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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film^s d des taux da reduction diff^rents. Lorsqua le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche d droite. et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. srrata to pelure, >n d ) D 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 6 6 M Pi 7 u " I > I f ! t B P® If ;,Y;^-i,,>-a;pv-^iaf ffff*'- i. .'if>*'ir i ^ » ^ i "V i 'TsS»^ ■ ti.. BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Brenda, Her School and Her Club BY ^ HELEN LEAH REED Author of « Miss Theodora," Etc. ILLUSTRATED BY JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH BOSTON LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 1900 W ^i: W B W W i'-aM P gM^h i ff' ^-'ae^efftiar-T^ r 39775 Librory of Con^jrcs* AUa28 1900 StCONP COPY. OROtfi DIVISION, L_S£P_5_1900. Copyright, igoo, By Little, Brown, and Company. All rights reserved. 74175 rL-> <^ . *i»it'Ji>#i K iii*ii^ii w t-*;i.«iii* t i T - 11, -1 wrr i » . i ii^i Wl^j^i^^M- I ..H| j t ll l ' * ^ ...K BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB FOUB FRIENDS " "What do suppose she'll be like ? " "How can I tell?" "Well, Brenda Barlow, I should think you'd have some idea — your own cousin." " Oh, that doesn't make any difference. I've hardly thought about her." « But aren't you just a little curious ? " continued the questioner, a pretty girl with dark hair. "No, Nora, I'm not. She's sixteen and a half— almost a year older than we are. She's never lived in a big city, and that's enough." " Oh, a country girl ? " "I don't know that she's a country girl exactly, but I just wish she wasn't coming. She'll spoil all our fun." " How ? " asked a third girl, seated on the bottom step. " Why, who ever heard of Jkw girls going about to- gether? If three's a crowd, five's a perf«ict regiment. 1 if, t V 9 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB I agree with Brenda that it's too bad to have her come. Now when there's four of us we can pair off and have a good time." The last speaker had a long thin face with a deter- mined mouth and large china blue eyes. She was the only one of the four whom the average observer would not call pretty. Yet in her little circle she had her own way more often even than Brenda, who was not only somewhat of a tyrant, but a beauty as well. " Brenda and Belle They carry a spell," the other girls were in the habit of singing, when the two Bs had accomplished something on which they had set their hearts. Edith, the third of the group, in spite of her auburn hair, was the most amiable of the four. I say " in spite " out of respect merely to the popular prejudice. Nobody has ever proved that au- burn hair really indicates worse temper than hair of any other color. Edith almost always agreed with any of the plans made by the others, and very often with their opinions. Dark-haired Nora was the only one of. the group who ever ventured to dissent from the two Bs. Now she spoke up briskly, •' I know that I shall like your cousin." " Why ? " the other three exclaimed in a chorus. " I can't tell you why, only that I know I shall." " You're welcome to," said Brenda, tossing her head, " but I guess if you had just begun to have your own I JB her come, and have ,h a deter- le was the ver would e had her o was not veil. , when the rhich they 9 group, in tble of the 'ely to the d that au- an hair of d with any often with jnly one of. )m the two jhorus. shall." g her head, e your own URENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 3 house to yourself you wouldn't like somebody else com- ing that you'd have to treat exactly like a sister." " Why, Brenda ! " said Nora, with a look of surprise, and then the others remembered that Xora had had a little sister near her own age whose death was a great sorrow to her. " Why, Brenda ! " repeated Nora, " I wish that I had a sister." Now Brenda Barlow was not nearly as heartless as her words implied. She had two sisters whom she loved very dearly. But they were both much older than Brenda, and by petting and spoiling her they had to a large extent helped to make her selfish. One of them had now been married for four years, and had gone to California to live and the other was in Paris completing her art studies. When Janet married, Brenda had not realized the change in the family. But when Agnes went to Paris, Brenda was older, and she fully felt her own importance as «« Miss Bar- low." « It's the same as being * Miss Barlow,' " she said to her friends, " the servants call me so, and Fve moved my things down into Janet's room. I can invite any one I want to luncheon without asking whether Agnes has any plans,— and I shouldn't wonder if I could have a dinner-party once in a while— of course, not a very^ late one, but with raw oysters to begin with— sure— " and the other girls laughed, for they knew that Brenda had been practising on raw oysters for a long time, and '"r 4 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB that she felt proud of her present prowess in swaUow- incr them without winking or making a face. Mr. Barlow was generally absorbed in business affairs, and Mrs. Barlow had so many social engagements that Brenda did as she wished in most respects. She ordered the servants about when her mother was out, and they were as ready to obey her as her friends were to follow her lead, for when Brenda wanted her own way she never seemed ill-natured. She simply insisted w^.'.h a very winning smile— and nobody could refuse her. She had found it very pleasant to rule her little world It was even pleasanter than being the spoiled and petted child that she had been when her sisters were at home. Her father and mother had never seen how fond she was growing of her own way until they announced the coming of her cousin Julia. « She is older than you, Brenda, and I hear that she is far advanced in her studies. I dare say that she will be able to help you sometimes." "Oh papal I Aa«^ to have any one help me. SheU be an 'awful bore, I suppose, if she thinks she knows more than me " « Grammar, Brenda," said her mother with a smile. " Well, then, more than 7," repeated Brenda. " I'm sure she won't be a bore, Brenda, but her life has been very different from yours. She has led a qmet life, for you know she was her father's constant com- panion until he died." Here Mrs. Barlow sighed. JuUa's mother was Mrs. ) B swallow-- 3S3 afEairs, lents that le ordered , and they to follow 1 way she ed wVch a 3 her. her little ;he spoiled her sisters never seen until they ar that she lat she will me. She'U she knows ;h a smile, ida. but her life s led a quiet nstant corn- ier was Mrs. BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 5 Barlow's sister, and had died when the little Julia was hardly five years old. "Uncle Kichard was always delicate?" ventured Brenda. « Yes, dear, and ho spent his life trying to find a place where he could gain perfect health. Boston was too bleak for him, and that is why you have not seen Julia since she was very little. Your uncle did not care to undergo the fatigue of traveling East even in the sum- mer, and he could not bear to be parted from Julia. But she was always a sweet little thing." "I hope you won't be disappointed in her," cried Brenda, half in a temper. «' I believe you are going to care for her more than you do for me." " Nonsense, Brenda," exclaimed her mother in sur- prise. " Well, you can't expect me to feel the same about ber,— a strange girl— who knows more than I, and is just enough older to make every one expect me to look up to her. Oh, dear ! " Since Brenda had not concealed her feelings from her mother, it was hardly to be expected that she would be less frank with her three most intimate friends. After Nora and Edith had bade Brenda good-bye that afternoon when they had talked about the un- known cousin, they walked rather slowly up the street. " Do you suppose Brenda's jealous ?" said Nora, in a half whisper. I 6 BRENDA, IIEK SCHOOL AND HER CLUB ««0h hush," ansxvered Edith, to whom the ^vord jeal- ousy meant somethin- dreadful. " Of course not." "Well, don't you think it's strange for her not to feel more pleased at the prospect of having her cousin Avitli her. I should think it would be great fun to have another girl in the house." " Oh, well, Brenda can always have one of us. Her mother is so good about letting her invite people-and of course she can't tell how she'll get along with her cousin. No, I really shouldn't like it myself." As Nora and Edith walked away, Brenda turned to Belle, in whom she always found a ready sympa- thizer. " You know how I feel, Belle." « Yes, indeed ; I think it's too bad. I'm sure it will spoil hllf our fun. It's horrid anyway to^ have some one older than yourself ordering you round." ^^ « Oh, I don't suppose she'll do that exactly." "Well it's just the same thing. If she's such a model, as your mother says, she'll make you feel un- comfortable all the time. Then if she's wearing mourn- ing,sh6 can't do the things that you do, and you 11 have to stay at home and be polite to her. Yes, I m really sorry for you, Brenda." With sympathy like this, Brenda began to regard herself as almost a martyr. "Oh, dear," she sighed, "why couldn't she have waited until next 'winter ? Come, Belle," she contmued, "you'll stay to dinner, won't you?" ,vor'.l jeal- not" er not to ler cousin an to have f us. Her lople— and g with her I turned to ly synipa- sure it will have some > e's such a ;ou feel un- I'ing mourn- , and you'll ■. Yes, I'm I to regard 't she have e continued, BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 7 Eelle hesitated for a moment. " I suppose I ought to go home." "Oh, why?" Belle was silent. She knew that certain unfinished lessons awaited her, and that her grandmother objected to her dining away from home, unless she had first asked permission. She fortified herself, however, by saying to herself, " Oh, well, mother won't care." For her mother was what is commonly known as easy-go- ing, and seldom interfered with her daughter's goings and comings. Belle always enjoyed dining with Brenda. The din- ing-room was so attractive with its great blazing fire, its heavy draperies and cheerful oil-paintings on the wall. At home she sat down in a large, severely fur- nished room, with her solemn grandmother wrapped in a white knitted shawl at one end of the long table, her half-deaf uncle James at the other end, and her brother Jack on the side opposite her. Her delicate mother often dined upstairs. Uncle James usually had some story to tell of misdeeds' that he had heard some one ascribe to Jack ("and how a deaf person can hear I don't see," Jack would say crossly to Brenda). Her grandmother generally read Belle herself a lecture on paying proper respect to one's elders, or some similar subject, while Belle and Jack exchanged glances of mischievous intelligence, which often drew strong re- proofs from their grandmother, and sometimes from her mother when she was present. 04^ -* . itaiMini MiiTltWI* 8 BRENDA, HEK SCUOOL AND HER CLUB No wonder, then, that Brenda's invitation was a strong temptation to Belle. "Come, silence gives consent," laughed Brenda. Dragging Belle by the arm, she touched the door-bell, and in a moment the two girls were inside the house. " What room is Julia going to have ? " asked Belle, as they ran up the front stairs. ♦' Well, you will be surprised ; that's one of the things that makes me so cross. Just thinh of it, Agnes's rooms in the L— that sweet little studio that I wanted mamma to let me have— it's all fitted up for Julia. Don't you call that mean ? " Belle pressed her friend's hand. " You poor thing ! " « Yes, it seems Agnes is sure not to come home for Wo years, and so mamma thought the studio would be a good place for Julia to practice in, and so there's a piano and— well— let's come and see. We've got time before dinner." Pushing open a door on the second floor and going down a step or two, Brenda and Belle found themselves inside a little reception-room. The walls were a deep red, there was a cashmere rug on the polished floor, a clock and two bronze figures on the mantelpiece. An open bookcase in one recess, a short lounge in the other, a low wicker tea-table, and two or three small chairs made up the furnishing. "This is just the same as it was," said Brenda, "and so is the bedchamber," pointing to a door on the left of the reception-room, " but see here !" and she turned "■ ' ■i:'' * -g i S ' Oiui.! i iaii i t ' R ' .*- ' - '* i JB )u was a Brenda. door-bell, B house, ked Belle, the things les's rooms 3d mamma Don't you hand. 9 home for 3 would be 10 there's a re got time and going themselves rere a deep bed floor, a piece. An nge in the three small enda, "and on the left [ she turned BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 9 to the right. Belle followed, and they found them- selves in a long, narrow room, with a bay window at one end and a skylight overhead. On the walls were several large unframed sketches in black and white, to- gether with Avater colors and a number of fine photo- graphs and engravings in gilt or ebony frames. Against the wall near the bay window stood a small upright piano with an elephant's cloth scarf over the top. The groundwork of the scarf was of a deep yel- low, harmonizing with the tint of the painted walls. There were two or three comfortable chairs covered in yellow-flowered chintz, and in the centre an inlaid library table with a baize top and an assortment of writing utensils. There were several rugs of a prevail- ing yellow tint on the polished yellow floor, and one side of the room was occupied by rows of low open book-shelves which held, however, only a few books. " I believe Julia's going to have her father's library brought here," said Brenda, in explanation of the empty shelves. " Don't you hate book-worms ? " " Yes," responded Belle, " but how lovely this room is ! What a shame that you couldn't have it yourself ! "Why, I thought your mother said that they were going to leave the studio just as it was until Agnes came home." " "Well, so they were, but she won't be home for two years, and then she'll probably have a studio down town, and so they've put most of her things away and fitted up this room just for Julia. She has to have everything." 'I ij ^'^ f j^m w .iwa i L ijtj i«i i ui' .- BiaBi I!) ' 10 BUENDA, HER SCUOOL AND HER CLUB "I know just how you feel," and Belle pressed Brenda's Land sympathetically. " But then, your own room is lovely." " Oh, yes, of course ; but it isn't the same thing as a studio. A studio is so— so artistic." The girls were standing in the bay window, bathed in a flood of sunshine from the setting sun. They glanced across the broad river toward the roofs and spires of Cambridge. A tug-boat went puffing along the stream towing a schooner loaded with lumber. " Oh, my, it must be late ! the sun is just dropping behind those Brookline Hills. Come up to my room." The room on the floor above the studio which had formerly been Janet's, also overlooked the river. It was in the main house and its windows looked down on the roof of the L containing the studio. In fact, the studio to a slight extent impeded the view of the river which was obtainable from this upper room. But the room itself was large and cheerful, with a carpet and paper of bluish tint, a large brass bedstead canopied with blue, comfortable lounging chairs, a dainty little sofa, dressing-table, desk, and all kinds of pretty orna- ments. A half-open door showed the adjoining dress- ing-room with its long pier-glass, and a coal fire blazed in the open grate. "Make yourself comfortable," said Brenda hospita- bly, " for if you don't mind, I'm going to Avrite a note that I Avant to send out by Thomas before dinner. It won't take me ten minutes." ■\ B IDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 11 I pressed ^our own hing as a V, bathed n. They roofs and ng along iber. dropping y room." vhich had river. It ked down In fact, ew of the 3om. But L a carpet i canopied linty little ■etty orna- ling dress- fire blazed la hospita- rite a note linner. It \ !l Brendn sat down at her little desk, while Belle sank in the depths of an easy chair near the fire. J ust as Urenda finislio.l her note, a white-capped maid came into the room. " Oh, Jane, just ^nve this note to Thomas, please. I want him to take it to Mrs. Grey's and bring back my new coat. I can't go to school to-morrow without it " "I don't hardly think Thomas can go. Miss Brenda." "Why not?" . „ « Well, he's got to go to the station for your cousin. *' My cousin ? " "Yes miss. A telegram came this afternoon that she'd be here at six-thirty, and your mother left word when she went out that they wouldn't be much later than that getting back from the train." "Well I never! The idea of her coming Avithout any one's expecting her. Why didn't she write ? " "I don't know, miss. I heard something about a letter that got lost, but anyway your mother's gone to meet Miss Julia, and she left word she thought youd better give up going to the tableaux this evening, for she wouldn't like you to leave your cousin alone. « There, Belle, that's the way it's always going to be. Everything for 'Miss Julia.' I don't care, I'm going out just the same. The idea of losing those tableaux. " But, Brenda," began Belle. "No, it isn't any good arguing with me. I never could bear to be interfered with, and mamma knows 12 BRENDA, UER SCUOOL AND IIEB CLUB perfectly Avell that I want to see ' The Succession of the Seasons.' " "But it's to be repeated to-morrow evening. You know I'm going then." " I don't care. I hate to go the second night to any- thing." Belle did not reply, though as Jane left the room, she turned to Brenda. " I'd better not stay to dinner to-night." " Oh, do. I don't want to sit alone with Julia. I shan't know what to say to her. No, really you can't go home." Then running to the stairs and calling after Jane, Brenda cried, "See that there's an extra place at the table for Belle." After this she began to open the drawers of her bureau, tossing their contents about, and she ran in and out of her closet to bring out one gown after another for Belle's inspection, " Which would you wear if you wanted to make a good impression on a new cousin ? I want to look as old as I can, and I believe I'll do up my hair." " Oh, Brenda ! " " Yes, I will. Now see, if I put a string on the band of this skirt it will almost touch the floor. There, help me." When the skirt was lengthened, Brenda regarded her reflection in the pier-glass with great satisfaction. BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 13 ssion of ?