The Girls of St. Wode's Part 17

She did her utmost to crush Miss Frere, declaring that if woman, the modern woman, who had such a vast work before her, was to spend her life devoting herself to the pleasures of the toilet, to society, to mere ornamentation, to the thought of what others would think of her, she would be frittering away her birthright, and would be a despicable creature.

"There are no two sides," cried Belle. "Woman has got to choose. If she means to take up her whole mission, she must drop that which has hindered her in the past; she must cast away her crutch and stand alone."

"Hear! hear!" burst from some of the students whose ideas coincided with Belle's.

"For shame!" muttered others.

"Yes," continued Belle, raising her short-sighted eyes and glancing down the hall to right and left of her. "I repeat once again that there are no two sides. I disagree with Miss Frere in toto. Away with shams! Away with shams!"

As Belle said the last words she brought down her hand upon the table with a great clap which caused the gla.s.s and bottle of water standing upon it to rattle ominously.

There was a stamping of feet when she sat down. Marjorie and Eileen looked no longer displeased; their eyes were bright and their cheeks flushed.

"Dear old Belle," whispered one of the girls to the other; "it is quite refres.h.i.+ng to hear her and to see her again."

"How true to her colours she is," said Eileen. "I respect her more than words can say."

After the speeches from the opener and the opposition, the debate proceeded with enthusiasm. Girls argued for Miss Frere and against Miss Frere; but finally, when the summing-up was over, Miss Frere was able to declare that she had a small victory on her side. She then thanked the girls for their polite attention, hoped that those who differed from her would by and by see matters in another light, and broke up the debate.

It was now past ten o'clock; and Jane, turning to Leslie, reminded her that she had promised to join the cocoa party in her room.

"And I shall be delighted if your friends will come too," she said. "Oh, I see they have joined Belle Acheson; I cannot help being sorry for them."

"Is that girl Belle Acheson?" cried Leslie in some astonishment. "I only met the Chetwynds to-day, and they were speaking of her."

"Belle is a perfect horror," said Jane. "She leads the extreme party in the college; but I do not think anyone really likes her. Now, do come to my room."

Four other girls were already a.s.sembled in Miss Heriot's room. They had provided themselves with seats, and were lounging about in a very free-and-easy manner. Jane proceeded to make cocoa, chatting as she did so. All the talk was intelligent and bright. The girls drew Leslie into their midst, holding out affectionate hands of comrades.h.i.+p. They asked her eagerly about her former life, and what she had done in the way of study. When they heard that she had pa.s.sed her London Matriculation, they congratulated her, and said that she would be sure to do well at St. Wode's.

"And you will be popular too," said Florrie Smart. "I can see that at a glance. Oh, I don't mean to flatter; but you are not the sort who will go over to the Belle Acheson side."

"I don't think I shall," replied Leslie gently. "I did not approve of what she said. My mother agrees entirely with Miss Frere."

"And therefore you agree with Miss Frere; is not that so?" said Alice Smart.

"I love my mother more than words can say," replied Leslie. The tears started to her eyes as she spoke. Florrie Smart held out her hand and gave Leslie an affectionate pressure on her arm.

"I quite understand," she said. "Alice and I also have a mother-such a darling."

"But I do wish you had a room to yourself, you poor old thing," said Alice Smart. "Miss Colchester is a well-meaning creature; but to live with her-oh, it would be a real trial!"

"And I wonder what Miss Gilroy will do when the other girls call on her," said Jane. "Annie will be so cross; she won't make herself the least bit agreeable. She is learning-mad; that is the only word I can say for her."

"I must make the best of it, however matters turn out," said Leslie. "I am only sorry that Miss Colchester is not a little more tidy; but I dare say I shall get on with her very well."

"And you know you can make your own part of the room as pretty as you please," said Florrie, speaking again. "You ought to go to Hunt's, in the Broad, to-morrow; he is the decorator of all our rooms. Some of us spend a good deal over our rooms; others again are more economical. But Hunt will do the thing in any way you wish, and he won't send in the account until the end of term. That latter fact is of importance to some of us, I can tell you."

