CHAPTER IV
PATIENCE PROMISES TO STAND BY
For the next three days Patience Eliot passed successfully for afreshman. Then came the sudden dismaying rumor that she was registeredin the sophomore theme class. A little later it was announced positivelythat she had passed up freshman French. The truth suddenly burst uponcertain members of the sophomore class who had selected Miss Eliot as asplendid subject for sophomore grinds, when, on the occasion of theirfirst class meeting, she walked quietly into the class room where it wasto be held, and took her place with a cheerful, matter-of-course airthat was very disturbing to various abashed sophomores who had plannedmischief.
Far from being angry, the astonished sophomores treated the New Englandgirl's mild deception as a joke, and by it she sprang into instantpopularity with her class. There were a few disgruntled students whocriticized her, but these were so far in the minority that they countedfor little. Kathleen West was among this minority. On the evening whenthe girl from New England had been shown into the room at the end of thehall, Kathleen had conceived a strong dislike for this calm-faced,independent young woman, whose quiet self-assurance nettled her, andmentally decided that she belonged to the preaching, narrow-minded classof girls who made life a burden for those who did not live up to acertain impossible standard. Patience Eliot had been even less favorablyimpressed with the newspaper girl. "She has a frightful temper," hadbeen her mental observation, "and looks the reverse of agreeable." Asidefrom a brief exchange of conversation, silence had reigned in the room,and remembering the happy faces of the girls she had seen at thebreakfast table that morning, Patience had felt not wholly pleased withher new quarters and not a little lonely.
The incident of the broken china had been fortunate in that it hadbrought about a friendly, informal meeting between Grace and herself.After that everything had glided smoothly along. Patience and Gracereceived an invitation to take dinner with Miss Sheldon the followingSunday, and this occasion served to strengthen the New England girl'sfavorable impression of Grace to such an extent that by the end of theweek the knot of friendship between them had been firmly tied.
From the moment of Kathleen West's discovery that her roommate was fastbecoming friendly with the very girls she affected to despise, sheadopted an aggressive manner toward the New England girl which thelatter was quick to perceive and tactfully ignore. Patience had anunusually keen insight into character, and she had made up her mind notto get beyond the point of exchanging common civilities with thedisgruntled young woman who seemed determined to go through college withher eyes tightly closed to her own interests.
That the newspaper girl possessed a fondness for study and neverneglected her lessons was a point in her favor, in Patience's eyes. Asthe daughter of a well-known man of letters she had inherited herfather's love of study and an appreciation of that same love in others.She frequently smiled at the clever, caustic remarks the strange, moodygirl was wont to make about everything and everybody, and occasionallyshe surprised even Kathleen herself by her ready appreciation of thethemes the latter wrote.
It was several weeks before the two young women even became accustomedto each other. During that time Kathleen learned that Patience was proofagainst her aggressiveness, and not half so narrow-minded as she hadthought; while Patience discovered, to her dismay, that in spite ofKathleen's undoubted wit and brilliancy, she disliked her rather more,if anything, than on first acquaintance.
"I feel quite conscience-stricken over it," she confided to Grace oneafternoon as they started down College Street for a short walk beforedinner. "I wouldn't tell any one else, Grace, but I simply can't likeMiss West. I've tried, and I can't. I am equally sure she doesn't likeme. Imagine us sharing the intimacy of one room, and at the same timedisliking each other cordially. I suppose there isn't the slightestchance for me to make a change this year. Besides, I don't wish to leaveWayne Hall."
"Oh, you mustn't think of leaving Wayne Hall!" exclaimed Grace indismay. "I am so sorry about Miss West. She is a peculiar girl. None ofthe girls here pretend to understand her. When first she came here as afreshman she was friendly enough with us. Then something occurred forwhich we were not to blame, or rather, we did not know that Miss Westconsidered us at fault," corrected Grace conscientiously. "At any rate,she suddenly began to avoid us. For a long time we didn't know thereason." Grace paused for an instant. "By the time we found out, it wastoo late. Other things had happened. I can't really tell you much aboutthat part of it," she added, reddening, "but in fairness to myself andmy friends I will say that we were not to blame for what followed.There, that isn't very definite, is it? But I know you won't ask anyquestions."
"Not one," returned Patience gravely. "I knew, of course, that relationsbetween you two were strained, but hadn't the slightest idea of thecause of it all. I believe I understand something of the situation now."
