“Yes, I know, Mrs. Taft, but something has already been done about it,” Miss Trellain said. “You see, all the girls came in to see me yesterday afternoon and we had quite a conversation regarding this. They were all so very apologetic and wanted to know what they should do. I told them nothing short of a sincere apology to Miss Shaw would be acceptable. They are waiting to see her, but since we didn’t know when she would come home from the hospital, the girls have been waiting in the dormitory. So if you both would come with me, we will go up there and give them an opportunity to express their regrets.”
Mrs. Taft rose and followed her as she said, “They had better have sincere regrets.”
Mandie hated facing the girls with her grandmother. She had no idea what Mrs. Taft might say or do and worried it might make matters worse, but she followed the two ladies anyway.
When they walked into the sitting room of the dormitory, a crowd of girls greeted them with “Hello, Mandie” and “We’re glad you’re back.” Then one by one the girls said that they were sorry for what happened and for saying such mean things. They admitted to her that they were jealous and threatened by her because of the amazing opportunities she has had in her life so far.
Mandie didn’t know exactly what to do, so she just said, “Your apologies are accepted,” and turned and hastily left the room. She ran down the huge marble staircase and was surprised when the girls followed her.
When she got to the bottom of the stairs she stopped and said, “All right, you are forgiven. Just please stop following me.”
Mandie turned and ran up to the road where Mr. Donovan was waiting with his carriage. She jumped into the seat and waited for her grandmother to catch up with her.
Suddenly George Stuart appeared and saw Mandie sitting alone in the carriage. He walked up to her and said, “Sorry I cannot speak to you; we haven’t been properly introduced yet.”
His sister, who had been walking with him, stepped forward and said, “Amanda Shaw, I would like for you to meet my brother, George Stuart.”
George bowed and said, “I am very honored to make the acquaintance of Miss Amanda Shaw, the heroine of the hour. Miss Shaw, may I have the honor of being your escort for the final social this year?” He straightened up and waited.
Mandie realized he was really asking her to be his escort at the school banquet. She smiled at him and said, “I shall give it some consideration and give you my answer within a fortnight.”
“Thank you, Miss Shaw,” George Stuart said.
At that moment Mrs. Taft arrived at the carriage and told Mr. Donovan, “We should go on to the carriage factory now, if you please.”
Mr. Donovan helped her into the carriage as Mandie tried to keep the shocked yet excited look off her face.
“Miss Trellain will arrange for you to take your final examinations orally since you cannot use your hand to write,” Mrs. Taft told her. “And those girls sounded quite sincere in their apologies; I hope they’re people you can be friendly with now.”
Mandie was just overwhelmed and needed some time away from the college.
*
When Mandie and Mrs. Taft had finished their errands for the day, they returned to the Dunnigans’, where good news was awaiting Mandie. Her mother had called the law enforcement office and left word that Mandie should not make any arrangements for the end of the school year about visiting her friends. Elizabeth Shaw said that she and John Shaw would be checking Mandie out of school when the year ended, and then they were going to stay at the beach cottage belonging to their friends the Pattons, who would be out of town. Mandie and her mother and her uncle would have two whole weeks together alone, without the babies, and without all those friends Mandie was forever congregating with.
When Mrs. Dunnigan gave Mandie the message, Mandie was more excited than she had ever been about anything. She was going to have her mother and Uncle John all to herself. Everyone seemed to be congregating all the time at some place or other, and she was rather tired of it. She had never had her mother and Uncle John all to herself for any length of time before.
She could hardly wait for the school year to end.
And then she remembered something—Adrian. What would she do if Adrian arrived and tried to catch up with her? She still wasn’t sure whether she wanted to see him or not. She’d think about it and decide by the time school was out for the summer, which was only two weeks away.
And then there was Joe. Was he planning to come down to travel home with her when school let out?
And she couldn’t believe that she had finally been asked out by George Stuart. What would become of him over the summer?
Oh, so many things that needed answers. But for now Mandie was going to enjoy the last two weeks of school with her friends.
Mandie® Mysteries
Mandie and …
1/ the Secret Tunnel
2/ the Cherokee Legend
3/ the Ghost Bandits
4/ the Forbidden Attic
5/ the Trunk’s Secret
6/ the Medicine Man
7/ the Charleston Phantom
8/ the Abandoned Mine
9/ the Hidden Treasure
10/ the Mysterious Bells
11/ the Holiday Surprise
12/ the Washington Nightmare
13/ the Midnight Journey
14/ the Shipboard Mystery
15/ the Foreign Spies
16/ the Silent Catacombs
17/ the Singing Chalet
18/ the Jumping Juniper
19/ the Mysterious Fisherman
20/ the Windmill’s Message
21/ the Fiery Rescue
22/ the Angel’s Secret
23/ the Dangerous Imposters
24/ the Invisible Troublemaker
25/ Her Missing Kin
26/ the Schoolhouse’s Secret
27/ the Courtroom Battle
28/ Jonathan’s Predicament
29/ the Unwanted Gift
30/ the Long Good-bye
31/ the Buried Stranger
32/ the Seaside Rendezvous
33/ the Dark Alley
34/ the Tornado!
35/ the Quilt Mystery
36/ the New York Secret
37/ the Night Thief
38/ the Hidden Past
39/ the Missing Schoolmarm
40/ the Graduation Mystery
*
Mandie: Her College Days
1/ New Horizons
New Horizons Page 17
