Elizabeth Hobart at Exeter Hall Part 22

You must remember the stand Dr. Morgan takes on such matters. You have heard her lecture often enough to know that she does not countenance treating sin and crime lightly. Why, in her last chapel-talk she said that while some amus.e.m.e.nts might be legitimate and proper for us, we must refrain from them because of our influencing others who might be harmed.

I'm sure I could find no better person to follow than Dr. Morgan."

"I do not think her words applied to this instance. At least I would not have taken it so. Nora did cheat last spring; but perhaps she is sorry for it. You do not know but that she looks upon it now with more scorn than you do."

"I hope so. I hope Exeter has had some influence upon her."

"Don't you think, Landis, the proper thing to do, when we know she is ashamed of what she did last spring, is to help her all we can? It seems so unforgiving to be remembering always the little mean actions. I think she has suffered enough as it is. I don't see what is to be gained by slighting her now."

"Perhaps you don't; but this is your first year at Exeter and you have lots more to learn. When you have been here two years more, perhaps your ethical standard will be higher."

"Until I am capable of _copying_ other people's essays and pa.s.sing them off for my own." Elizabeth's lips had grown white as Landis spoke. Never before in all her life had she been as angry as now. It was not alone Landis' words which hurt her, but the girl's manner and tone, which were most insulting.

For an instant Landis' face grew crimson. Elizabeth's remark had struck home. Her embarra.s.sment lasted only for a moment. She was her cool, confident self again.

"I hope you'll never be capable of that," was the rejoinder, spoken lightly as she moved to her desk and took up a pencil preparatory to writing. "Exeter is scarcely a place where one learns such methods. One must have brought the disposition for such things with her."

Elizabeth was not deceived by the light tone of the remark. Having entered into the discussion, she did not intend to retreat with lowered flag.

However, it was scarcely fair to Landis to put her at a disadvantage in Min Kean's presence. While Landis was speaking, the situation presented itself clearly to Elizabeth's mind. She turned to Miss Kean.

"Min, would you care to go over to call on my roommate for a few minutes?

You'll find some home-made candy which mother sent with Joe Ratowsky. I wish to speak with Landis, and it's really too personal for even you to hear."

"Why, certainly! I'll take the gloves along and finish my mending there.

But don't quarrel while I'm gone."

"Scarcely," was the reply from Landis. "I never have quarreled with anyone and I have no desire to begin now." She was much taller than before. She was really quite an impressive person when she was on her dignity.

"Well?" she asked, turning to Elizabeth as the door closed after Min. Her manner and facial expression added, "If you have anything to say, you little insignificant member of the Middlers, say it. Such an august personage as myself has no time to waste in conversation with a little girl."

Elizabeth did not falter. "I did not wish Min to hear what I have to say.

She looks up to you as the literary light at Exeter, and I see no reason to undeceive her. I've known these little facts I'm about to mention since last holidays; but I've told no one. I would never have brought up the subject for discussion, even with you, if you had not been so bitter against Nora. It seems so perfectly ridiculous for you to criticise her for cheating once in examination when you've kept up the same system for months."

"I don't know what you mean!"

"You will soon if you do not now. As I have already said, I would have kept this to myself had you not been insulting to me ever since I came in this morning. I won't be patronized by anyone that I have no confidence in. Every one at Exeter praises your fine essays. I used to, but I don't any more."

"What is the matter with you this morning, Elizabeth? I insulting to you!

The idea was farthest from my thoughts. I'm nervous. I suppose that accounts for my speaking so you misunderstood me. I'm really working very hard. I'm anxious to make a creditable pa.s.sing mark, and then I have Min to coach. You know she does not grasp lessons so quickly as you and some of the brighter ones."

But the open flattery did not lead Elizabeth away from the subject. She had grown years wiser in the six months spent at Exeter. Her knowledge had cost her much of her girlish confidence.

"I--" she began.

Landis, determined to ignore unpleasant subjects, interrupted with, "Have you ever been out to the Adams' farm? I suppose you haven't, since this is your first spring at Exeter. There's a big woods near the house. It is filled with arbutus. I suppose it is beginning to leaf now. Min and I go out every spring to spend a day and night. We come home laden with arbutus. We're going again a week from this coming Sat.u.r.day. I wish you and Mary Wilson would go along. We get a livery rig and drive out. Can't you go with us?"

"No, I--"

"It shall not cost you a cent. Min and I will pay the livery bill."

"Oh, I think I could manage to pay my share," dryly. "It was not that which made me refuse to accept. I feel in this as you do about Nora O'Day.

I wish to tell you about what I learned last holidays." She talked hurriedly, allowing Landis no opportunity to interrupt. "Nora O'Day by chance mentioned that you came to see her and read some of her mother's theses. Nora did not suspect you. She thought you were inclined to be literary, and felt pleased that you approved of the work her mother did years ago. That is all she thought about it. I did more thinking while Nora was telling me. I thought that Landis Stoner must be a little mite deceitful or she would not be critical of Nora when others were present and yet slip in to see her during study-hours. It seemed--well--it seemed downright deceitful to me.

"I heard you deliver an oration in the chapel. You know that you speak well, and so you are in every public affair. At least, you have been ever since I've been at Exeter. Your orations have been fine. I thought you were wonderfully bright until the Christmas holidays. When I was leaving, Nora brought me some of her mother's essays to read. I read them while I was at Windburne."

She paused and looked straight at Landis. Landis had no words to reply.