• ^^^ to any- le room, ulia. I ou can't er Jane, ible for of her a in and another make a > look as he band 2re, help egarded ifaction. Brushing her waving brown hair to the top of her head, she gathered it in a soft knot, and thrust a long gold pin through it. " Tell me the truth. Belle, wouldn't you think me six- teen years old-if you didn't know," she cried to her friend, who could hardly conceal her mirth at Brenda's changed aspect. « I don't— why, yes, of course," as she saw a frown stealing across Brenda's face. Brenda strode around the room with all the dignity she could command, her pretty face somewhat flushed by her exertions in giving her hair just the right touch. As a matter of fact she looked rather odd, but Belle did not dare tell her that her skirt hung unevenly, and that two or three short locks of her hair stood out al- most straight behind. « Hark, I believe they've come," Brenda exclaimed. Certainly there was a noise in the hall below. « Where's Brenda ? " she heard her mother call. "Well, I suppose we'll have to go down," she said reluctantly to BeUe, and the two girls slowly descended the stairs. ■*\ H II JULIA'S ARRIVAL As the two girls went cloAvnstairs, Brenda politely urged Belle to go ahead of her. She, herself, lingered a moment to look over the balusters, and thus, when they reached the broad hall at the foot of the stairs, she was several steps behind her friend. Belle, with a quick eye, before she reached the bottom of the stairs, noticed a little group near the fireplace, — an elderly woman with a shawl over her arm, who looked like a maid ; Mrs. Barlow, holding the hand of a slight girl in black, and last but not least, a large Irish setter which lay at the young girl's feet. All this Belle had hardly time to notice when the young girl rushed for- ward and throwing her arm around her neck, cried, " Oh, Cousin Brenda, I'm so glad to see you." Belle for a moment looked disconcerted, and Mrs. Barlow, without showing any surprise at Belle's presence, re- lieved the latter by saying : " This isn't Brenda, Julia, but one of her friends." Julia, still with her hand in Belle's, smiled pleasantly. " I'm glad to see you," she said, and just at that mo- ment Brenda came in sight. Julia was hastening forAvard to greet her cousin as she had greeted her friend, but something in Brenda's -Si*. BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 15 face forbade her. Brenda could not, perhaps, have ex- plained why she felt so annoyed at Julia's mistake. She was not unduly vain, yet it annoyed her that her cousin had mistaken Belle for her. For well as she liked Belle, she knew that all the other girls considered her not especially good-looking. Though she could not, probably would not, have put it into words, the thought flashed through her brain that Julia was stupid to have made such a mistake. The thought took form in a rather repelling glance as her eye met her cousin's. " Come, Brenda, you should not make Julia go more than half-way to meet you," called her mother from her place near the fire. " No'm," replied Brenda, hardly knowing what she said, for really she felt a little shy about the new cousin, who was more than a year her senior. With her hand outstretched, she stepped toward Julia, mov- ing with the dignity that her lengthened skirt de- manded. "Dear me I What can it be?" she thought, as she felt something hindering her progress. It could not be that the skirt was too long. She stooped a little to raise it from beneath her feet, and then, how mortify- ing ! she felt a string snap. She clutched wildly at her skirt with both hands. But it was too late, and making the best of the situation, she stood before her cousin in her short ruffled petticoat, instead of her long, grown- up gown. « There, Brenda," cried her mother, comprehending "mf^mm' f 16 BEENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB ; ' the situation at a glance, for this was not the first time that Brenda had tried to lengthen her skirts. " There, Brenda, I hope you won't be as foolish as this again. Speak to your cousin, and then go up and put on your skirt properly." Poor Brenda ! What a loss of dignity I She hardly knew what she said to Julia, or what Julia said to her. She resented Belle's offer of help, for had she not heard a decided giggle from her friend at the moment of the catastrophe ? So rushing to her room, she locked the door and did not leave it until called to dinner. Now Brenda, though by no means perfect, was not ill-natured, and she seated herself at the table with the intention of making herself agreeable to Julia. But there are times when nothing seems to go ex- actly right, and this evening was one of them. In the first place it disturbed Brenda to see her father's glance of amusement as his eye fell on her new style of hair- dressing. " Which is it now ? " he laughed, " Marie Antoinette or Queen Elizabeth? Dear me, Brenda, it's a long time since we've seen you masquerading in this fash- ion." Brenda reddened. In spite of the mishap to her dress, she wished her cousin to believe that she always wore her hair on the top of her head. Vague hopes were floating through her mind that she could persuade her mother to let her give up her childish pigtail alto- gether. 1 «^,^ ■-''j{ '^i "' ^ '-j t UtrJin- ''■!% "■- P :"^ti^^V -^ &~ i • •t-"''-' '' BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 17 irst time " There, is again, on your 3 hardly i to her, ot heard t of the }ked the was not (vith the ) go ex- In the s glance of hair- toinette a long lis fash- to her i always te hopes tersuade ail alto- " Why does papa always say things like that ? " and she reddened still more as Julia's eyes fell on her. She remembered, however, her duties as assistant hostess. " Did you have a pleasant journey ? " she asked po- litely. "Yes, indeed," answered Julia. "That is, I was just a little tired, but it was so delightful to look out of the car window and know that I was really in Massa- chusetts. It seemed too good to be true." Mr. Barlow looked pleased. " Ah, Julia, it gratifies me very much to have you say this. Sometimes when people have traveled they lose their love for their early home." "Yes, Uncle Robert, I've always loved to think of Boston as my real home. Although it's so long since we lived here." "Why, what do you really remember of Boston?" asked Mr. Barlow. " Well, the State-House, Uncle Robert, and the Com- mon — of course — and — and Brenda." " Oh, you can't remember Brenda ? " " Yes, indeed I can. She was the dearest little thing 1 You see when I was five years old, Brenda seemed al- most a baby — a year and a half between two girls makes a good deal of difiference,— when they're little." But even this last saving clause did not prevent Brenda's heart from giving a sudden thump, especially as she caught a sympathetic glance from Belle which seemed to say. $* 18 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB " Ah, she's reminding you how much older she is than you." Brenda straightened herself up. She tried to think of something to say that would show that though younger, she at least had some knowledge of the world. " Can you eat raw oysters, Julia ? " were the rather strange words that came to her lips. Julia, unable nat- urally to follow the train of thought leading to this question, answered brightly, " I've never tried. You see we don't have very good oysters in the West, and some way I've never thought I'd like them raw." «' Oh, if you Avant to seem really grown-up you'll have to eat oysters off the shell," said Mrs. Barlow. "I believe Brenda has practised so that she can eat them without wincing." Then Belle, who prided herself on her tact, hastened to change what she knew might become a sore subject with Brenda. "Were there many people you knew on the train, Miss " "Oh, please say Julia," broke in the young girl. " Every one always does. No, there wasn't any one I knew in the cars between here and Chicago. If I had not had Eliza I should have been very lonely." Brenda had subsided into an unwonted silence. She was wondering how she could excuse herself to her cousin— whether her mother would really make her give up the tableaux for that evening. She heard, without .r-^ifc,'^ .-, ui*i L ^-^< » ii^i 'u' iS mii ^ ■ '' I * ■ * »^ '**' .*S ' - " ' BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 19 e is than to think , though le world, le rather ahle nat- g to this ery good : thought ap you'll Barlow. 3 can eat hastened re subject the train, )ung girl. any one I If I had ince. She 3lf to her te her give d, without really listening, an animated conversation beiween her father and Belle on the best way of learning history. Belle believed that more could be learned by general reading than by studying a text-book. " Belle always has so many theories," Brenda was in the habit of say- "I wish Jane would hurry with the coffee," she cried. "Why, Brenda," and her mother looked surprised. " You are not going to have coffee." " Of course, you know you always let me have a little cup when I'm going out." « But you are not going anywhere to-night. Didn't you get my message ? " Brenda understood well enough that her mother did not wish to discuss the question of her leaving her cousin when Julia herself was present, yet she persisted. " But, mamma " Mrs. Barlow shook her head. " There is nothing to be said. You know, Brenda, when I mean a thing I mean it." Julia looked a trifle embarrassed, realizing that in some way she was a hindrance to a full discussion be- tween her aunt and cousin. Brenda's face was twisted into a curious scowl. She was forgetting her duty to her cousin. " Oh, mamma, I've made up my mind to go." "No, Brenda, it is impossible. Let us hear no more about it." ■ € 20 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB "What is it, Brenda, that you wish to do?" nsked Mr. Barlow, who while talking with Belle had only half heard the conversation between Brenda and her mother. Mrs. Barlow shook her head. She did not care to enter into a discussion before Julia likely to make the young girl feel that her arrival had interfered with any plan of Brenda's. Then Belle, who realized that she was not always in favor with Mrs. Barlow, saw her opportunity. « If Brenda will change with me, she can have my ticket for to-morrow evening." « Why, that is very kind in you. Belle, but have you time to get ready ? " "Oh, yes, if you'll excuse me now," and before Brenda could remonstrate, she saw Belle receive the tickets from Mrs. Barlow'p hands and heard her hasty words of good-bye as she started home under the escort of Thomas. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Barlow took any notice of the cloud on Brenda's face. Fortunately they could not read her reflections on the duplicity of Belle, who after pitying her so in the afternoon, had now begun to side against her. This at least was the form which Brenda's thoughts took. Rightly or WTongly she considered herself an ill-used young person. Just then the maid entered with a letter on a salver. Mrs. Barlow glanced at it and then laughed. " This explains the mystery, Julia, you wrote * New in, liiHiiliiiWBIil I'UBHWW _^^Jg^ ■tl.'aSfaiT^-A'- 'f-v^-i^fuS i - .v;tf'rta r -r^° 8'-"a r<'.'Wr' a v,<, ti>'"am ; ^' -i«*^ — ^if — r(^_ JB I kept her to-night," but there Everybody » i she "was rd Belle's limed in a lately her le was re- " Be care- her books ida, joined sm for the sat on the a?" asked itumble so, afternoon, the house, jleaux. It y though I your own lyed home BBENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 29 " You'll find it hard to do your lessons if you make company of Julia. Isn't she coming to school too V " " Oh, I guess so. Won't it be hateful to have her in the class above us ? " " Perhaps she won't be. Didn't you say she hadn't been at school much ? " " Oh, girls who have studied at home always think they know more than any one else. Oh, there, there 1 " and Brenda paused in her speech as a little child play- ing on the opposite sidewalk ran out into the street in front of the very wheels of a passing wagon. For a moment all held their breath, then Nora with a leap and a run was down the steps and in the street. Be- fore the child realized its own danger she had snatched it from in front of the horses, and had dragged it to the sidewalk. The teamster, a rather stupid-looking man, had dismounted from his place. " Waal, now, the child ain't hurt, I guess," he said to the girl, " I pulled up as soon as I heard you holler, but it was such a little mite of a thing that I couldn't hardly see it." «« Oh, it wasn't your fault," Brenda and Edith ex- claimed. " It ran out so quickly, but if you hadn't stopped your horses, it might have been killed." After assuring himself that the child was not really hurt, the teamster went on, the child himself, sur- rounded by a group of curious girls, clung closely to Nora's hand— a forlorn little thing— with bare feet and a torn pinafore. The mud spattered over his face :r|^^ '^llllli(WI»««=~ - 30 BKENDA, HEE SCHOOL AND HEK CLUB did not show very distinctly on his dark skin. One small hand he had thrust into his eye, and behind it the tears were slowly trickling down. Nora held the other hand, and the child clung to her as if never in- tending to let go. " What's your name, little boy ? " cried one of the girls. The child only sobbed. " Here, Amy, give hiui a piece of your banana. He looks like an Italian fruit-seller's child. He'll eat a banana." But the little boy was not to be tempted. Just then the noon bell sounded from the school- room. " There, Nora, let him go, he'll find his way home," suggested one of the girls. " Oh, no, I'm sure he's hurt. "Where do you live, little boy ? " Still no reply. The other girls went back into school, while Nora walked irresolutely toward the door, holding the child's hand. As she stood at the foot of the steps wondering what to do. Miss Crawdon ap- peared at the door with Brenda and Edith who had hurried to tell her about the child. « Is the little fellow hurt ? " she asked with interest. *« Not really hurt, perhaps, but awfully frightened, and I'm sure he doesn't live anywhere around here. I don't want to leave him when I go into school, what shall I do ? " •J ^.< . i il i i ii in ii , )ii| i ii i iiii»iii » l i iiii ifwamiUKwlHiii u ftr-'i i ^Sici'?'ff I 'iSf' i i'* ^ i^ • rj ii . ii Hin ai, » i tf)i i i i i . •^r^SffS^ B :in. One behind it I held the never in- ine of the lana. He [e'll eat a he school- ay home," you live, back into i the door, the foot of iwdon ap- 1 who had a interest, brightened, id here. I hool, what BEENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 31 " Don't look so distressed, Nora," said Miss Crawdon smiling. " I'm not sure myself what is best." Then, after a moment's reflection, " You may send him down to the basement with the janitor, and later I will see what can be done." So Nora, saying all the reassuring things that she could to the child, left him with the janitor, Mr. Brown, although this separation was accompanied with loud cries and shrieks on the part of the little boy. It was very hard for Nora and the others to remain perfectly quiet during the hour and a half that re- mained of school. They were anxious to exchange questions about the child, to speculate about his home, and I am sure that the little boy was more in the thoughts of Brenda, Edith, and Nora than their les- sons. Belle had missed the excitement of the morning, for at the moment of the accident she and the two older girls whom she had joined, were out of sight of the school walking in another street. She had returned to the schoolroom hardly half a minute before the end of recess, when there was really no time to ask a question. She did not dare to ask a question of Brenda, who still wore an unamiable ex- pression. When half-past one came, however, Brenda and Belle forgot their little disagreement, and hastened after Nora to learn what she was going to do with her prot6g6. 4 I ■ ■ '■ ''I RiM 32 BEENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB « Now, I'll tell you girls, just what I'm going to do. Miss Crawdon says it will be all right. Brenda and I are going with Mrs. Brown to see where Manuel lives —we have found out that his name is Manuel. We can get some luncheon here, and please, please, stop at my house, Belle, and tell my mother, and you, Edith, at Brenda's." " Why don't you let Mrs. Brown go alone ? " " Oh, it will be so much more fun to go too." " You can't find his house." "Oh, yes; it will be somewhere down Hanover Street. Mrs. BroAvn knows. If we take him there, he'll lead us on. Oh, it will be great fun." «' I don't believe your mother would like you to go without letting her know." " Well, I just have to go. I'm sure she won't care." Though Nora was so confident, Brenda had some mis- givings. She knew that she really ought to be at home, but the temptation to go with Nora was too strong to resist. So, soon after two o'clock the strange procession be- gan its march toward Hanover Street, Manuel walking between Nora and Brenda, while Mrs. Brown brought up the rear. Manuel was still silent. " If he were a girl he'd talk more," said Nora. Manuel showed very little interest in the whole pro- ceeding. In fact he seemed so tired that Mrs. Brown would have carried him had he not resisted her eflforts to take him in her arms. * ' * J - ^■rtn a firtH^' i n i tW'iW^ t f rt kLii^ww/ifrjf ii iijfc ii ^^ ■ aip w g.^ '«»i to **a^ wj- ii^ ei.i^n i -»o- tr»"T'^*it^«<.-^ B ng to do. ida and I nuel lives luel. "We 16, stop at 3U, Edith, » »> Hanover im there, you to go n't care." , some mis- le at home, ) strong to cession he- el walking m hrought ora. whole pro- Irs. Brown her efforts IV A CLUB MEETING The strange procession had not gone very far when Nora heard some one behind calling her name. It was Miss Crawdou, who, as Nora turned around, signalled her to stop. " Oh, Brenda, Miss Crawdon wishes to speak to us." In a moment their teacher had overtaken them. " I must reconsider my promise to you, or at least, Nora, you partly misunderstood what I said. It will not do at all for you to go home with this little boy. Your mother would blame me very much." " Oh, Miss Crawdon," pouted Brenda. Nora, too, showed her disappointment. " Novv', Brenda, consider what it means. In the first place it is uncertain whether or not you could find his home. In the second place you might have to go into some dirty street or alley. "With your mother's consent I should have nothing to say, but as it is " " Well, can't we go as far as Scoilay Square ? "We could get a car there and go straight home." Miss Crawdon hesitated a moment. "As it happens," she replied, "I have to go in that direction myself. "We will walk together, and I will see you safely on your car. Mrs. Brown and Manuel may lead the way." 9 nmtMrn 34 BRENDA, HEB SCHOOL AND HER CLUB « Isn't he cunning ! " exclaimed Brenda, as tb«^ little boy looked over his shoulder at the girls, with one little hand doubled up against his eye, and his other clutch- ing Mrs. Brown's skirt. "I wish he would talk to us," responded Kora. "Where do you live, little boy?" Manuel smiled knowingly. " There," he said, waving his hand indefi- nitely toward the Square, across which the electric cars were whizzing. "Oh, no," cried Nora, "nobody lives there; there are shops and a hotel, and " " Birdies, birdies, there," cried Manuel. Even Miss Crawdon smiled as Manuel ran up to a shop window, and pounded the glass, somewhat to the dismay of the parrots exhibited there in their cages. "Well, he seems to know this shcn," said Mrs. Brown. " We might wait here for a minute." At the other side of the shop around the corner was a doorway in which sat a woman with a basket of fruit for sale. Manuel himself was the first to catch sight of her, and rushing forward with a flying leap, he almost knocked her basket over. The little boy had found his tongue, and chattering like a magpie, he pointed toward the ladies. The woman, rising from the step on which she had been sitting, came toward the little group. In broken English she explained that Manuel was her youngest boy, and that sometimes she let him go with her on her round of fruit-selling. Lately she had had her stand near this bird store, and in some way on this ' WH t— i- W IB — g - th»^ little one little er clutch- ed Kora. el smiled ind indefi- ectric cars 3re; there in up to a hat to the r cages, said Mrs. jorner was ket of fruit ;ch sight of , he almost A found his ited toward p on which group. In el was her lim go with he had had way on this BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 35 particular day, Manuel had wandered away from her. " You must have been worried," said Nora. "Oh, no," she answered philosophically; "me thought him gone home." Then Brenda, who had hitherto kept silent, broke in with a graphic account of the fate Manuel had escaped through Nora's bravery. The mother probably only half comprehending the young girl's rapid flow of words, smiled and showed her white teeth. " T'ank you, t'ank you," she said. " You come and see him some day," she added, in a general invitation to the group. " Come, girls, we must hasten," said Miss Crawdon. " Mrs. Brown will take down Manuel's address. Then, if your mothers are willing, you may go to see him some day." Rather reluctantly Nora and Brenda bade good-bye to black-eyed Manuel and his mother. They gave Mrs. Brown many injunctions to make no mistake about his house and street. On Saturday they both hoped to be able to go to see him. To them the whole thing presented the aspect of an adventure. " I never spoke to a foreigner before in Boston, did you?" said Nora, "I mean except French teachers," she added. "No, not a poor foreigner," responded Brenda. " "Wasn't that woman picturesque, with her shawl over her head ? " ■MM tmm 36 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB As they drew near home both girls began to ieel a little doubtful as to the wisdom of what they had done. "Well, your mother never scolds," said Brenda, as she bade'good-bye to Nora at the door of the latter. "Why, yours doesn't either," exclaimed Kora. « Oh, you don't know," and Brenda shook her head. " There's Julia now " "Nonsense," laughed Nora, running up the steps. "Good-bye, now. I'm coming to see Julia this after- noon. You know I expect to like her." "Your lunch is waiting. Miss Brenda," said the maid as Brenda started up the front stairs toward her room. " Oh, I've had my luncheon," replied Brenda. " You don't think I'd wait until this time." " Brenda," called her mother from the library, " it's half-past three. Where have you been since school ? "^ " Oh, dear ! " grumbled Brenda to herself. " I don't see why I have to give an account of every step I take. I'll be down in a minute," she called out, as she con- tinued her way upstairs. When she descended to the library, she hastened forward with a polite " Good- afternoon " to Julia, who was seated before the fire with a book in her lap. " Julia has been reading to me," said her mother. "AVe have had a very pleasant hour," added Juha. ^ "But tell me where you have been," said Brenda's mother. " You know that it is a rule that you should come directly home " Brenda tossed her head. , ^ . B to ieel a lad ilone, renda, as latter. ra. aer head. he steps, his after- the maid her room, a. "You rary, " it's school?" « I don't tep I take, s she con- ied to the te " Good- ie fire with nother. ed Julia, d Brenda's you should BRENDA, HEB SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 37 " Oh, I asked Belle to come and leii 3'^ou." " She may have left word that you wei ^ not coming, I think that Thomas gave me some messagt-, but let us hear where you have been." Mrs. Barlow spoke pleasantly, for she knew by the cloud on Brenda's face that there might be a storm if for the present she said too much about her absence from luncheon. " Yes," added Julia, " do tell us where you have been. I have an idea that you have had an adventure." " How could you guess ? " exclaimed Brenda, and then, with the ice broken by these words of Julia's, she gave her mother an animated account of Nora's bravery, Manuel's beauty and the fruit-woman's pic- turesqueness. Mrs. Barlow and Julia were interested. Brenda had a graphic way of telling a story, and the events of the morning lost nothing by her telling. But Mrs. Barlow shook her head when Brenda spoke of visiting Manuel in his home. " It might not be at all a proper place," she said, " and besides, Manuel's mother may not care to have strangers visit her. Poor people sometimes are very sensitive about such things." Before Brenda had time to argue this point with her mother, the portiere was pushed aside and Belle and Edith came into the room. Julia rose to shake hands Avith Belle, while Edith with a very sweet smile, step- ping toward her, said : ■1 I ..