As Florrie said the last words she rose.

"I am too sleepy to stay up another moment," she said, "fascinating as your cocoa-parties always are, Janie; but I was out so long this afternoon that I am half-dead with sleep."

"And I, too, am very sleepy," said Alice, rising. "Janie, that cocoa was excellent. Ta-ta; sleep well."

The girls nodded to Leslie, then to Jane Heriot, and the next moment Leslie was also bidding Miss Heriot good-night. She ran down the corridor to her own room. As she approached the door, a furious sound of someone pacing up and down fell on her ears. She felt glad that she had secured the key. She opened the door quickly, and then saw Annie, with her red hair flying wildly about her face and shoulders, pacing up and down the room. Annie was talking aloud with great force.

"What can be the matter?" said Leslie as she entered.

"Oh, is that you, my new roomfellow? Pray don't disturb me. I have just reached the bottom of a problem; but my brain nearly went in the effort.

I see it at last; it is magnificent. I do wish you were mathematical; you could rejoice with me."

Leslie glanced at her with a smile.

"I don't know anything whatever about mathematics," she said; "but, at least, I won't disturb you."

She moved softly to her own end, sat down on a corner of her sofa-bed, and taking up her Bible read a verse or two before she went to bed. The familiar words quieted her overexcited heart. She thought of her mother at home, of Llewellyn, and of the younger children; and for the first time a rush of real loneliness visited her.

"But I won't give way to it," she said to herself. "Strange as it all is at the present moment, I am certain I shall find it delightful by and by. I intend to make the very best of everything. Poor Annie Colchester-has she a chance to sleep with that terrible mental excitement? I only trust I shan't go mad over literature in the way she does over mathematics."

Annie, having worn off some of her surplus excitement, had again sunk down by her desk; her face was buried in her hands, and she was sighing in a feeble sort of fas.h.i.+on. Leslie went up and touched her on her shoulder.

"You ought to go to bed," she said; "you are absolutely weary from all that work."

"To bed?" said Annie. "Just feel my brow." She caught hold of Leslie's slim hand and held it to her forehead.

"It does burn awfully," said Leslie. "You really ought not to work too hard."

"But I must; you can never guess what depends on my work. There, I ought not to confide in a new girl and on the first night."

"Tell me anything that will comfort you," said Leslie in a voice full of sympathy. "I quite understand home life, if it is that you allude to."

"I don't. I never knew home life, and I cannot possibly tell you to-night, nor, perhaps, ever; but I am willing to say this much: There is a great, a terrible reason why I must succeed. If I take honors in mathematics all will be well, if not-- Don't ask me any more, Miss Gilroy."

"Well, at least, let me help you to go to bed," said Leslie.

"To bed, with this head of mine! It is almost on fire, and my feet are like ice. I could not possibly sleep. I often lie awake until morning.

When matters are very bad, I rise and pace the floor. You won't mind, will you, if you hear me pacing between two and four, because I do so most nights?"

"I am sorry," said Leslie, trying to smother her own feelings of annoyance. "I mean I am sorry on your account; but you must go to bed now. I cannot share your room and not feel a certain amount of responsibility with regard to you. I will rub your feet and make them warm if you will let me, and if I put a handkerchief, wrung out of water, to your head the heat will soon leave it. Llewellyn was like that once or twice, and I always got him to sleep in that fas.h.i.+on. He fell asleep while I was rubbing. Oh, it is so soothing! Do let me try it."

"You are a kind-hearted creature; but who in the world is Llewellyn?"

"My brother, and the darling of my heart."

"Your brother, the darling of your heart," echoed Annie. A queer expression filled her eyes; they flashed with sudden fire. She started to her feet.

"I am glad you are my roomfellow," she said impulsively. "I feel that by and by we shall be friends. Do give me your hand; put it on my forehead.

It is true that you have a soothing touch."

"The thing to remember just now," said Leslie, speaking as brightly as she could, "is that it is almost twelve o'clock. It is very wrong indeed of you to be up so late; and when did you eat anything last? I happened to notice that you scarcely touched your dinner."