She stood, dignified and erect by the study-table, toying with a silver paper-knife. The silence lasted for some minutes. Then feeling that Elizabeth was waiting for some word she gave a non-committal, "Well?"

"But it isn't 'well.' It is anything but 'well'. It's what I call decidedly bad. The instant I read those essays, I discovered that your work was cribbed. You had read--"

"What a fuss you make about nothing at all, Elizabeth! To hear you talk, one might think that I was guilty of wholesale robbery, or murder, or some other horrible crime. You young girls who are new to school-life and have had no experience outside your own little town do not understand these matters. You are, if I may say it, a little narrow in your views. You know only one way, and have the notion that there can be no other. You say I read those essays. Why, of course I did. They were good, too, and I received a great deal of help from them. Every one who writes even a little bit makes an effort to read all the good things along the same lines. That is the only way one can develop talent. I got some excellent ideas from Mrs. O'Day's essays. Is there anything criminal in that? If there is, then we must lock up our histories and reference books when we have any article to prepare for cla.s.swork."

"If it were receiving ideas merely, I should scarcely mention the matter to you; or even had you taken the ideas wholesale and expressed them in your own words, I should have said nothing at all. But you did not do that. Landis, you know you did not, and you cannot convince me by a few fine words that you did. The oration you delivered in chapel, the last rhetorical before the holidays, is almost word for word like the original.

You gave me your copy to write up for our society paper. I have it, and also the original. If you are still doubtful of my statement, I'll go with you to Dr. Morgan and give them to her to read."

"Oh, I believe you," was the reply given in an indifferent manner. "That was the one 'Character Sketches in Shakespeare.' I had forgotten about that. We were rushed with work. I remember now. I had no time to write an oration suitable for a public affair. I remember I did commit one of those old ones. But I do not think I claimed it was original. You people just took that for granted. If you had taken the trouble to ask me, I would have told you. I do not know that it is my fault that you were deceived."

"Well, Landis," said Elizabeth slowly, "you are surely an adept in slipping out of trouble. Now, Nora O'Day did wrong and made no attempt to deny it. She bore her punishment without a complaint. Your words do not deceive me one iota. They would have done so six months ago. But that time's gone. It really does me good to speak so plainly to you now. I have felt deceitful all along in knowing about those papers, and then listening quietly while you criticized every one else at Exeter--girls who would not be guilty of doing what you have done. We will not discuss the subject further, but do not think that you are deceiving me. You are not. You copied, not one, but most of your orations and theses. But do not worry.

Continue to copy if you wish. It is none of my affairs, and I shall tell no one. Now I'm through talking with you, and I feel a great deal better for telling you what I know." Turning, she walked toward the door. "I'm going back to my room to get to work now. I'll tell Min that she can come back if she wishes to."

"But, Elizabeth, you came to talk about the method of examinations," said Landis sweetly. She did not lift her eyes to meet the direct glance of her caller. She still continued to play with the paper-knife, running it up and down the felt of the table, making depressions in geometrical designs.

"Since you feel as you do about Nora O'Day, that she is sorry and all that, and since she is a friend of yours, I'll withdraw my objections to her. Of course, I feel as you do. It is not right to judge anyone. I'll not remember her past deeds against her. Bring along your paper when you go into cla.s.s, and I'll put down my name, and I'll promise for Min, too."

Elizabeth wheeled suddenly about. "I do not wish you to sign it. We shall manage the affair very well without you."

"Just as you please." Here Landis' self-confidence forsook her. She could not believe it possible that any girl would be generous enough to keep to herself such a matter as that of the essay-copying. Should Elizabeth tell but one or two, the affair would soon become public property. Her name would be mentioned with scorn throughout Exeter. Already she saw herself ostracized as she had helped to ostracize Nora O'Day. But if such a condition would result from her dishonesty, she would leave The Hall at once. She was much too proud, too ambitious, to allow anyone to ignore her. She stepped toward Elizabeth, holding out her hands appealingly.

"Elizabeth Hobart, don't, I beg of you, let anyone else know of this.

Promise me you will tell no one and I'll do whatever you ask me to."

"All I ask of you is to let my friends go free of your criticism. You lead a certain set. Whatever you do, they will also do. I wish you to make them drop that old, worn-out subject of Nora O'Day's cheating."

"I will--I promise you that."

"You and Min need not sign our pet.i.tion to Dr. Morgan or the pledge we send in. They are to be ready before to-morrow--but you are to give me your promise to live up to the requirements."

"I'll do that. I have never taken advantage in examinations. They have always been easy enough without that."

Elizabeth knew this to be quite true. Landis was one of the strongest members of the Senior cla.s.s and she worked hard.

"Then we understand each other," said Elizabeth. "From this time on, we'll be just as before. No one need know we have had this talk." She pa.s.sed into the hall at these words, leaving Landis alone to reflect upon their conversation.

CHAPTER XII.

THE SENIORS OUTWITTED.

When the Seniors and the Middlers, at the close of the spring semester, entered the cla.s.s-room to take their examination in trigonometry, they found Dr. Kitch.e.l.l the only member of the faculty present. He remained long enough to pa.s.s the small, printed slips of questions, and to explain the manner in which he wished the work done. A smile of relief pa.s.sed over the cla.s.s as he took his departure. Soon pencils and rulers were busy. The sound of their moving was all that was heard in the cla.s.s-room. No word was spoken. The work continued for over an hour. Then one member, having finished, arose and, placing her papers on the table which stood near the front, quitted the room. One by one, as they completed the examination, the others followed her example.