*■ % f mtm ■Mia ■fltii mum 88 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB IP «I am glad to see you. I am one of 'the Four.' Brenda's told you about us. I am Edith." Julia felt strongly drawn to the pleasant-faced girl. She liked her better than Belle, although on the two occasions of their meeting the latter had been markedly polite to her. " Yes, we're all here now except Nora. We ought to be ready to give her a serenade, or something like that Avhen she comes. She's really a kind of a heroine, isn't she?" «0h, nonsense, Edith," said Belle. "She did not actually do so very much. Those horses were not run- ning away, and a little paddy like that child has as many lives as a cat." " He isn't a paddy," interrupted Brenda, "but a Por- tuguese,— a dear little Portuguese— and Nora was very brave. It's just like you, :&elle, to think that a thing isn't of any account unless you have had something to do with it." Belle was silent. In the presence of a stranger she never forgot her good manners, and Julia was still suf- ficiently a stranger to act as a check on the sharp reply which otherwise might have risen to her lips. Edith now came in as a peacemaker. " Well, it was great fun to have anything out of the ordinary happen at school. You can't imagine," turn- ing to Julia, " how stupid it is to have things go on in the same way day after day. Last week there was a fire alarm about two blocks away, and just think, the »i".,iK5^*S •J B he Four.' aced girl. 1 the two markedly We ought thing like a heroine, e did not •e not run- ild has as but a Por- \ was very at a thing uething to ranger she as still suf- sharp reply [ps. Edith r out of the gine," turn- gs go on in ihere was a t think, the BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 39 engines passed scarcely five minutes after recess was over, and Miss Crawdon wouldn't let us run out to see where the fire was." " Naturally not," said Mrs. Barlow, as she left the room, adding, as she passed out, " By the time you are ready, Julia, the carriage will be here." " Yes, Aunt Anna," answered Julia, and she, too, after a few pleasant words with Edith, excused herself "with the explanation that her aunt had promised to ac- company her to do some important errands down town. " Come upstairs with me," said Brenda, with an air of relief, as Julia left. " There's Nora, now, I know her ring of the bell." Nora soon joined the other three in Brenda's pretty bedroom. ^ "Here we are, all four together again," exclaimed Brenda, as she threw herself down on the chintz-cov- ered sofa. " It's so much pleasanter not to have any strangers about." " Do you call your cousin a stranger ? " asked Nora. " Why, yes, any one can see that she's terribly seri- ous, and that she won't take a bit of interest in the things we do." " Aren't you going to ask her to join the Four Club ? " "Well, then it wouldn't be a Four Club. Besides five is a horrid number. You never can plan things to- gether when there are five." " But you can't leave her out." 'S i Si-tKt'-h.'-S^SieHi^. 40 BRENDA, HER SCUOOL AND HER CLUB «I don't see why not. She'U have other things to do in the afternoon-like to-day. We needn't tell her about the Club at all, need Ave ? " Edith and Nora, to whom Brenda seemed to appeal, sAid nothing. Belle was looking out of the window, and though she usually would have agreed with Brenda, they had lately had so many little disagreements, that she would not gratify her friend by assenting to her words. . . Brenda, however, perceiving that her views were not shared by the other three girls, decided to avoid dis- cussing Julia any further. "Let us come to order like a club," she exclaimed, "and decide what we shall work for this winter." In the preceding spring the four friends had decided that it would be very interesting to give their occasional meetings a club form. Instead of passing their after- noons in mere idle talk, they would have some object. Thev would all do fancy work, and perhaps have a sale in the spring for some charity. Each of the girls had already spent all her spare pocket-money on materials for needlework, although as yet they had made but little headway in their work. Nor had they accided for what object the sale should be held. ' » It's a good deal like counting your chickens before thev are hatched," Mrs. Barlow had said when Brenda consulted her on the subject. "It would be better t« wait until you have enough work for a sale, before de- ciding what to do with your money." r flit IB things to 't tell her to appeal, 8 window, bli Brencla, lents, that ing to her s were not avoid dis- exclaimed, Iter." lad decided • occasional their after- ome object, have a sale 10 girls had )n materials [ made but hey decided jkens before rhen Brenda be better to e, before de- 1 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 41 In her heart Mrs. Barlow doubted that the girls would make enough money to be worth giving to any institution. She doubted even that they would persevere in their work, and have a sale. Brenda, herself, was too apt to begin with enthusiasm some undertaking which after a while she would let langu:' h until it came to nothing. In this case Brenda wat indignant at her mother's want of faith. " Now you know that I'm older than I used to be, and I'm perfectly in earnest about wanting an object to work for." " Very well, Brenda," said Mrs. Barlow smiling, " I certainly will not interfere, only you must give me time to think of a beneficiary for your money." Now if the girls had started with a definite object to work for, their club meetings would have lost much of their interest. As it was, more than half their time Avas spent in earnest discussions of the merit of differ- ent institutions. Edith thought that a hospital was the noblest object of charity, although the others objected that the City or the State usually looked after hospitals. Nora hoped their money would be given to some or- phan asylum, or a home for old persons, Belle believed that there was nothing so worthy as the Institution for the Blind, and Brenda changed her point of view from week to week. "What are we to work for this week, Brenda?" asked Belle, somewhat derisively, as she opened her sewing-bag. 4i^ ,1 igiwai^ii^ r ii a i ' i » i i » L ili» t iiii BMnW;^;^i:.r-:;*!;»aV.'^^(tfi«-dWe£r..:-.-.vi u BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB words, and she did not tell the young girl that iu some studies she was far ahead of many of her pupils of the same age. The teacher's questions had been far-reach- ing, and she felt pleased at the prospect of having among her pupils one evidently so fond of books as Julia. The young girl, on the contrary, on the way to school with her cousin, expressed to the latter her fear at the prospect before her. " Oh, you needn't worry," said Brenda, more patron- izingly than she really intended, " Miss Crawdon won't be hard with you, she knows you haven't been at school much, and even if you have to start in one of the lower classes, you'll probably be able to push on rather quickly." But even this did not reassure Jrlia. She was think- ing less of her standing in the classes than of the recep- tion she should meet from the girls. It was by no means comforting to feel the many strange eyes that followed her as she walked up the stairs with Brenda to enter the main schoolroom. Miss Crawdon was busy in another room, and Brenda who always had a great many things on her mind, rushed off to speak to one of the girls, leaving Julia alone near the door. There were perhaps a dozen girls standing about in little groups of three or four. They did not mean to be un- kind, but when they saw Julia, they not only glanced curiously toward her, but for the time ceased their con- ' versation. When they began to talk again it was not in the loud tone they had used before, and Julia would ■i^. •M a^-.4*~ JB it iu some pils of the far-reach- ng among Fulia. f to school "ear at the re patron- don won't a at school the lower on rather was think- the recep- vas by no I eyes that Brenda to was busy Eld a great £ to one of 3r. There it in little I to be un- ly glanced I their con- it was not ulia would BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 45 have been less than human if she had not received the impression that they were talking about her. Every one knows how uncomfortable it is for a girl to feel that she is in the presence of people who are making comments upon her. As a matter of fact what they said to one another was almost harmless. " Is she Brenda Barlow's cousin ? " ** What is she in mourning for ? " "How old is she?" " Do you suppose she is coming here to school ? " This was the kind of question exchanged by the girls, with here and there a less good-natured comment. " I don't call her so very pretty." " She doesn't look like Brenda." " Wouldn't you say that dress was made in the year one. I never saw such sleeves." Unluckily the girl who made this last remark was standing rather nearer Julia than she had realized. It happened that Julia herself, who usually cared little for fashion, was sensitive about these very sleeves. They had been made a little smaller than the prevailing mode required by a dressmaker whom Julia had employed in a spirit of kindness without regard to her skill. She had not remembered when dressing that this was to be her first day at school. When she did recall this fact she had not thought it worth while to change her gown. She flushed a little when she overheard the criticism, iiiid walked farther away from the groups to- ward Miss Crawdon's desk. 1 >■ Where's rst day of [uestions at d this is to Now we're ice you to 'hen before ig introduc- to the very 5 was a thin . Her chin ed. ' said Nora, in," said the renda's been mark of this nesB of the Nora, " I'm ing so disa- y. She was BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 47 in the habit of making thoughtless remarks without caring whom they hit. Nora gave Julia's hand a gentle squeeze. " Brenda's just as glad as I am that you're coming to school," she whispered to Julia. But Julia shook her head, half sadly. She had already be- gun to see some of her cousin's peculiarities. By this time many girls were rushing in from the dressing-rooms laughing and chattering as-if they must say as much as possible before school began. A few curious eyes were turned toward Julia, but most of the girls were so absorbed in their own affairs that they took no notice of the tali slender stranger in her black dress. When Miss Crawdon returned to the room she wel- comed Julia very cordially. " I have arranged a seat for you here at the side near me," she said. " I had to have an extra desk brought in as there was no vacant place. But I dare say that you will not mind being by yourself here." The seat to which Miss Crawdon pointed Avas in a little alcove at one side of her desk. It was so placed that it commanded a view of all the other desks in the room, yet it was not as conspicuous from the other desks as it seemed to poor Julia. When she took her seat she felt as if every one was looking at her. Whereas, in fact, only the girls in the very front rows could see her plainly. Between Miss Crawdon's desk and the front seat there was a row of set- tees where those girls who formed Miss Crawdon's 48 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB special classes, sat during recitation. There were other class-rooms in various parts of the house, but the more advanced girls recited either to Miss Crawdon or to teachers in the small adjoining room. Although Julia was less conspicuous than she im- agined, it was not long before the whole school realized that a new girl had arrived. Most of them were too polite to show any surprise, but as each class faled through the room on its way to the recitation-room, many curious glances were thrown in her direction. Miss Crawdon had told Julia that she would require no regular work from her that day. ^^ « Perhaps you would like to look over this history, she had added, giving her a book, " and after recess, you may like to join the class. By listening to the other classes this morning you will get an idea of the kind of work I expect." So Julia divided the two hours before recess between listening to the recitations and glancing over the his- tory It happened to be a history of France, and the special chapter was one dealing with the reign of Louis XIV Julia paid much less attention to the book than she did to the girls who were reciting. It was all so new to her, for it was really true that she had never been in a school before. She admired the skill with which Miss Crawdon asked questions, and she won- dered if she would ever be able to give replies herself, as clear as those of some of the girls. Yet not all the girls, she observed, knew their lesson, and some of T B ero other the more Ion or to I she ira- 3I realized L were too Lilass filed tion-room, Bction. lid require 3 history," ter recess, ing to the idea of the S3 between vrer the his- ce, and the o-n of Louis ) book than ; was all so e had never ) skill with d she won- )lies herself, t not all the nd some of I BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 49 them showed great cleverness in concealing— or trying to conceal this ignorance from Miss Craivdon. The latter was unusually proficient in reading girls, and she generally recognized the evasive answer that was in- tended to conceal lack of knowledge. The second class of the morning was one in English history, the period, the beginning of the reign of Mary. Julia had been engaged with her own book, but she looked up to hear Miss Crawdon saying, " So Mary succeeded one of the Princes murdered in the tower, at least I understood you to say Edward V." " Yes," answered a voice which Julia recognized a? that of Brenda's friend Belle, 'yes, she succeeded her brother, the murdered princ«, who liad been beheaded by Katharine of Arragon." Miss Crawdon did not smile, ar-? if.xle could not see the look of surprise on the faces ol some of her class- mates. But unfortunately sh. 3 could see ti^'ia's face and the involuntary smLe on the latter's lips. She turned very red, and while Miss Crawdon proceeded co set her right, she registered a vow of dislike against that " prig of a Julia " who evidently knew more his- tory than she did. Julia, too, caught the disagreeable look that flashed from Belle's eyes, and she greatly re- gretted that smile. Belle was one of those girls who seldom study a lesson thoroughly. She always had vague general ideas of the topic under consideration, gained by a ^apid survey of the pages assigned for a lesson. Whi ..e could do so unobserved, sometimes 4 dtaMMT- 50 BSENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB during recitation she would look between the covers of her book to refresh her lagging memory. Nora pnd Edith and Brenda were also in the class with her, and sometimes one or the other of them would prompt her to save her from disgrace. Nora occasionally had pangs of conscience, and announced that she considered look- ing in a book or prompting, dishonorable. But some- times she yielded to Belle's signals for help over a hard place. Belle did not often signal, for she relied as a general thing on her own fluency of language to con- ceal her lack of knowledge. Miss Crawdon, however, had what Belle called an aggravating way of making her repeat her words until her mistakes were displayed in all their nakedness to the rest of the class. " It's bad enough," she said to a group surrounding her at recess. " It's bad enough to have Miss Crawdon always down on one, but really I can't stand it if Julia is to sit where she can watch everything I do when I'm reciting to Miss Crawdon. I shouldn't think that you girls would like it either," she concluded. " Oh, we're not afiaid ; we generally know our les- sons," answered Frances Pounder, the girl whose care- less remark had hurt Julia's feelings earlier in the day. " Well, it doesn't matter whether you know your les- sons or not, you can see for yourself that it's very funny for Miss Crawdon to put any girl in so conspicuous a place, right beside her, almost. I hate favoritism." « Why, how you talk, Belle. This cousin of Brenda's T ■MMi JB covers of Nora pnd 1 her, and 'oinpt her had pangs ered look- But some- 7er a hard :elied as a ge to con- however, >f making displayed rrounding 1 Crawdon it if Julia I when I'm k that you iw our les- ^hose care- ier in the V your les- I'ery funny ispicuous a itism." )f Brenda's BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 51 hasn't bcdn in school a day yet, and you talk of favor- itism." " Well, why shouldn't she have been in the history class with us? She told me she was going to have French history with the older girls. Just think of it, she's only a little older than we, and she's going to re- cite with girls nearly eighteen." " She isn't so very pretty, is she ? " said another girl, and so a conversation went on which luckily Julia could not hear. She spent the recess walking up and down with Nora, who was rapidly becoming her most inti- mate friend. '?.f il ■MMMB * YI MISUNDERSTANDINGS Little by little Julia accustomed herself to the routine of school. At first it was much harder for her than any one suspected. Even after she had become fairly well acquainted with the girls in her classes, she dreaded each recitation. It was no easy task to put her knowledge into the definite form needed in answering questions. She had much more general information than many of her classmates, but nearly all were better skilled in recit- ing lessons. Although in history, Latin and literature she was two classes ahead of Brenda and the three other inseparables, she was with all but Edith in mathematics, and, rather to Brenda's delight, a class below them in French. Julia's father had been much less interested in modern than in ancient languages, and Julia had had limited opportunities for learning French. Belle, on the contrary, was a really fine French scholar. She was fonder, indeed, of introducing French words and phrases into her conversation than should have been the case with a girl Avho really understood the French language. Edith excelled in mathematics, Nora, strange to say, Nora, who was so careless about most of her lessons, had a real gift for English composition. Brenda did well in all her studies " by fits and starts," as the girls said. She had fine powers, her teachers often told her, which she Jrnr-^innia^-si '] ' " mmnnHMtnrm lA. KiWiMMaWbi rriyii'Vpt^^ifiHim^-" ■■;n'iB'Liiiif.r i ri'w > ' i i i > i» BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 53 the routine }r than any fairly Avell eaded each knowledge f questions, in many of led in recit- i literature three other atheniatics, ow them in 3 interested ilia had had Belle, on '. She was and phrases en the case h language, age to say, lessons, had L did well in 3 said. She ', which she seldom exerted to the utmost. But Brenda and her friends formed only a small part of the school, and Julia soon found that in every class she had one or two competitors whose proficiency spurred her on. To be perfectly frank, hoAvever, it must be said that the majority of Miss Crawdon's girls were not hard workers. Miss Crawdon, herself, often felt greatly dis- couraged that girls with the opportunities of most of her pupils, should appreciate these opportunities so little. With most of them attending school was a mere duty, a way in which several months of each year must be spent until they should " come out." Miss Crawdon tried in vain to arouse in most of them something more like a passing interest in their work. Occasionally she found a spark of earnestness in one of her pupils Avhich she was able to fan into ambition. But more often she had to give up the attempt to induce a bright girl to be- come a genuine student. There Avere too many dis- tractions out of school, and parents were apt to be slow- in seconding her efforts. Miss Crawdon was pleased, therefore, to find in Julia a girl who loved study and who was inclined to persevere. One day Brenda came home from school in a state of considerable excitement. " What do you think, mamma, Julia is going to study Greek 1 Did you ever hear of such a thing ? " "Why shouldn't Julia study Greek?" said her mother. " Why are you so excited about it ? " " Oh, it's so foolish. No girl at Miss Crawdon's ever * . 