a bit shaky, now the excitement was over.

  "What ever could I have said to Albert--to your father--if any harm hadcome to you!"

  "Well, none did," said Clarice, starting for the dressing room.

  "She's tired and excited," said Jane kindly, as the chaperon's lipsquivered and her troubled eyes followed the progress of her favoriteacross the stage.

  "Did you ever know anybody to act so quickly?" demanded Mrs. Vincentproudly. "Most people didn't know what had happened. I guess the Deanwon't be quite so ready to--" Realizing suddenly that she was saying toomuch in her excitement, she stopped abruptly and hurried off the stage.

  The following day, Jane, Anne, Frances, and Ruth were sitting on a benchin Reservoir Park, facing the west. A beautiful sunset was dyeing the skya brilliant crimson and gold. They had gone for a walk after dinner, andnow were resting and discussing the events of the preceding evening.

  "It's very clear to me," Frances was saying emphatically, "that the Deanmust have decided upon something drastic regarding Clarice; that Pat knewabout it, and got into trouble helping her out."

  "And then thought it might show the Dean that the girls liked and trustedthe real Clarice if she had a big part in the show," continued Anne,tracing a pattern in the dust of the path with a small twig.

  "I know that she, herself, taught Clarice that dance," contributed Ruth,who was industriously pulling a daisy apart, meanwhile saying to herself,"'He loves me; he loves me not.' Clarice told me so when I pressed thequestion last night as to where she had learned it."

  Jane, who had been listening silently with thoughtfully knitted brows anda puzzled expression in her honest grey eyes, now sprang up and faced thethree on the bench.

  "I think I have it!"

  "What?" demanded Ruth in alarm. "Not _measles_!" In one of thedormitories there was a mild epidemic of that disease of childhood.

  "Oh, no," laughed Jane, "but listen! The night Pat was missing from herroom, I was in the bathroom between ten-thirty and eleven. You remember,Ruthie, I told you that the salad we had at dinner made me feel sick?"

  Ruth nodded.

  "While I was in there, I heard someone cross the hall and go very softlyinto Clarice's room--it's right next to the bathroom, you know. It didn'tsound like Clarice, for she puts her heels down so hard; and the personwas very quiet. At the time, I didn't pay much attention, or try tofigure it out; I was feeling pretty sick. But since you've been talking,this suddenly all came back to me. Do you know what I think? I'll betthat Pat discovered Clarice was out for a good time somewhere, and tookher room so her absence wouldn't be noticed. Their hair is about the sameshade, and in the dark it would be easy to--"

  "Jane! Jane!" cried Anne joyfully. "I believe you _have_ solved thepuzzle."

  "Listen," Frances broke in, "to what I overheard Pat say last night!" Andshe repeated what she heard of Patricia's conversation with Jack.

  "I'll bet the Dean intended to drop Clarice if she got another demerit,"said Ruth, when Frances had finished.

  "And it fits right in with what Dolly started to say last night," saidJane, nodding with satisfaction.

  "Now all we need to know is whether Clarice was out after hours lastThursday," concluded Anne; "and when we get home, I'm going to ask her."

  "And if she was?" queried Jane.

  "Then--I think--" replied Anne slowly, "that I shall tell her what wesuspect. I was with Clarice quite a bit the first of last year, and gotto know her fairly well. There's more good in her than one would suspect,and she's the last person who'd let anybody else take her punishments."

  "But, Anne," protested Jane, as they rose to go. The brilliant colors ofthe sky had faded, and it was beginning to get dark. "Won't you beundoing all that Pat tried to bring about?"

  "No, for the Dean had a long talk with Clarice this afternoon, and theyunderstand each other perfectly. I imagine that Clarice was quite frankabout herself, for she told me the Dean was just lovely to her, andregretted their not having understood each other before. Clarice haspretty much of a crush, and she'll do anything for a person she loves.You see, Clarice's mother died a number of years ago, and Mr. Tyson haslived in boarding houses and hotels ever since. He adored Clarice, andsimply spoiled her, until she became very headstrong. Then he decided tosend her to college in the hope that its discipline and associationswould sort of make her over--"

  "But, Anne," interrupted Jane; "if you knew all this, why didn't you tellus before? We might have helped, instead of sitting in judgment on her sooften."

  "I didn't know _all_ of it until this morning, and you'd never guess whotold me. _Dolly._"

  "Dolly!" exclaimed the other girls simultaneously.

  "You remember the break she made last night about 'Albert'? Well, I thinkshe wanted to explain that a bit; so she waited for me after church, andon the way home told
me what I have just repeated to you. She met Mr.Tyson and Clarice at the seashore, somewhere in Massachusetts, a coupleof years ago; and I guess, again last summer."

  "Then _that's_ why she's so fond of Clarice," remarked Frances; "and I'llbet my last dollar she's fond of 'Albert' too. Where does he live?"

  "Boston."

  "Ah, ha! She gets a letter from Boston every week!" cried Francestriumphantly.

  "How do you know?" demanded Jane.

  "Have you forgotten that I bring down the mail at noon every day?"

  Jane did not reply; for they were by that time at the door of ArnoldHall. As soon as they entered, Anne went in search of Clarice; and nobodysaw either of them again that night.