They tramped along in silence for a time. Grace was thinking almostresentfully that even in her senior year she seemed unable to freeherself from a sense of responsibility toward Kathleen West. Her greataffection for Mabel Ashe had undoubtedly been at the bottom of it, but,deep in her heart, Grace knew that had there been no Mabel to pave theway for Kathleen, she would have done whatever lay in her power to helpthis strange girl, who had no conception of, and was not likely ever toimbibe, that intangible and yet wholly necessary principle, collegespirit. She wondered a little sadly why Mabel Ashe had not written her.Could it be possible that Mabel had heard unkind, untruthful tales ofher from the newspaper girl? Grace impatiently accused herself of beingsuspicious and tried to shake off the impression.
While she was pursuing this uncomfortable train of thought, PatienceEliot was covertly watching her companion's face. The expression she sawthere evidently did not please her, and with a slightly determined setof her lips and a gleam of sudden purpose in her frank eyes, shepromised herself that, beginning that very day, she would try to studyKathleen from an entirely different standpoint than heretofore. Layingher hand on Grace's shoulder she said warmly: "Don't worry, Grace. Iwill take back what I said about leaving Wayne Hall. I'm going to staythere until the last day of my sophomore year, at least. And as long asI stay I shall no doubt go on rooming with Miss West. There, does thatmake you feel better?"
"It is positively noble in you to say that, Patience," responded Gracegratefully. "I know you are bound to be put to endless personalinconvenience on account of it. I feel peculiarly responsible for MissWest, because I promised Mabel Ashe, who knows her, that I would helpher to like college. I have told you all about Mabel before. Next toAnne and Miriam, Mabel was my best friend here at Overton. I can't beginto tell you how I missed her last year. When Miss West first came toOverton I thought it would be perfectly splendid to have a realnewspaper reporter with us, and because she was Mabel's friend I feltdoubly sure of liking her.
"Mabel had sent me a telegram asking me to go to the station to meether. Anne and I didn't allow any grass to grow under our feet. We rushedoff post haste to the station. Confidentially, we were dreadfullydisappointed in her. She was not in the least the sort of girl that Ihad expected to meet. I suppose I entertained an almost exaggerated ideaof what a newspaper woman should be. I've always enjoyed reading storiesabout clever women who covered important assignments and made good onnewspapers. You know the kind of stories I mean."
Patience nodded understandingly. "Real people are never like people inbooks," she commented. "Usually the real folks do far more startlingthings than the book people ever thought of doing."
"I know it," agreed Grace, with a rueful smile. "Suppose I say what youjust said happens to apply to this case, and leave the rest to yourimagination."
"Very neatly put," was Patience's grim answer. "My imagination is quiteequal to the strain. As her roommate, I can draw upon fact rather thanimagination."
"Yet I have a curious feeling that you are going to succeed where wehave failed. You are so strong and capable and----" Grace's earnest eyeslooked their confidence in Patie
nce, as she groped for the word thatwould describe her friend. "I can't think of the right word now, but youunderstand me. What I mean is that once you had made up your mind to dosomething, you'd do it or die."
"'Tis the blood of my Revolutionary ancestors that spurs me on to deedsof might," declaimed Patience. "Don't give up the ship--girl, I mean,"she finished humorously.
"That looks like Miss West just ahead of us!" exclaimed Grace. "She camefrom that house at the end of the row. A crowd of freshmen live thereand one of them seems to be a particular friend of hers."
"You mean Miss Rawle?" replied Patience. "I have named her my dailyaffliction. She haunts Wayne Hall with a persistency worthy of a bettercause. She adores Miss West, and tells me all about it while she iswaiting for Kathleen, who, I suspect, runs away from her more than once.She refers to little Miss Rawle as 'my crush,' but her tone isunpleasantly sarcastic. Miss Rawle honestly admires Miss West and seemsto have a great deal of faith in her ability to write. SometimesKathleen is the soul of hospitality. At other times she barely respondsto Miss Rawle's timid remarks. When she behaves in that fashion I feeltempted to give her a good shaking. More than once I have seen MissRawle say good night when she looked ready to cry."
"I wish I knew how to get hold of Kathleen," said Grace, lookingtroubled. "It is simply a case of good material going to waste, isn'tit?"
Patience shrugged her square shoulders. "I had a glimmer of hope that,once she and I became accustomed to each other, we might at least dwelltogether in peace. So far peace has been maintained by great effort onmy part. How much longer it will endure is a question."
At the door of Wayne Hall Grace paused irresolutely. "Oh, dear!" sheexclaimed, "I forgot to stop at the stationer's, and I need a lot oflittle things, too. I must go back and get them. Will you come with me,Patience?"
Patience shook her head. "I want to read for a few minutes beforedinner. It is almost the only time I have to read for pleasure. Youwon't care if I go on upstairs, will you, Grace?"
"Of course not. I wish I didn't have to go. I'll see you at dinner."
Grace hurried down the walk on her errand, while Patience went on intothe house and to her room.
Grace Harlowe's Fourth Year at Overton College Page 4