4> ttattrnmiiii mmmi^mimmmmm 54 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB studied Greek before. Julia says she's going to college, is she? Oh, dear, I think it's horrid." " Why, Brenda, really " " Well, it makes me so conspicuous." "How can that be?" " Why every one will point me out and say, ' Oh it's her cousin who studies Greek.' It sounds so strong- minded to talk of going to college. The next thing she'll want to be a teacher." " It seems to me you are very unreasonable, Brenda. 4 You ought to be glad that your cousin is so ambitious. I only wish that you were half as fond of study." "There, that's it. I knew there'd be comparisons. Oh, dear ! It never was so before Julia came." " Daughter," said Mr. Barlow from behind his paper. Brenda trembled, for her father's "Daughter" was generally the introduction to a lecture. " Daughter, I fear that you are jealous." Brenda shook her head. " Oh, papa 1 " " Yes, Brenda, I have noticed in several ways that you are less kinr to Julia than you should be. How does it happen that you and she never start off to school together ? " " Brenda is never ready when Julia io," said Mrs. Barlow. -^ " Ah, Brenda, your habit of tardiness is a very bad one." "I'm hardly ever late at school. Belle and I get there a full minute before the bell rings." ,UB to college, BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HEU CLUB 55 ly, * Oh it's so strong- next thing le, Brenda, ambitious, idy." raparisons. 16." I his paper. liter " -was )augliter, I ways that be. How tart off to ' said Mrs. a very bad and I get f ' * "That may be, but it would be better if you and Julia started together." " She does not have to go alone. Nora is generally Avith her." " Ah, Brenda, the point I am trying to make is this ; you do not spend nearly as much time with your cousin as I had hoped you would, and you are too ready to find fault with what she does ! " " You always blame me, and you never find any fault with Julia. Why didn't she tell me that she was go- ing to study Greek ? The girls all asked me to-day if I knew about it, and I had to say that I hadn't heard a word." " You and Belle have been very much occupied with your own affairs this week. Julia consulted us about her plans and " " Well, is she going to college ? " interrupted Brenda. " I cannot say positively," smiled Mrs. Barlow. " It rests with Julia herself." "I never saw anything like it," pouted Brenda. " Julia isn't two years older than I, and you let her do whatever she wants to. Oh, dear ! " And Brenda pushed aside the portiere and left the room. " That is just what I feared for Brenda," said Mr. Barlow. "Julia's coming makes her even a little more suspicious than she was before. She constantly has the idea that something of importance has been concealed from her which she ought to know." "Yes," replied Mrs. Barlow, "I am afraid that ill $6 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Brenda is hopelessly spoiled. "VVe did not realize the danger when she was little. The other two girls were so diif erent." " It would not surprise me," responded Mr. Barlow, " if after all some change should come to Brenda's point of view from having to consider her cousin more or less." " If only she would consider her," sighed Mrs. Bar- low. If Julia felt at all slighted by Brenda, she did not say so. Indeed she was too well occupied with her lessons and her music to be disturbed by trivial things. What her object was in studying Greek she did not disclose fully to any one, but she studied diligently the diffi- cult declensions and conjugations. The serious looking man with eyeglasses who came to the school three times a week, was an object of much interest to most of the girls. " Doesn't he look learned ? Oh, Julia, I should think that you would be frightened to death," said Edith. But Julia smiled. " I wish myself that Greek were just a little easier. I've got to the verbs and it seems to me I never shall know them." "I don't wonder," responded Edith. "I don't see how you ever learn it, — all those queer letters and marks and things. Well, I should feel just as though I were standing on my head if I tried to study Greek." Edith had no vanity about herself, at least in the h' ,UB realize the girls were [r. Barlow, ada's point a more or I Mrs. Bar- did not say her lessons gs. What lot disclose Y the diffi- 3US looking hool three est to most lould think laid Edith. ittle easier, never shall [ don't see letters and is though I ^ Greek." last in the BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 57 matter of lessons. Her special talent was for draAving and mathematics but although she was conscientious about her school work, she rarely distinguished herself in her recitations. Like Nora, she had begun to have a great admiration for Julia. The latter shook her head when Edith spoke of the difficulty she had in learning Greek. " It's like everything else," she said, " you can learn it if you make up your mind to try hard enough." " I wish that had been the way with my German, for I really did try. Papa is disappointed, because he wanted me to speak by the time we go to Europe again." " Then why don't you persevere ? It would please him and it would do you good. If I were you I would take it up now." " Well, perhaps I Avill after Christmas. Miss Craw- don won't let us make any changes until then." As Edith watched Julia's diligence and perseverance she really became ashamed of her own rather indolent way of treating her lessons. When Nora or Brenda came for her to go to walk early on some bright October afternoon she was very apt to say, " Oh, I cannot go now, I must finish study- ing." "Well, Edith, I never knew anything so funny," Brenda exclaimed one day Avhen she and Belle had vainly tried to persuade Edith to walk with them over the mill-dam. " You never used to make such excuses :*i S8 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB and I consider it a perfect waste of time myself to spend such a lovely afternoon studying. I should think your mother'd want you to have some exercise." " Oh, I shall have plenty this afternoon. I am going to the gymnasium for an hour with Julia, and that will answer for to-day. We took a walk before school this morning." " You and Nora are too provoking, Edith," exclaimed Brenda rather pettishly. " Ever since Julia came you seem to prefer spending your time with her. You never used to be such a book-Avorm." " Well, I'm trying to make up for lost time. I wish that I could accomplish as much as Julia." " Oh — Julia, Julia, I'm sick and tired of the name," exclaimed Belle. " Why in the world does she study so much, Brenda ? " " I'm sure I don't know." " You ought to — you're her cousin. I believe myself that she's going to be a teacher." " Belle, it is not nice in you to say that," interposed Edith. " Why isn't it nice to be a teacher. I thought that you liked them more than anything else. I am sure that Julia does." " I dare say she does, but it doesn't follow that she's going to be a teacher herself." " Oh, anybody can tell that she's a poor relation — isn't she, Brenda ? Just see how plainly she dresses, and working so to get into college. I, think that atej ai.ii-1 myself to lould think se." [ am going d that will school this ' exclaimed came you her. You le. I wish the name," 1 she study ieve myself interposed lought that I am sure ' that she's relation — he dresses, think that BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 59 your mother and father are very good to give her a home." Now all this was very presumptuous on Belle's part, but she spoke so pleasantly and smiled so sweetly at Brenda as she talked that the latter, though a little irritated, never thought of taking oITenco at her. But Belle's words had sunk deeper even than she had in- tended. Brenda had a certain kind of pride which was easily touched. She felt that in some way it Avas a source of discredit to her to have a cousin who might be a teacher. For in what other way could she interpret Julia's intention of studying Greek. Julia, unconscious of Brenda's feeling, went on quietly without heeding the disagreeable little remarks that sometimes were made in her hearing by Brenda. Belle was as polite and agreeable toward Julia as to others whom she liked better. For it was a kind of unspoken policy of Belle's to be apparently friendly with all girls of whom she was likely to see much. If accused of this failing she would not have admitted that she was two- faced. She merely liked to be popular, and if she sometimes made ill-natured remarks about a third per- son, she trusted to the discretion of those to whom she talked. She did not realize that in time she might come to be regarded as thoroughly insincere. She had not iheasured the relative advantages of " To Be " and "To Seem." „ i VII VISITING MANUEL Two or three Aveeks after their adventure with !Manuel passed before Brenda and Nora were able to visit him. They talked several times of going, but something always interfered. Sometimes it was the weather, sometimes it was another engagement, more often they could not go because they had no one to ac- company them. For it was evident that two young girls could not go alone to the North End. At length one morning one of the under teachers in the school offered to go with them that very afternoon. She had overheard them at recess expressing their sorrow that they could not go alone. " Keally," pouted Brenda, " I think that mamma is very mean. We could go as well as not by ourselves, and why we should have to wait for her or some older person to go with us I cannot see." " Don't call your mother mean," Miss South said laughingly in passing, and then as Brenda explained the cause of her rather undutiful expression, she had added, " Your mother is perfectly right. It would never do for you to go alone. But I have an errand down near Prince Street this very day. If you get Mrs. Barlow's permission I shall be happy to have you go mmmm nture with ere able to going, but it was the tnent, more one to ac- two young At length the school I. She had sorrow that ; mamma is y ourselves, some older South said a explained on, she had It would e an errand rou get Mrs. lave you go BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 61 with me." So it happened that one warm, sunny day in early November, the girls and Miss South exchanged their Back Bay car at ScoUay Square fur a Hanover Street electric car. It whizzed swiftly down a street which neither Brenda nor Kora had ever seen before, filled with gay shops whose windows were bright with millinery or jewelry — or, I am sorry to say it — bottles of liquor, amber and red. There was more display here than in the streets up town. "Sometimes," said Miss South, "I call this the Bowery of Boston. It is the chief shopping street of the North End, and on Saturday nights the poor peo- ple do most of their buying. I came here one evening with my brother. It was really very amusing." They had been in the car but a few minutes when Miss South gave the signal for the car to stop. " It will interest you," she said, " to see this quaint old street. It has an old-time name, too — * Salem Street.' " Brenda and Nora glanced around them in surprise. It was a narrow street, winding along almost in a curve. Though most of the houses were brick, a number were of wood. Some of them had gable-roofs, and nearly all of them looked old. Shops occupied the lower part of most of these houses, and many of them were pawn- shops. As they entered the street it seemed as if they could hardly pass through. Hooks and poles laden with old clothes projected from many of these shops, and the sidewalks themselves held numerous loungers and chil- dren. Nora looked interested, Brenda, a trifle disgusted, ■II 62 BRENDA, ilER SCHOOL AXD HER CLUB as they saw a woman chattering with a hand-cart man who sold fish. " Ugh, I wouldn't want to eat it," said the latter. " Oh, it's probably perfectly good fish," res])onded Miss South with a smile. " Only it does not look quite as inviting as it would if shown on a marble slab in an up-town fish market," " Are these people dreadfully poor ? " asked Nora. " No," replied Miss South. " This is the Jewish sec- tion, and most of the men here make a pretty good liv- ing. They are peddlers, and go out into the country selling tins or fruit, or they have little shops." " But these children look so poor 1 " " If you Avill notice more carefully you will see that their clothes are dingy rather than poor. Nearly all wear good shoes, and there are not many rags. Many of these Russian and Polish Jews when they first come to Boston have very little money, and are supported by their friends. But they soon find a chance to earn their living, and a man coming here without a cent, in five years sometimes owns a house. I speak of this, girls, because I have known people to think that dirt and dinginess mean great poverty." Nora and Brenda made many exclamations of sur- prise as they looked down some of the narrow lanes leading from Salem Street. "It's just like pictures of Europe, isn't it?" cried Nora; "and then these people — and the queer signs — Oh 1 really I think it's too interesting for anything." \ fmmm m-tsm^' iTirin B nm»iiiiiT IBIir nr « i r;3; i mC * *^r ' iww i r:j i i M«S«^UiMMM >.»w>»a»> »g ta» jtfi^ i^i q >fti^W . - !y» F.* LUB She looked hawl drawu id that they know what s South had lirty, so dif- , that they se when she Miss South he had been jeen able to Br had been .Id. asked Miss sa, showing to go every and as they peeping out mda smiled t in Manuel [ for their 1 very poor ind the two lie most im- BEENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 67 portant piece of furniture was the large cook-stove. On the mantelpiece . jre various dishes, several of which were broken, and there were the remains of a meal on the table. Altogether the room did not look very neat. Although it was not a cold day there Avas a large tire burning in the stove where something rather savory was boiling in a pot. While Miss South was talking the two girls realized that they had come rather aimlessly to Mrs. Eosa's. They managed to ask her if Manuel had run away again, and she smiled as she answered, " Every day," and shook her head at the little boy. "Well, he must be careful not to run under the horses' feet," said Nora. " He won't find some one ready to pull him back every day," chimed in Brenda, while Manuel and his mother both smiled, though I am sure that the little boy hardly understood a word of what was said. " Oh, them 'lectrics," said Mrs. Rosa, " they're aw- ful bad. I whip Manuel all the time so he won't run in front of them 'lectrics." "Aren't you afraid whipping will make him run away more often ? " asked Miss South. But Mrs. Eosa looked as if she did not quite understand the meaning of this question, and after a few more inquiries about the other children who were still in school, Miss South said it was time to return home. Before going, Nora gave Manuel a picture-book, and Brenda gave him a top which they had bought for him. urirrTTBi M 68 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB " Come again," called Mrs. Rosa, waving an en J of her shawl at them, and " Come again" shouted Manuel as they turned from the narrow alley into the broader street. " Isn't it perfectly dreadful," exclaimed Nora, " for people to be so poor." Miss South was silent for a moment. Then she re- sponded, " There are different kinds of poverty. Mrs. Rosa seems very poor to you, and it is true that she has not much money, but if you were to ask her I dare say that she would tell you that she is better off than when she lived in the Azores," and then, as she saw that the girls were interested, Miss South continued, " in Boston she can send her children to good schools, knowing that when they are old enough, they will find a way to earn a living. When she herself is out of work, or ill, she is not likely to suffer, for there are many people and institutions in Boston looking out for the poor." " But they look so awfully poor now," said Brenda. Miss South smiled. " I would not try to make you less sympathetic, Brenda, but you must remember that a plain uncarpeted room when properly warmed is not so uncomfortable as it looks. The worst thing about Mrs. Rosa's way of living is the fact that she and her chil- dren are crowded into two small rooms. At night they bring a mattress from the little bedroom and spread on the kitchen floor. Three of the children sleep there, while Mrs. Rosa and the others sleep in the bedroom." " How can they possibly live that way ! " said Nora, . m f iiii r ri ! » TfflOJi i iMtf i>*^ •■ ^L I f :; LUB ^ an en-J of ted Manuel the broader Nora, " for 'hen she re- erty. Mrs. }hat she has ■ I dare say than when iw that the " in Boston lowing that ly to earn a 3r ill, she is people and or." aid Brenda. ike you less iber that a ed is not so : about Mrs. nd her chil- b night they and spread sleep there, ) bedroom." said Nora, BRENDA, HER SCnOOL AND UER CLUB 69 who, as a doctor's daughter, had pretty definite ideas on the subject of ventilation and hygiene. " It is indeed a very bad way of doing," said Miss South. " The best way to help Mrs. Rosa would be to persuade her to take her family to some country town where they could have plenty of light and air." 1 ' t ii i ,i ,V i>ii jf^ i-*-"»'n. ■.■■■ Oi pi«. f^ i' ^ . i ;S^(6iifc ; i i i ii»i) i| |V_ i ^;>iji. i g had much jrnoon. Or uel and his the poverty .0 for them, ted and said, ase for your as long as it love to have 3 old church ) church was these points, had done — d she was a i: of interest, t it did seem iently in an- , I think it lotice much, irry to go on BEENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 11 to see Manuel, and I think that it's very tiresome to have to dig up history and things like that out of school." Mr. Barlow frowned at this. « Before you go to the North End again I hope you will have your history and your Longfellow fresh in mind. It is rather a shame for a Boston girl to be ignorant of historic places in her own city." " Julia must go with you next time," said Mrs. Bar- low, wishing to divert the conversation from Brenda's shortcomings. "You'U let me know, won't you," interposed Julia pleasantly, and Brenda gave a careless " Yes " as she turned to her father and said, " Oh, papa, I wish that you would let me buy a carpet and a lot of things for Manuel's mother. You have no idea how poor they seem. Do give me the money, that's a dear. You never will miss it in the world." " How much, Brenda, does your modesty lead you to think you need ? " asked Mr. Barlow. " Oh, I don't know," answered Brenda, whose ideas of the value of money were very vague indeed. " You might let me buy the things and have them charged." " Dear me ! that would be worse than giving you the money— worse for my pocket. I suppose you'd want to do your shopping in some really fashionable Boyls- ton Street establishment?" " Now, papa, you're laughing at me 1 " -,4 mmOf -T*^ tf;^,ii i ri i Wtr i>- BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB "Perhaps I am," replied her father. "But really, Brenda, I don't believe that Manuel's mother would thank you for a carpet. Didn't you say they all lived in one room? A bare floor is easier to keep clean." "Oh, well, I must buy them something, and my pocket money won't go far. Besides, I've spent all you gave me this month." " "Well, Manuel and his mother and all those brothers and sisters have lived in Boston very comfortably for several years without any help from you. If you should give them a carpet they might grow discon- tented. The next thing they would want might be a piano, and from what you say I hardly think that room would hold a piano as well as the whole family and the cook-stove." Oh, papa, I believe that you are making fun of " No, indeed, I am not, but I wish you to be reason- able." " If there's anything in the world I hate it's that word reasonable. It always means that I'm not to have what I want." " There you are -w/i-reasonable," answered Mr. Bar- low. " We will talk no more about it now, but some day perhaps your mother will go down with you to see Manuel, and then you can both tell me whether the Eosas ought to have a piano as well as a carpet," With this Brenda had to be content, but the next '■,■; t r ■ . >, . ,UB But really, ;ber would f they all 3r to keep r, and my ent all you se brothers ortably for u. If you ow discon- i might be think that hole family ing fun of 3 be reason- ;te it's that I'm not to ed Mr. Bar- nr, but some ti you to see whether the rpet." tut the next BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB T3 afternoon when the Four Club had its regular weekly meeting she and Nora grew excited as they described the poverty of the Kosas to the other two. " At any rate we can do a lot of fancy-work this winter," said Brenda, " and I shouldn't wonder if we were to have a very successful Fair." " Oh, don't call it a ' Fair,' " said Belle, " that sounds so awfully common. Bazaar, or Sale— no. Bazaar is best. Let's always speak of it as a Bazaar." The others assented, for really they hardly ever dared dissent from Belle when she laid down the law in this way. « Well, what else shall we call it, The Busy Bees' Bazaar ? " asked Nora. " Oh, no, that would be dreadful ! We needn't de- cide about the rest of the name just yet." "No, I think that it would be better to wait until we have something ready," said Edith, at which the other three looked up somewhat surprised. They had never heard Edith make a remark that sounded so nearly sarcastic. " Now, Edith, you know very well that we shall have plenty to sell. Just think how much we'll do if we meet every week ourselves. Then every girl in school ought to make at least one thing, and we can get any amount from older people. Keally it's the duty of older people to help us all they can. I should think we might have four large tables just loaded with fancy- work, besides refreshments and flowers— and— oh, dear 74 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB me— I feel quite db?v when I think of it," cried the sanguine Brenda. •'Aren't you going to ask Julia to join the Four Club?" queried Edith, turning to Brenda. " How silly," said the latter. " Of course not. It wouldn't be a Four Club then." " But don't you think it must seem a little strange to Julia. We run upstairs past her room every Thursday, and no one asks her to come." " Oh, she doesn't care," interposed Belle. " I don't believe that she cares for anything but study and music." " Yes," added Brenda, " it drives me half crazy to hear her piano going half the time." " Ah, that's w^ at drives you crazy," said Nora, mis- chievously. " I thought you had seemed a little queer lately." Brenda tossed her head, but before she had time to answer this, Edith returned to the question of Julia. " Eeally and honestly, Brenda, I feel very uncom- fortable about Julia. We ought at least to invite her to join us. I dare say she wouldn't come every week, but I do think that she ought to be asked. It doesn't seem to me polite to leave her out— or kind." Again Belle spoke for Brenda. " Keally, Edith, you're awfully Puritanic ; that's what everybody says : you're always thinking about the wrong and right of things." "Well, why shouldn't I ? I'm sure we all intend to do Avhat is right." l ,i*,m» i V |p i« » lit & ■ i 'J i* < * " cried the I the Four se not. It 3 strange to T Thursday, , "I don't study and If crazy to [ Nora, mis- little queer had time to of Julia, ery uncom- :o invite her every week, It doesn't Sdith, you're says : you're b of things." Eill intend to BRENDA, HEP. SCHOOL AND HEB CLUB 75 " Yes, of course, in a way. But you don't have to keep thinking about it always. People have to enjoy themselves sometimes, and if we can't enjoy ourselves in this Four Club we might as well give it up at once." « Do you mean that Julia would prevent our enjoy- ing ourselves if she came?" Nora's voice sounded ominously severe. "I didn't say that, but— well what's the good of talking ? " cr^ ' BeUe, who saw that she was getting into deep %\ . ,, "Yes," chimed in Brenda, "that's what I say too. But Edith continued in a rather grave voice, "Of course it's your house, Brenda, and you and Belle started the Club, and no one can compel you to invite any one you don't want. But I'm sure if I had my way Julia should be here this minute, and I'm not sure that I'll stay in the Club if she isn't asked." " Do you mean you won't work for the Bazaar ? " exclaimed Nora in surprise, thinking of Manuel, and of the dainty needlework at which Edith was so skilful. " I haven't said exactly what I'll do," replied the quiet Edith, with more spirit than she generally dis- played. " Only I can tell you that I'm not going to see Julia left out of things the way she has been." "Oh, Julia's all right," said Brenda scornfully. " She doesn't know how to do fancy-work, and she'd just feel bored if she came to the Club. If you want a 'cause' Edith, you'd better adopt a smaller orphan than Julia." mimmmmf ii!iJJii,UlV,....,«,iui iiiMillli irlimiff "n' i i"r-" I* ^ idihwi'iT I 76 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB " Like Manuel," said Edith, with a bright smile, for, determined though she was when she had made up her mind about a thing, she was also a peacemaker. Evc-n when Brenda and Belle most annoyed her, she hesitattsl to say sharp things to them, remembering that " A soft answer turneth away wrath." "Yes, like Manuel," said Nora, taking up Edith's words. " I won't give Manuel up to you, for you know that I mean to adopt him myself, but he hast a sister, or two of them for that matter, and I shouldn't wonder if eithev of them would give you enough to do." " Oh, y cs," said Brenda, " they both looked as if they needed lots of clothes. But they have the sweetest black eyes." "Well, then, why shouldn't we make dresses or aprons or something like that, before we get started on our work for the Bazaar ? " asked Edith. " Oh, how can you ? " cried Belle. " Horrid calico dresses and things like that— I should just hate them." "There, don't get excited," said Nora. "I've thought of that myself. But my mother says there are plenty of Societies and Sewing Circles we can get clothes from, if the Eosas really need clothes. She says it would be bad to begin giving them things." " Well, then, what are we going to have a Bazaar for ? " asked Brenda. " For fun," responded Belle, so promptly that Nora looked at her a little suspiciously. " No," replied Nora, " not for fun, but we've got to ,UB smile, for, ade up her ker. Eveu >e hesitatcil at " A soft up Edith's ' you know as a sister, in' I wonder io." 1 as if they he sweeteat dresses or ; started on )rrid calico late them." •a. " I've says there we can get othes. She hings." e a Bazaar that Nora e've got to .<^ ^^%> *> o / IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET {MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 lis IM 12.2 I i:S 12.0 *- i. hiUt. - 6" PhoiDgraphic Sciences Corporation \fl_„_.. — 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 Le CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques ^•■■•mmsmi L g^ff;^vvgA^g,gjr.j ii' ' .i« !.a iilt "r' .'i ft ,i ^i f >;^- jki^Wb_Ha^--j^ ^ BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 77 have an object in a Club of this kind, and besides there'll probably be other things we can do for the Eosas." " Send them to the country in the summer, perhaps," said Edith. " There are the Country "Week people," cried Belle. " They always do things like that." " Let's wait until we get the money," said Brenda, grandly. " Perhaps we'll have enough to buy them a house — or " " Or a horse and carriage," laughed Edith. " Oh, Brenda, you are so unpractical." " There, there," said Nora, who saw another cloud rising over the horizon of the Four Club. " Let's talk of something sensible." " What are you working at. Belle ? " ■ Belle held up a pretty piece of blue denim on which she had begun to outline a pattern in white silk. " This is to be a sofa cushion," she said in answer to Nora's question. " People always like to buy them, and this shade of blue goes with almost anything." " Oh, it's too sweet for anything," said Nora, en- thusiastically. " Yes, indeed," added Edith, with perfect sincerity. " You do such perfect needlework that I really envy you." Both Nora and Edith were glad to praise Belle's skill, for although they knew that they themselves had been in the right, they realized that Belle would not feel very : ^ , Si 78 BRENDA, HEE SCHOOL AND HER CLUB kindly toward them for not siding with her in the nict- ter of Julia. Nora, like Edith, was a peacemaker, and both wished the afternoon to end as pleasantly as pos- sible. , ■ * Belle was by no means indifferent to the praise of her friends. She really could do very fine embroidery and she took considerable pride in her work. " I never could have patience to do anything like that," said Nora, whose specialty was crocheting. "I like to do something that I needn't look at all the time. I could crochet an afghan almost in the dark." " Yes, but an afghan is such an endless piece of work." , " Well, I don't suppose I'll make many of them lor the Bazaar." « I should say not," said Edith. « What are you go- ing to do first, Brenda? You haven't had a needle m vour hand this afternoon." « I know it, I know it," cried Brenda, the heedless « But I can't think what to begin first," and she opened the bottom drawer of her bureau, where were displayed a tangled heap of linen and floss and gold thread and silk plush and other materials for fancy work which she had bought at different times. There were cushion covers and doilies in which a few stitches had been taken, only to be thrown aside for something else, and , some of them were in so soiled a condition that they were not likely to be good for anything. «0h, what a wicked waste of money, Brenda BaJ^ ifcti ^ J tU j^^ k w ,-:t^r"^-'-r'-"^-^" f - ■-"--"--"■Hti-iftf I ^* . im ■A fer ,^ » ;. mT i ?i «> tr ^ai !»j iii^ N ■ Jj^ * - ^.'^l i^^-^^V-iM', BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 81 passed this house, and, as schoolgirls, they naturally felt much curiosity about the lady who occupied it, since she seemed to be surrounded by an air of mystery. They knew, of course, her name — Madame du Lai'iny — and some of the girlp had heard more about her from their parents. " My mother," said Frances Pounder, " says that my grandmother told her that Mme. du Launy was a very beautiful girl. She married a Frenchman whom her family despised, and she stayed in Europe until after her father's death." "Was the Frenchman rich ?" asked Edith, in rather an awe-stricken voice, for the story sounded very ro- mantic. The girls at this moment happened to be seated on the steps leading to the school, and Frances was in her element when she had an interested group hanging on her words. " Oh, dear, no, he wasn't rich at all. He was a cook, or a hair-dresser, or something like that, only very good looking. But when Mme. du Launy's father died, she had three little children, and her father was so proud — he was a Holtom — he couldn't bear to think of her coming to want, so he left her all his fortune just the same as if she hadn't married beneath her." " That was right," said Nora approvingly. " I think it's ridiculous for fathers to cut their children off with a penny, the way they used to." "Well," responded Frances, "I think it's a great deal more ridiculous for people to marry beneath them." t - ^ I i . - f » l»^t lM. y .J I ■* -W 82 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB "Of course you'd think that, Frances," interposed Belle. " There, there, don't begin to quarrel, children," said Nora. "Go on with the story, Frances. What did Mine, du Launy do when she got her money ? " " Oh, she brought her Frenchman and her children to Boston, and she lived at a hotel while she began to build this house. Some people went to see her, but the Frenchman was a terribly ill-mannered little thing, and nobody liked him because he was so familiar. Mme. du Launy and he were hardly ever invited anywhere, and they spent most of their time driving about in a great carriage which held the whole family, and a maid and governess." " I should think they would have stopped building the house." "Oh, no," said Edith, "they kept on, and after a while they went to Europe to buy things for it. They had more than a ship-load, and they say that everything was perfectly beautiful, — foreign rugs, and tapestry, and glass, and gilt furniture." " Dear me, I should love to have seen it." " "Well, it's all there in the house now, but you'd have to be a good deal smarter than any one I know to see it." " Why Frances, do you mean that no one ever goes there ? " asked Julia. " Yes, that's just what I mean. I don't suppose any one in Boston except the doctor, and two or three very old people, have ever been inside that door." \ 11 r' yr^ CLUB ," interposed aildren," said I. What did ey?" er children to she began to e her, but the tie thing, and liliar. Mme. 3d anywhere, ng about in a y, and a maid 1 building the , and after a for it. They at everything and tapestry, ut you'd have low to see it." one ever goes b suppose any or three very BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 83 "Yes, that's true," added Edith. "I've heard my mother speak of it. Mme. du Launy is terribly peculiar." " I should think she'd be lonely," said Julia. " I dare say she is," replied Frances, " but it's awfully selfish to shut up a great house like that." "Why does she do it?" " Oh, I believe, when she came back from Europe the second time she set out to give a great ball. She sent invitations to every one, no matter whether people had called on her or not. Of course very few people Avent, only her relations and a few others. This made her so angry that she vowed she'd have nothing more to do with people in Boston. Not long afterward her hus- band died, then her children died or turned out badly, and she has just lived alone ever since." " It sounds rather sad," said Julia, when Frances had finished. "Nonsense, Julia," said Brenda, "you're so senti- mental." " No, she isn't at all," cried Edith, " it is really sad. I wonder what became of the children." Here Belle spoke up. " I've heard that the boys all died. One of them ran away to sea and ti as drowned. But I believe the girl married some ou. r>er mother didn't I'ke, and so she disinherited her. t he may be living somewhere, but she must be an old woman her- self, for my grandmother says that Mme. du Launy is about eighty." ^J ■• * 'f^ d 84 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB As the girls looked toward the house they sr.vr a figure standing behind the curtains of the window over the front door. " There she is now," the girls cried. "Wouldn't you like to go inside?" said Nora to Edith. " I don't know that I'm really anxious to," replied the latter. " Oh, I am," said Nora, and a moment later she cried out to Frances, " Frances, you are rather clever, can't you suggest some way by which I can find my w^ay in- side that house? Wouldn't one of your great aunts give me an introduction to Mme. du Launy ? I'm just dying to see what is inside those brick walls." "No," responded Frances, rather scoi'nfuUy; "if they could they v idn't, but I'm sure they haven't kept up any acquaintance with Mme. du Launy." " Well," replied Nora, " I'll find a way. Mark my words, before the present crescent moon is old I shall have at least a speaking acquaintance with Mme. du Launy. Poor thing, she must be very lonely." "I don't believe she'd appreciate your society par- ticularly, Nora, for one thing you're pretty young," said Edith. " No matter, I'm going to know her. Come, Brenda, I'll confide in you." So Brenda and Nora walked down the street, leaving the other girls to wonder what they were planning. This was by no means the first time that the girls at ..tiia. nt^i<»».'. CLUB e they sr.w a window over said Nora to IS to," replied later she cried r clever, can't id my way in- ir great aunts ny ? I'm just alls." ornfuUy; "if they haven't Launy." ly. Mark my a is old I shall with Mme. du nely." ir society par- retty young," Dome, Brenda, street, leaving vrere planning, at the girls at BKENDA, UEB SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 85 Miss Crawdon's school had discussed Mme. du Launy and hor affairs. Indeed, each set of girls had wondered about her and her beautiful furniture, and her music box that played a hundred airs, and all her foreign treasures, and her possessions lost nothing in splendor as the girls told what they had heard about them. Of the four friends, Belle and Edith were most in- different to the house across the way. But a number of others among the schoolgirls seemed inclined to join Nora and Brenda in whatever they were planning. One day as they walked about at recess they saw the old lady leave the house and enter her carriage. They were too polite to stand and gaze at her, but some of them could not resist the temptation of staring at the carriage as it rolled by. The next day Nora and Brenda were seen to be very much interested in playing ball. They tossed it from one to the other, and occasionally as they passed the brick mansion they let it roll within the gateway on the gravelled walks. There were half a dozen girls walking in front of the old house and tossing the ball. As they played, the ball rose higher and higher. Nora and Brenda were standing almost inside the gateway, when suddenly the ball seemed to fling itself against one of the windows, and the crash of breaking glass was heard. Some of the girls looked frightened and hurried across the street toward the school. Brenda too, started to go, but Nora took her by the hand. "Eemember your promise," she said, so loudly that .■> ^# f 86 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB - two of the other girls who were crossing the street, turned about and joined them. Just at that moment the school-bell rang, and rather reluctantly the girls turned back to school. Nora and Brenda paid very little attention to their lessons the rest of the morning. Some of their friends who had witnessed the mischief done by the ball were also excited. They all more than half expected to see Mme. du Launy's aged serv- ant-man make his appearance to complain of the injury done to the window. As it drew near two o'clock and nothing of the kind had happened, they were really disappointed. "We're not going home with you," cried Kora, as she and Brenda and the two other conspirators walked down the steps of the school. " Why not ? " asked Edith from the dressing-room. "Oh, we have something to attend to," replied Kora. " Well," said Edith, " luncheon is the most important thing that I have to attend to just now." " AVhat shall I say to your mother ? " asked Julia, as she saw Brenda preparing to turn in the opposite direc- tion from home. " Don't say anything, Jalia. I'm not a baby to need looking after." Julia had no answer for this inconsiderate speech, for indeed she had become only too well accustomed to Brenda's little rudenesses. " Let's Avait and see what they are going to do," sug- «**U-— «-',*"'- R CLUB ing the street, .t that moment antly the girls snda paid very •f the morning. Bd the mischief They all more ny's aged serv- n of the injury wo o'clock and By were really cried Kora, as )irators walked •essing-room. d to," replied nost important asked Julia, as opposite direc- a baby to need [derate speech, accustomed to ng to do," sag- BRENDA, UER SCHOOL AND IIER CLUB 87 gested Edith, looking toward Nora and Brenda and the two or three others who had joined them. "I must go on," answered Julia. "I ought to be at " " I'll wait," spoke up Belle. " Come, you can stay, Edith." So the two friends waited near the school while Brenda and Nora and the others crossed the street to Mme. du Launy's mansion. They were surprised to see them ring the bell, and after a moment, when the door was opened, to see them step inside. Not many minutes later they saw the door reopen, as the girls, looking somewhat crestfallen, turned away from the house. " What in the world were you up to ? " called Belle, rather excitedly as they turned homeward. "Wait till we get out of sight of the house," said Nora, " and I'll tell you. It was this way, I had just made up my mind that I'd see the inside of that house. Frauces Pounder seemed so sure I couldn't. So I thought and thought, and to-day when we were play- ing ball you see we broke the window." "On purpose! I do believe. Why, Nora, I should think you'd be ashamed ! " " Well, I had the money in my pocket to pay for it. That was what we went for after school. But that queer old butler, — really I almost laughed in his face. However, I managed to say, * I'm extremely sorry, but I broke a pane of glass in the windo ,v over the front « . 'l 'v. 0^ 88 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB door -when I was playing ball this morning.' *"We hadn't discovered it, miss,' he said, as solemn as could be. 'Then you might go and look,' I replied, 'and if you will please tell Mme. du Launy that I'd like to pay for it, I'll be greatly obliged.' I thought that while he was looking at the glass and talking to the old lady, he'd at least ask us into the reception-room, or draw- ing-room. But not a bit of it. There's a little vesti- bule just beyond the front door, and there he left us. He asked us to sit down, and we did sit down on the edge of two great black settles there in the marble vestibule. When he came back I felt sure he was going to take us straight up to Mme. du Launy. Instead of that he merely said : ' Mme. du Launy presents her com- pliments, and^ is greatly obliged to you for telling her about the window. She couldn't think of letting you pay for it, as an apology is quite enough.'" « And you didn't see anything in the house ? " « No, not a thing ; though as he opened the door into the hall we caught a glimpse of a big gilded table and an enormous piece of tapestry over the stairs. Wasn't it mean, after all our efforts?" "Who has won the bet, you or Frances?" asked Belle. , _ " I'm not sure. I have been in the house and 1 haven't," replied Nora. "I should think you'd have been frightened to death. What would you have done if you had seen the old lady?" mm CLUB jrning.' * We lemn as could eplieci, ' and if I'd like to pay ;ht that while 3 the old lady, 'oom, or draw- 3 a little vesti- lere he left us. it down on the in the marble e he was going y. Instead of 3sents her com- for telling her of letting you louse ? " lened the door )ig gilded table ver the stuirs. BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 89 «' I don't know, I'm sure. There were so many of us we shouldn't have been frightened," and Nora looked at Brenda and the other girl who were vehemently describing the adventure. ances?" asked le house and I itened to death. ,d seen the old I i jiiM " ; A SOPHOMORE "When Edith's brother Philip came in from College to spend Saturday and Sunday, Edith's house was apt to be a rendezvous for the other girls. Not that Philip was likely to waste much time with mere girls. Not he 1 He was a Harvard sophomore, and realized his own importance quite as much as the girls did. But still there was always the chance that he would come into the room just for a minute, and tell them some of the latest Cambridge news. He would have scorned to call it gossip. If there was any one thing in the world he hated— so he said— it was girls' talk, this jab- bering about nothing. For his part he wouldn't waste his time that way. Yet, when he had an appreciative audience,— and girls generally appreciated rthat Philip said,— he would often spend as much as half an hour talking about the fellows— how beastly it was Jim Dashaway couldn't row on the crew, and he would grow almost enthusiastic when describing the tussle be- tween Ned Brown and Stanley Hooper over the re- spective merits of Boston and New York in which Hooper, the New Yorker, was terribly beaten. "And upon my word," he concluded, "I wasn't sorry, for the New York set is getting just unbearable. "MUMMHI / ^ 1 . i-: from College ouse was apt ►t that Philip 3 girls. Not realized his rls did. But ) would come ihera some of have scorned thing in the talk, this jab- ouldn't waste 1 appreciative 1 rt hat Philip half an hour r it was Jim tnd he would the tussle be- • over the re- ork in which jaten. " id, "I wasn't ,st unbearable. BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 91 I wouldn't so much mind fighting Stanley Hooper my- self about New York and Boston. I guess I'd show him that New York isn't the whole world." " I should say not," exclaimed Nora ; but Belle, who had some New York cousins, was silent. Brenda, how- ever, noticing Belle's expression, and not feeling dis- posed to side completely with Nora, said, "You're terribly narrow, Nora, to think that no- body's any good unless he comes from Boston." " I didn't say so," replied Nora. " No, but that's what you mean, and I'm surprised, Philip Blair, that a boy should be so awfully one-sided." " Well, you'd better talk, Brenda Barlow," broke in Nora again. "Just see the way you treat Julia. If she'd been born in Boston " " I don't treat her," interrupted Brenda. " No, that's just it, you don't treat her decently." " Oh, I say," said Philip, from his place in front of the mantelpiece, " how queer girls are ; do you always fight like this when you're together ? " "We don't fight like you boys," answered Edith, good-humoredly. " We don't knock each other down and run the risk of breaking one another's noses." Philip looked over his shoulder in the glass. There was nothing the matter with his own shapely nose, and I doubt that he would have run any such risk as Edith suggested. Perhaps this was the reason why Philip was not a fighter. There was one good thing about the little disputes in which Brenda and Belle indulged. I> I 92 BRENDA, HEE SCHOOL AND HEE CLUB They very seldom lasted long. In the present instance the girls were ashamed of having shown temper before Philip. The latter, however, did not dwell on their weakness. « Oh, say, did you hear about the time Will Harden had with the Dicky, last week ? " he asked. Nora nodded. She, too, had a brother in College. "What was it?" asked Edith. "You haven't told me, Philip." "How funny you are, Edith," said Belle. "You never hear anything. Hasn't anyone told you how the other fellows made him run blindfolded in his shirt sleeves down Beacon Street ? " "No, really?" " Of course, really ! " " And then they led him up the steps into Mrs. Ox- ford's when she was giving an afternoon tea, and when they took the bandage off his eyes there he was in his shirt sleeves, without his hat, and his hair all tumbled, and everybody looking at him." "Oh," said one girl, and "Ah," said another; and " How silly ! " they all cried together. " If girls amused themselves like that what fun you'd make of us ! " said the practical Nora. "I shouldnt think there'd be mucb fun in making anybody uncomfortable." " Oh, it gives a fellow a chance to show what kind of stuff h'e's made of," explained Philip, " whether he has good manners, and whether he's clever— and all that." 3LUB lent instance jmper before ell on their Will Harden n College, haven't told 3elle. "You jld you how id in his shirt into Mrs. Ox- iea, and when he was in his r all tumbled, another; and irhat fun you'd fun in making V what kind of whether he has -and all that." BRENDA, HEE SCHOC AND HER CLUB 93 " There must be better ways of showing bravery," said the practical Edith. « I don't believe you know a bit more about Will Hardon's bravery than you did before." " We knew something about his manners." "What?" " Why, when he saw where he was, he didn't run away, or' flunk out. He only looked a little sheepish, the other fellows said, but he just bowed to the ladies, and saying politely that he was sorry to have disturbed them, he walked off as nice as you please." "Wasn't he mad at the two fellows for taking him there?" " Of course not ; that's a part of the thing. Why, there are feUows in Cambridge who would go through fire and water, or stand on their heads in front of a pulpit for the sake of getting into the Dicky. I tell you we make some of them suffer." Philip said " we " with a rather important air, al- though he had belonged to the illustrious organization a very short time. ' " Well, I think you're perfectly horrid," cried Brenda, « I mean the Dicky. I've heard about the way you make people suffer, branding them with hot cigars, and making them run barefoot winter nights, and doing all sorts of useless things." " If you went to College you'd see more use in them." " I'm glad girls don't go to College." " Oh, some do ! " I i f ■nf i iiwHMt. i i i -wgi.mj. ' t a a. ig ff g*' ;; - *;; 94 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB " Kot girls we know." " I'm sure I can't tell," said Philip rather crossly, «* there are a lot of girls studying in Cambridge now at the Annex, and the fellows don't like it at all." " Well, I declare," exclaimed Nora, " I'd like to know what dilTerence it makes to them." " Oh, they hate to see these girls going about with books, and trying to get into Harvard." " Yes, trying to break down the walls," said Nora, sarcastically. " Oh, see here, it would just spoil everything to have women in the classes with us." " Are you afraid they'd get ahead of you ? " asked Edith, gently. " Now, look here, Edith, I don't want you to talk that way," responded Philip with brotherly authority. « There isn't any danger of girls getting ahead of us." "Why, I heard," said Nora, "that one of the pro- fessors " "Oh, yes, I've heard it too," interrupted Philip. " I've heard that some professors say that their Annex classes do better work than ours,— but anybody can tell that that's all rot." " I believe it's all perfectly true," said Nora. " Well, I wish myself that our English instructor hadn't such a fondness for reading themes to us that the girls have written. He makes out that they are better than ours, but I can't say that I see it myself." " Who gets the best marks ? " CLUB ither crossly, ridge now at all." like to know g about with ," said Nora, thing to have you ? " asked you to talk rly authority, ihead of us." e of the pro- upted Philip. t their Annex ybody can tell Nora. ish instructor nes to us that that they are 16 it myself." BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 95 "I'm sure I can't say. He gives us such beastly marks that I dare say he makes it up with the girls. But I wouldn't let a sister of mine go to College," he concluded inconsequently. " It's a good thing Edith doesn't wish to go," said Nora; adding mischievously, "but Brenda Barlow's cousin Julia is going." Brenda blushed, for Julia's intention of going to Col- lege was still a sore point with her. "Does Julia wear glasses, or look green? I beg your pardon, Brenda " " No, she doesn't," said Nora shortly. " She's about the nicest girl I know." "Oh, she is lovely," added Edith. " A matter of opinion," murmured Belle under her breath. " You don't mean to say you haven't seen her," cried Brenda in surprise. " No, I haven't happened to," answered Philip. " She's invited to my cooking party next week," said Nora. "You know that you've accepted too, so you'll . see her." " Oh, yes, by the way," said Philip, " what evening is it?" " Friday, of course," replied Nora, " so we can sit up late without thinking about school the next day." "Well, you'll see me sure," said Philip. "But see here, it's five o'clock now and I have an engagement down town." aimwmkii i>Min» iiiiiiM WflM i W"t I .e ' ^i."i ' amut^— »- ■.- ■jTiril'iii 96 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Philip hurried ofiF, bowing in a very grown-up way to the group of girls. For whatever criticisms any one might make about Philip's indolence and dismclmation to study, no one could deny that he had very good manners. Though only about four years their senior, he seemed much older than Brenda and her friends Years before they had all been playmates together, but his two years in College had taten him away from them, and it was not often that he condescended to spend as long a time in their presence as had been the case this afternoon. t7jui, »» « Do you think that Philip looks very well, Edith, asked Belle when he had left the room. "Why, of course, don't you?" replied Philip's sister. « It seemed to me he was just a little pale." « He is always pale," said Edith. "Do you suppose he sits up too late?" asked "^"^'11 warrant he doesn't study too much," said Belle. « How can you ?" cried Nora. " How can you cnti- . cise Edith's brother? Don't let her do it, Edith. "It doesn't trouble me," answered the placid Edith. "I know all about Philip, and he's good enough for ""« That's right," said Nora. "Always stand up for your brother. But I do think he might have better friends. He really isn't very particular." « Why, what do you mean ? " , ^t. "Oh, I don't know exactly, but I heard my brother CLUB ;rown-up way jisms any one disinclination id very good ■s their senior, i her friends. J together, but m away from ttdescended to B had been the Y well, Edith," Philip's sister, pale." late?" asked BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND ITER CLUB 97 talking the other day. lie says there are two or three fellows just sponging off of Philip all the time, and Philip is too good-natured to say anything." " I wonder how he'll like Julia," said Edith. " Oh, he won't like that kind of a girl," hastily inter- posed Belle. " Boys never like a girl who studies ; es- pecially one who is going to College." " Well, Julia is just the nicest girl / know," said Nora, repeating the works she had used to Philip. " And Philip is one of the nicest young men I know," said Brenda, politely, turning to Edith. "But don't tell him I said so," she added with a blush. " Oh, no, of course not," laughed Edith, as the girls separated for the afternoon. ich," said Belle. V can you criti- it, Edith." le placid Edith, ood enough for (Ts stand up for ght have better Bard my brother ■iiii XI THE COOKING CLASS fc Nora's cooking party was not altogether a pleasure affair. It was the result of her father's desire that she should have some knowledge of domestic matters be- fore she left school. Dr. Gostar was a busy man, hav- ing little time to spend with his children. His practice was large, but as he gave his services as willingly to poor as to rich people, he had not accumulated much money. Nora's home, however, was a very pleasant one. The numerous members of the family used all the rooms with the greatest freedom. As the four other members of the household besides Dr. and Mrs. Gostar and Nora were boys, the furnishings of the house had a well-worn, comfortable look. No one was kept out of any particular room. The boys had a large play and workroom in the attic, but when they wished to sit in the library (which other people might have called a " drawing-room ") they were not forbidden. Mrs. Gostar, though fond of society, was never too busy to hear what her children had to say, to read to them or hear them tell about their school, or to sympa- thize with them in any way. She had agreed with Dr. Gostar when he had expressed a wish to have Nora learn cooking. BJi! i BLlJUIM» ' SOS her a pleasure lesire that she ;ic matters be- )usy man, hav- His practice 18 willingly to mulated much very pleasant ily used all the the four other id Mrs. Gostar the house had vas kept out of large play and ished to sit in have called a en. was never too 3ay, to read to 1, or to sympa- ^eed with Dr. to have Nora BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND IIER CLUB 99 " I am anxious," he had said, " that my little daughter shall know how to cook. I have been so often in houses where wives and mothers have been quite helpless when a cook left, that I should be Very sorry to have Kora grow up as ignorant as they. I know that a great deal of sickness comes from eating badly prepared food." Nora herself had been rather pleased at the prospect of learning to cook. But Belle thought it very vulgar, and for a time was not sure whether or not she would join the cooking-class. During the first winter the girls had had lessons once a week. But through this season of Julia's arrival in Boston, they had met to practice cooking only once a month. The lessons always were given at Nora's house, because, as Edith said, her cook wasn't too fash- ionable to let them fuss around in the kitchen. The first winter they had had a teacher, but this year they were supposed to know enough to concoct certain dishes themselves. The cooking party took place on the third Friday of the month, and from six to eight the girls were busy cooking. At eight o'clock any guests whom they had invited arrived, and at nine o'clock they had a little supper. They were not per- mitted to have too elaborate a bill of fare. Even as it was, Belle's grandmother protested against what she called an indigestible supper served at this hour. As a matter of fact it was not apt to be indigestible. Dr. Gostar himself usually made out the list of eatables. Light salads, simple cakes, bouillon, ices, blanc-manges, l-rfC. [■i^nifn«Ti.p«ri m ■ mSinmtiUnmilflfyimiiVlt^/tMiiJmiA ■frHT'ltfiiiiiii/aiii'r'irA'trflrtiiViliii^-tifriifi 100 BREXDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB jellies, oysters or eggs cooked in vurious styles, and chocolate prepared with whipped cream, were con- spicuous on the list from which he niaile his selection. IJiit the girls on any given evening were restricted to one sweet, one solid and two kinds of cake. AVith the assistance of a maid each girl in turn set the table, and sometimes, besides their young friends, their parents were present to see what their skill and taste had ac- complished. _ ^^ " There, there, Edith, I'm sure your cake is burning, cried Kora on the Friday evening after their talk with Philip. ^, " Oh, dear, I can't do anything about it now ; i ve cut my lingers," and Edith held up her hands rather plaintively. " Here, take my handkerchief," said Brenda; and be- fore Edith could stop her she was binding up the wound with a delicate lace-trimmed handkerchief. It was Agnes's birthday present to her, sent from Paris, and intended only for full dress occasion. "Why, Brenda, that lovely handkerchief!" ex- claimed Belle, who Avas looking on. " Oh, it won't hurt it. How does your finger feel, Edith?" « It feels all right, for it wasn't a deep cut, but with my right hand tied up I don't believe I can lift that cake out of the oven," and Edith looked about help- lessly, for she was not used to battling with difficulties. Over her dress each girl wore a long-sleeved blue- if-ttfii 'a4^^^ . -^^masisia^ illllU'lil* II ' I H^i CLUB US styles, and 111, were con- his selection. ) restricted to ke. AVith the the table, and their parents 1 taste had ac- Ice is burning," their talk with it it now ; I've sr hands rather Jrenda ; and be- linding up the ndkerchief. It ent from Paris, 1. kerchief ! " ex- our finger feel, ep cut, but with 3 I can lift that >ked about help- with difiiculties. ng-sleeved blue- i 7'" .-R!U«!,1 P- -■ I I il ■"f^., Sir!'tii I m tmim ■MSS^'^^nw^iMnK:'- ->"- -vMi . iBTj Mi 'i ^i -a^' ii i BRKNDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 101 checked apron — each of them at least except Julia. This was her first appearance at the cooking-club, and as Brenda had forgotten to tell her about the aprons, she was unprepared. She had on a small white apron, borrowed from Is^ora, and when Edith spoke about the cake, she seized a holder, and opening the oven door, lifted the pan out. As Edith feared, the cake was burned, though not the whole top, but black spots here and there gave it a very unsightly appearance, and Edith felt very much disturbed as she looked at it. " How provoking ! That was the only cake we were to have to-night, and there isn't time to make another." " Oh, we can do something," cried Julia. " Let me help you." " I don't see what we can do," half moaned Edith. "' I'll show you," cried Julia hopefully. " You have plenty of sugar and eggs — and " " But really there isn't time to make anything not to speak of baking it, and, oh, dear, I am so unlucky ! " sighed poor Edith. "Nonsense," said Julia. "You haven't any idea what I can do. I shall just have to show you," and she began to break the eggs into a bowl, beating them and stirring into them a liberal amount of sugar. " Run, Brenda," she cried, " and bring me a sheet of that brown wrapping paper." Brenda obeyed, and after buttering the paper, Julia dropped her mixture of sugar and eggs, a spoonful at a time, here and there, on the paper. V 'if M f H 102 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB \ *«,=^ "Oh, I know," cried Brenda. "Kisses, but I nover would have thought of it myself." " Well," responded Julia, " there is nothing you can bake so quickly, and almost every one likes them. There, this first batch must be ready now," and she opened the oven door to remove the pan with its sheet of kisses, delicately browned and of the size and shape that a confectioner could not surpass. Two or three other lots were baked before there were enough. By the time they were finished Edith's finger had ceased to pain her, and she was helping place the other eat- ables on the dumb-waiter. From tue floor above there came the sound of laugh- ter, and the voices of the boys could be heard mingled with those of the girls as they called to the three kitchen maidens. At last, with the help of Hannah, the maid, who had come down from the floor above, all the kitchen work was declared at an end. "That's all," shouted Brenda, as Belle and Philip gave a final pull on the cords of the dumb-waiter. A moment later Edith and Julia and Brenda entered the dining-room, with faces perhaps a little flushed, but otherwise looking very unlike the three cooks they had been a few minutes before. Under Nora's direction the dining-table had been ex- quisitely arranged. There was a great glass bowl of pink roses in the centre, and the plates and cups were of china with a wild rose border. The candles in the %it: fUB'tta 3LUB but I nover ling you can likes them, w," and she ath its sheet ze and shape wo or three jnough. By r had ceased he other eat- ind of laugh- 3ard mingled to the three aid, Avho had kitchen work 3 and Philip -waiter, enda entered e flushed, but »oks they had had been ex- glass bowl of ,nd cups were andles in the BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 103 silver candelabra at each end of the table had pink shades. " There, you go, Philip, and tell the others that sup- per is ready," said Nora, glancing at the table and giv- ing a final touch to one or two dishes. With Philip leading, the guests trooped into the dining-room. " Trooped " is perhaps too boisterous a word to apply to the procession of young people who came into the room two at a time with a fair amount of dignity. To Julia, in fact, they appeared to a certain extent to be imitating the demeanor of their elders. She could not help thinking that the manner with which Belle let herself be led to a chair was entirely too coquettish, and only Nora seemed to be her real self in the presence of the guests. But Julia was not a harsh critic, and before very long she forgot that she had not always known these merry young people. She laughed at the jokes made by the boys, although she did not always see the point of them. Most of these jokes turned on something connected with college. For every one of them Avas in Harvard, although some were only Freshmen. The stories that they thought the funniest dealt with the queer things that some of their friends had had to do when undergoing initiation into one of the College So- cieties, and many of their doings seemed really inane. Before they had been long in the dining-room Mrs. Gostar joined them, and later Dr. Gostar himself ap- peared. The presence of these elder people lessened n y" w '■"'''"'""rTrT "mimmtJ^i ik .Wn l a BKO .•»■; 104 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB ^■ the laughter only a very little, for all the young people knew that Dr. Gostar enjoyed fun as well as they. "What was the catastrophe to-night?" he asked Nora, for it was a favorite joke of his that at each meeting of the cooking-class some dish suffered. When he had heard about the disaster to Edith's cake he praised Julia so heartily for having come to the rescue that she blushed deeply. Even without this success in cooking, Julia would have been voted a great addition to the cooking-class. There was something very pleas- ing in her gentle manners, and Belle, to her surprise, found herself growing a little jealous of Brenda's cousin. liefore this she had not thought her suffi- ciently important to arouse jealousy. I JII««»*R*wO^'«-' LUB oung people s they. " he asked that at each red. When h's cake he the rescue is success in eat addition f very pleas- ler surprise, jf Brenda's it her suffi- XII CONCERNING JULIA In the meantime the Four Club held regular meet- ings, and every Thursday afternoon Julia heard Edith and Nora and Belle rushing up past her door to Brenda's room on the floor above. Of course in a gen- eral way she knew what was going on, for the affairs of the Four Club were no secret. Yet although from time to time Brenda and her friends dropped a word or two regarding their doings, they never talked very freely about the club. Nora and Edith were silent because they were sorry that they could not persuade Brenda to let them invite Julia to the meetings. Brenda said little about the club, because possibly she was ashamed of her own in- difference. As to Belle, she never had had much to say to Julia, and in this case although she felt pleased that her influence chiefly had kept Brenda from count- ing her cousin in the club group, she hardly ventured to express this feeling in words. There might as well have been five girls as four in the group working for the Bazaar and no one knew this better than Brenda and Belle themselves. Although Julia had a pretty correct idea of what was going on, she tried to show no feeling in the mat- f •St' — r— -— ■^mmami'^M'- ' t f :> I " 106 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB ter. Her studies, her music, and her exercise occupied almost all her afternoons, and she reasoned with her- self that even if she had been invited, it would have been only a waste of time for her to spend hours at fancy-work, which might otherwise have been more profitably employed. But after a while, when through the half-open door she heard her friends running up- stairs, she sometimes felt a thrill of disappointment that they did not care enough for her to stop on their way to ask her to join them. Now Julia meant always to be fair in her thoughts, as well as in her actions towards others. So at first when she found that she was left out of the plans of her cousin and her friends, she reasoned with herself somewhat in this fashion. " Now, Julia, you know that you are a newcomer, and you cannot expect that you will be taken in all at once, just wait." But after she had waited a good while, she began to feel a little hurt, although she did her best to conceal her feeling from Nora and Edith. In the meantime the latter two girls argued warmly with Brenda, and tried to make her see that it was mean to keep Julia out of the Four Club. "Nonsense," said Belle, who happened to overhear them, "Julia herself would say that it was awfully stupid to sit for a whole afternoon, sewing." " Well, if she did not work harder than — well than Brenda does, she would not be very much bored ; be- IJXJ,**:-^-' LUB se occupied d with her- would have nd hours at been more len through running up- ppointment to stop on Julia meant I as in her she found cousin and ivhat in this L neAvcomer, ien in all at he began to t to conceal le meantime Brenda, and } keep Julia to overhear vas awfully > — well than I bored; be- HriMMii^MiwlM BBENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HEB CLUB 107 sides she could look out of the window part of the time, the view there is perfectly fine," responded the lively Nora. Brenda had tried to speak when Nora had made this very unflattering allusion to her own lack of industry, and when Nora finished she said, holding up a square of linen on which a wreath of yellow flowers was half embroidered, " There, I've done all this this month." " That's very good for you," said Belle, patronizingly, " but I'd be willing to bet " " Don't say * bet,' " murmured Edith. "I'd be willing to bet anything," continued Belle, " that you'll never finish it." " Why, Belle," continued the others. " No, you won't," repeated Belle, " you never could, you'll get tired of the pattern or of the color, or you will spoil it in some way, and throw it into the fire, or worse into that bottom drawer of yours with all those other specimens." Brenda, instead of growing angry at this, only laughed. "Well if I don't wish to finish it, I certainly won't," she replied. " But it happens that I have made up my mind to finish it this Autumn, before Christmas, in fact, so you can make your bet as large as you please, and pay the money into the fund for Manuel's benefit, for I lihall win." The girls were all a little surprised at Brenda's reply. ^:(l ■^ B..i#:-C*--*"';--' 108 BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB She was more ready usually to answer pettishly any criticism made by Belle. "Very well," said Belle, "Edith and Nora are my witnesses, and we shall watch to see when you finish that centrepiece." " Yes, indeed, Brcnda," laughed Nora, " indeed we shall follow the career of this wreath with great inter- est, and now since you seem to be in an amiable frame of mind, let us go back to Julia. It seems terribly mean not to ask her to join us." The pleasant expression on Brenda's face changed to a frown. " I've told you often that Julia would not enjoy work- ing with us, and it would just spoil everything to have her come." " Of course it's your house, Brenda, and you started the club, and Julia is your cousin, so Edith and I have not the same right to say anything, but it seems to me very unkind to leave her out.'' " There, I don't want to hear anything moi'e about it," cried Brenda, " haven't Belle and I both said that Julia would not enjoy herself, se^\^ng with us, and it would not be a ' four club,' and I don't want to hear anything more about it." By this time Brenda's voice was positively snappish, and Edith looked up in alarm. But Nora was undis- mayed. " Nonsense, Brenda," she cried, " Belle said that Julia would not enjoy the cooking class, though I'm 0g^0rii»im'mn>rrf>^''"- !LUB jttishly any ora are my m you finish "indeed we great inter- liable frame jms terribly ? changed to enjoy work- ling to have you started 1 and I have seems to me more about )th said that ;h us, and it vant to hear ily snappish, a was undis- e said that though I'm BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 109 perfectly sure that no one there had a better time, and the boys thought that she was splendid, didn't they, Edith?" "Yes," returned Edith, "Philip was surprised; he said she was fine, he always supposed that she was a kind of blue-stocking with glasses, and " Here Brenda interrupted, "Well, I'm sure that I never said anything like that to him, and I shouldn't think that you would, Edith." " Of course, I didn't," responded Edith, indignantly, "it was something Frances Pounder said, and well — Belle " " Now, Belle, I do wish that you would not say things about my cousin," broke in Brenda. " Oh," cried Belle, " you wish to have the privilege of saying everything yourself ; but you might as well let other people have a chance." "Philip did not mean that anybody said anything particularly disagreeable about Julia, only he had a sort of an idea that she did not like people, and that she would not join much in any fun that we might plan." " Oh, what nonsense, Edith ! " exclaimed Nora, " she likes fun as well as any of us, only she is just a little quiet herself. She wants somebody else to start the fun for her." " Well, she does not dance," said Belle, " and a girl can't have much fun if she does not dance." " I know that she does not care for round dances, at least her father wo ild not let her learn, but I'm sure li * » » J . ,/" . J . — f >»«► '^'Wjai^^JWi ■■>' r»f-»e "IST" "-^ 110 BRENDA, IIER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB that sho does the Virginia Reel as well as anyhody, and the Portland Fancy. "Why she was as graceful as, as anything the other evening," concluded Nora. But all the conversation at the meetings of the Four Club did not concern Julia and her absence from the club. The girls had many other things to discuss, and their tongues were often more active than their needles. Sometimes as their merry voices floated down to Julia, the young girl sighed. It is never pleasant for any one to think that she is not wanted in any gathering of her friends, although in this special case Julia had no great desire to devote even one of her afternoons to needlework. Nevertheless she could not repress a sigh that she was of so little consequence to Brenda and her friends. Before Thanksgiving came, the club really seemed in a fair way of realizing its plans for a sale. Edith had finished two or three dainty sets of doilies, for she worked out of club hours. Nora's afghan was at least a quarter made, a great accomplishment for Nora. Belle had several articles to show, and even Brenda had per- severed with her centrepiece until hardly more than a quarter of the embroidery remained unfinished. More- over several of the girls at school had promised to help, on condition that nothing should be expected of them until after Christmas. "That will be time enough," the Four always an- swered, " for we shall not have the sale until Easter week." ■JgSSitid^., LUB IS anybody, graceful as, S'ora. of the Four ce from the discuss, and leir needles, ivn to Julia, mt for any gathering of ulia had no 'ternoons to press a sigh ida and her y seemed in Edith had ies, for she ivas at least fora. Belle da had per- aore than a led. More- sed to help, ted of them alw^ays an- ntil Easter BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 111 The girls at school were especially interested when ihey heard that the Bazaar was to be for the benefit of Manuel, not that any one of them had a clear idea of his needs. But they felt an interest in him because they believed that his life had been saved by one of their number. There were, to be sure, one or two sceptics, like Frances Pounder, who said that of course the child had been in no great danger, for in his own part of the city children are in the habit of playing most of the time under the very feet of the horses passing that way. " And who," the wise Frances had added, " ever heard of a child like that having so much as a leg broken ? " But Frances was not infallible, and many of the girls had heard of accidents to poor children. If they had not, the fact remained, which Nora and Brenda and half a dozen others were ready to testify to that IVIan- uel had been in great danger on the memorable day of his rescue. With his danger granted, it was plain enough that caring for him became a duty imposed on his rescuers. With little opportunity to show it, Julia had as much interest in Manuel as the other girls. Strange though it may seem, he was the first very poor person with whom she had been brought in contact. For in the secluded life which she had led with her father, she had not seen a great variety of people. It is true that in traveling she had often come across miserable look- ing and ill-clad women and children, and she knew very well that there were many like them in the ' Mwrr mtn w &Bi^M m M wVuriiii i ' if tf iAy i ii »i s i uet>t ■^fc^w^i^^toip^ ■iWnw . ' i . ~ ^ ^Triiti^^ii|r;~iar I jfi .- ■ i )i \ i 112 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB world. With her own allowance she subscribed to a number of charities, but her father had not encouraged her greatly in this kind of thing. His own ill health had had the rather unusual effect of making him un- sympathetic towards forms of misery unlike the kind which had been sent to him. He thought, too, that young people should be as closely sheltered as possible from the knowledge of the dark side of life. He gave liberally to hospitals, but poverty in itself did not ap- peal to him. On that account Julia was not permitted to hear or to see much of actual poverty. But Julia, on the other hand, had always had the greatest desire to help the less fortunate, and to know more about the conditions of their lives. She was therefore greatly pleased when one day in a book-shop she found a copy of " How The Other Half Lives." It was very suggestive to her, and buying it she had read it at home eagerly from cover to cover. Now she knew that in Boston she was not likely to see any cases of misery as extreme as those described in that famous book, and yet in the midst of the luxury of her uncle's house she often wished that she could do something to help the poor. But Julia, in spite of her self-reliance in practical matters, was rather shy, and whenever she thought of speaking to her aunt on the subject, she hesitated in fear lest she should be thought presumptuous. Manuel and his wants, when Brenda and Nora came home full of Avhat they had seen at the North End, seemed to her an opportunity. She hoped, - ^=>. Tjg ^^^4;„ ^ pM',1W IIT»,iaw. -*•■ "-■■•- . fc.>>..i< :. tMawpHWW f "jPimi mi u,- CLUB )scribed to a t encouraged ivn ill health dng him un- like the kind ht, too, that id as possible fe. He gave ! did not ap- Lot permitted ays had the and to know js. She was I a book-shop f Lives." It she had read not likely to 3 described in the luxury of she could do a spite of her iher shy, and r aunt on the [d be thought vhen Brenda id seen at the She hoped, BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 113 indeed she almost expected that she would be invited to go with them on a second visit. Her disappointment in this matter was even greater than that which came from being left out of the " Four Club." There were things she knew that she could have done for Manuel and his mother, and even if Brenda and her friends were able to provide for all his wants, there must be others in the same neighborhood as poor as he. Yet week after week passed away, and no chance seemed to open for her to tell Brenda what she would like to do. At school Julia was left much to herself. The girls near her own age were so absorbed in their own affairs that they seldom had a thought for the lonely stranger. They had so many things to talk about in Avhich Julia had no part, —the dancing class, the bowling club— and a thousand and one harmless bits of gossip harmless for the most part, though sometimes carrying with them a little sting. When Julia sat or walked with one of these chattering groups she felt that she was only tolerated, and she could seldom join intelligently in what was said, and often a dropping of the voice, or an only half- intentional glance of significance made her feel herself in the way. To be sure there were Edith and Nora, of the set a little younger than the girls with whom she recited. They were undeniably her friends, and yet Brenda and Belle had a fashion of dragging them off at recess without giving Julia an invitation to follow, and the latter had too much sense to care to bring herself too often within the reach of Belle's sharp tongue. So 8 . '.iK ^id^RJrV . M^< ^ . .U«.^<-. ^ -^ — ^---ni nirtff -n II li^yii'i nil iiiiiriiiiiin'iil-^ Hi BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB though she sat or walked by herself, the older girls who noticed her excused themselves with " Oh, if she cared to go witii aiiy one she would walk with Brenda and Nora and the others of the ' Four,' " for in school, as in the club the " Four " had come to have a special mean- in o- On the other hand Brenda and Belle would usually say to the remonstrating Edith and Nora : " What is the use of talking, Julia is in the classes with the older girls, and she ought to make friends with them. She really doesn't belong with us, and there is not the least reason why we should have her on our minds all the time." Now there is hardly any classifica- tion of persons more definite and rigid than that which separates the girls of one age at school from those who are a year or two older, or a year or two younger. Nor did Julia generally repine at her own situation. She thought it perfectly natural that the other girls should be slow in admitting her to intimacy. If she had any feeling it was regret that her own cousin seemed so in- different to her. • » l it f^ !' "* * ' -* ' ****- ■wt IVB jr girls who if she cared Brenda and chool, as in lecial mean- 3uld usually L the classes friends with and there is her on our ly classifica- that which a. those who inger. Nor lation. She girls should she had any eemed so in- XIII GREAT EXPECTATIONS For a week before Thanksgiving there was great ex- citement among the schoolgirls on account of the ap- proaching football game. The " Four " were as excited as the others, although not so many of their own par- ticular friends were in the Harvard team. It was to be a game with Princeton, one of the great University matches, and for special reasons there was the deepest interest in the match. Those girls who had brothers in college, or even cousins or friends, held themselves with more dignity than any of the others, and those who had relatives in the team " were too proud for any- thing," as Brenda said. The game was to be played in Holmes' Field, and tickets were not easy to get, because the seats were far less numerous than now on the great Soldiers' Field. The girls were making up little groups to go to the game with youths of their acquaintance as escorts, under the chaperonage of older people. A few who had received no invitation were especially misera- ble, and took no trouble to disguise their feelings. Edith at this time became unusually popular, because it was known that her mother had given her permission to arrange a large party to accompany her to the game, and every girl was hoping for an invitation— every girl, ^1. I ■MMMMMMWMiMailHI iMiMi 116 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB at least who had not been invited elsewhere to go m some other party. Now Edith was of a generally generous dispositiun, and not inclined to limit her favors, of whatever nature, to any particular set of girls. For this reason she had to bear many a reproof from Belle, and even occasion- ally from Brenda, both of whom were inclined to be more exclusive. So it happened that the general harmony of " The Four " was somewhat disturbed when Nora one day at recess exclaimed, " Who do you suppose is going with us to the game ?" For of course in the minds of the others there could be but one " game," and that the one to which they all wished to go. " Why, who is it ? " cried Brenda, and " Who is it ? " echoed BelL, " I know that you can't guess." " Oh, don't be silly, Nora, it wouldn't be worth while to guess about something you'll know all about so soon, except that you speak as if it were some one we might not care to have, and if that's the case, I declare it's too bad," said Belle. " If it's anything like that," broke in Brenda, rather snappishly, ♦• I will just tell Edith what I think." " It—that^^ cried Nora, " didn't I say that it was a person, a girl, if I must be more definite, Ruth Roberts, if I must tell just who it is." . * " Oh," cried Belle, and " Ah," echoed Brenda. ^•"lrMrin-|l I'ii ■.AxtmMi'tiA\m«mm ! to go ?n spositiun, jr nature, a she had occasion- ed to be of " The Qe day at Bgarae?" I could be I they all 10 is it ? " )rth while t so soon, we might re it's too ia, rather ik." b it was a 1 Eoberts, la. BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 117 "You need not look so surprised," rejoined Nora, " and if you take my advice, you will not say anything to Edith ; she ought to have her own way in arranging her own party, and you know when she makes up her mind it is of no use to talk to her about it." "Well, I don't care," rejoined Brenda, "it's hard enough to have Julia tagging about everywhere, but why in the world we should have Kuth Roberts, when we never see her anywhere except at school, I really cannot understand, and I don't see how you and Nora can like it either." " Why Ruth Roberts is as pleasant a girl as there is in school, and yet she would have a terribly lonely time, if it were not for Edith and Julia; nobody else ever thinks of speaking to her." " Well, why should we, she lives out in Roxbury or some other outlandish place, and she doesn't even go to our dancing school or know people that we know. There isn't a bit of sense in knowing people that we'll never see when we're in society," responded Belle, while Brenda echoed, " Yes, that's what I think, too." Nora smiled pleasantly, and her eyes looked brighter than ever under the rim of her brown felt hat, with its trimmings of lighter brown. Nora's temper was not easily ruffled. Then Belle added a final word. " Oh, it's clear that this is all Julia's doings ; ever since Ruth went into her Latin class they have been awfully intimate. But I don't see," turning rather snappishly towards Brenda, " why the rest of us have got to take i mmttmtmm 118 BRENDA, HEE SHCOOL AND UER CLUB up Kuth Roberts just because your Cousin Julia is bo devoted to her." Now this was a little too much, even for Brenda, who generally did not contradict Belle, and she answered with vigor, " Eeally you are growing perfectly ridicu- lous, Belle ; I haven't anything to do with it, but I must say that I think that Julia has a right to choose her own friends. Ruth Roberts is all right, and anyway I'm thankful to have Julia take a fancy to anybody, it leaves us a great deal freer to do as we like. I should think that you would see that yourself." ^ "Oh, well," said Nora laughing, "the whole thing is not worth quarreling about. I'm glad to hear you talk so sensibly, Brenda. If you hadn't, I was going to tell Belle that it seems to me that Edith has a right to ask any one she wishes. She is always very good to us all, and just think how many tickets her father has bought for this game ! " « Yes, I know, but still " "The least said, the soonest mended," said Nora, though to tell you the truth, the quotation did not sound especially appropriate. " The least said, the soon- est mended, and let us all go to the game with a crim- son flag in each hand to wave for the winners." " Crimson," cried Belle, " I am going to carry an orange scarf, and perhaps an orange flag." " What for ? why I never heard of such a thing ! " exclaimed Nora. " Nor 1 1 " cried Brenda, " at a Harvard game I " i^ ulia is so jnda, who answered tly ridicu- lut I must ihoose her i anyway lybody, it I should 4 le thing is r you talk ; going to a right to y good to father has said Nora, n did not I, the soon- ith a crim- s." ) carry an a thing 1" me I" BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 119 " Isn't it a Princeton game, too," asked Belle, " two or three of the boys I used to know in New York are in that team, one of them is a kind of cousin of mine." '• Oh," said Nora, " I didn't know that you thought that people had to be so very devoted to cousins." Even Belle herself could not help smiling at this, which was very appropriate, following so closely, as it did, her own remarks about Julia. " You can see yourself that this is different," she an- swered. " I should call it very impolite if there were no orange flags shown at the game." " Well, you have the most ridiculous ideas, hasn't she, Brenda?" Brenda nodded assent, and Nora continued, " I never knew that people had to think that about politeness in college games ; why it's a duty to do everything you can to help your own side " "I never said that Harvard was my side," inter- rupted Belle, " didn't I tell you that I have a cousin on the Princeton team." "You'd better not say anything of that kind to Philip, or to Edith, either, they are both perfectly de- voted to Harvard, and they expect their party to give great encouragement to the Harvard team. "Why, Belle, I csinnot imagine your doing anything else." "I'm not a child," responded Belle very crossly, walking away from Nora and Brenda, " I do not n< ed to be told what to do." What Nora or Brenda might have answered, I can- 120 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB not say, for hardly bad BoUe disappeared within the house, when Edith herself appeared, with Julia and Ruth. Euth was a pretty and amiable girl, about Julia's age, and therefore a little older than " The Four." She had been in the school for two years before the coming of Julia, but in all that time she had had only a speak- ing acquaintance with the other girls. Many of them would probably have been surprised had any one told them that they were very selfish in leaving theu* schoolmate so entirely to herself. It was not because they did not like her. They were merely so very much wrapped up in their own affairs, that they hardly no- ticed that she was often left to herself. Ruth lived in the suburbs, and as Belle had said, outside of school the other girls seldom saw her. At recess each little group had so many personal things to talk about that an out- sider would have been decidedly in the way, and would, perhaps, have been a little uncomfortable in joining them. No one gets a great deal of enjoyment from reading a single chapter in the middle of a book, and so it is often hard to be a mere listener when the tongues of half a dozen girls are vigorously discussing people and events of which the listener has not the slightest knowledge. Ruth herself was very independent, and as she was more interested in her studies than many of the girls at Miss Crawdon's she had acquired the habit of studying during recess. Since after school she spent more time i *:■ [IB vithin tlie Julia and •ut Julia's )ur." She ho coming [y a speak- y of them ly one told ving their lot because very much hardly no- th lived in school the Little group hat an out- way, and fortable in enjoyment I of a book, r when the ' discussing las not the as she was of the girls of studying ; more time > r ♦■ t t BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 121 than most girls of her age in outdoor sports, it did her no great harm to pass the half-hour of recess in this way. Kuth, as well as Julia, had undertaken to prepare for college, and it had been a great delight to her to have the latter placed with her in one or two special classes. Julia's liking for her had made Edith take a little more interest in her than would otherwise have been the case, but the ball game was the first im- portant event in which she was included with the others of Julia's set. She naturally was pleased at the prospect of going with the others, for like Julia, she had never seen a great football game. No one who saw the heai'ty way in which Nora and Brenda greeted Euth, as she came up with Edith and Julia, could for a moment have imagined that she had been under discussion. The mercurial Brenda for the moment was so annoyed by Belle's proposed champion- ship of Princeton, that she was unexpectedly cordial to Ruth, and almost to her own surprise found herself urg- ing Ruth to come to town early on the Saturday of the game, to take luncheon with her and Julia. The latter expressed her thanks in a glance towards her cousin, as Ruth accepted very gracefully, and Nora exclaimed, "What fun we are going to have; you know we are all invited to dine at Edith's that evening. Oh dear! I can h.",rdly wait for Saturday." " I know it," replied Brenda, " it's less than a week, too, but it seems an awfully long time." Then they gossipped a moment in a very harmless -- ••- - — •■- ii% It rtiwHi"ilit:i II ir-jmiftrt 122 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB fashion about the prospects of Harvard, and Edith quoted one or two things that Philip had said, and Nora told them that her father was perfectly sure that the crimson would win, and as they trooped into the dressing-room when the bell rang, Belle was surprised to see Brenda leaning on Ruth's arm. I imii iirii tJB md Edith said, and ' sure that i into the } surprised XIV THE FOOTBALL GAME At last the wished-for Saturday arrived. It was one of those clear, bracing days that always put every one in good-humor. Though cool, it was not too cool for the comfort of the girls and older women who were to sit for two or three hours in the open air. Every car running to Cambridge carried a double load, with men and boys crowding the platform in dangerous fashion. Carriages of every description were rushing over the long bridge between Boston and the University City and not only were red or orange flags to be seen waving on every side — small flags that could be easily folded up, but occasionally some group of youths would break out into the college cry. Edith and her guests drove out to Cambridge in car- riages, although they all thought that the cars would have been much more amusing. Edith, however, had had to yield to her mother's wishes, for Mrs. Blair had a strong objection to street cars, and Edith was for- bidden to ride in any except those of the blue line in Marlborough street. But if less entertaining, the car- riage ride was probably more comfortable than a jour- ney by car would have been on that day of excite- ment. #ffaf-"iii« III , M^i iMm^ * K 124 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Edith and Julia and Kuth and Nora rode in one car- riage, while Brenda, Belle, Frances Pounder and Mrs. Blair were in the other. As Frances Avas a distant cousin of Edith's, her mother usually included her in her invitations, although in general disposition the two girls were very unlike. Belle and Frances were more congenial, and had the same habit of talking supercili- ously about other people. Brenda and Frances Avere sometimes on very good terms, and sometimes they hardly spoke to each other for weeks. For Frances had an irritating habit of " stepping on people's feel- ings " as Nora said, whether with intent or from sheer carelessness, no one felt exactly sure. She was the least companionable of all the girls of their acquaint- ance, but on account of her relationship to Edith she often had to be with them when " The Four " or rather three of the four would have preferred some other girl. "When the carriages with Edith and her party reached Cambridge they drew up before Memorial Hall as Mrs. Blair had arranged with Philip. " We thought," she said, " that it would be both easier and pleasanter to leave the carriages here, and walk to the field." And the girls agreed with her. They felt more " grown up " walking along with their escorts, than if seated in the carriage under the eye of Mrs. Blair. Philip, of course, was on the spot, to meet them, and one of his friends was with him. "I couldn't get any more fellows," he said in an ■liiiiitii*! ii ■^\ 3LUB e in one car- er and Mrs. as a distant uded her in tion the two s were more ing supcrcili- 'rances Avere letimes tliey For Frances people's feel- r from sheer she was the eir acquaint- to Edith she r " or rather some other arty reached Hall as Mrs. jld be both es here, and 3d with her. ig with their er the eye of spot, to meet 3 said in an BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 125 aside to his mother, " to promise to sit with us, they'd rather be off by themselves with the rest of the men. It really is more fun, you know." " Hush," whispered his mother, fearing lest some of her friends might hear this rather ungallant speech. " 0, of course I don't mind it much," he continued in answer to his mother's look of reproach, " I'm willing to please Edith this once, but I wouldn't want to have to look after a lot of girls very often." Then he turned around to let himself be presented to Kuth, whom he had not met before, and Mrs. Blair in- troduced his friend Will Hardon to all the others,— except of course Edith who knew him. Belle looked a little disturbed when she saw that the; were to be but two students to escort them, and shj forgot for the time being, that girls of less than sixteen can hardly expect to be considered young ladies by college undergraduates, who at the sophomore stage of existence are more inclined to the society of women a few years their senior. Belle knew, however, that she had the manners of an older person, and she kept herself fairly well informed on college matters— that is on their lighter aspect, and could talk of the sports, and of the " Dicky," with greater ease than many girls of eighteen or twenty. Therefore as she walked along beside Will Hardon, her tongue rushed on at a great rate, bewildering the youth so that he had hardly a word to reply. Brenda, walking on Will's other side listened in admiration to Belle's fluency. Try her best 1fc=-. •^-^.i.>-^-«>^««MiM*Mi>i.M 126 BRENDA, HEK SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Brenda never could have imitated it herself, but it was one secret of Belle's influence over her, this ability to talk and act like a real young lady instead of a school- girl. Philip attached himself to Ruth and Julia, Edith and Nora walked together, and Mrs. Blair and Frances Pounder brought up the rear, "Just where I can keep my eye on you," Mrs. Blair had said laughingly to them as they started Julia was the only one of the group who had never been on the field— or even in Cambridge before. She was astonished when she reached the field to see the great crowd of spectators. It was a scene that she had never imagined. Tier above tier at one side were the benches filled with men and women, with bright flags fluttering, or rather little banners and handkerchiefs, all eagerly looking towards the centre. Then there was the great throng of students massed by themselves, and the crowds of older men, all intent on the coming game. What cheers as the rival elevens came upon the field ! For an instant the volume of sound seemed almost as strong for Princeton as for Harvard. From the very first moment when Princeton lined up for the kick-ofl! Julia's eyes eagerly followed the ball. At the begin- ning Princeton seemed to lead, but when Harvard gained ten yards on two rushes by her full-back, and her left half-back had the ball on Princeton's thirty- yard line, the crimson scarfs fluttered very prettily. « Say, isn't that a fine play for Roth," cried Philip, utmmmii liWIWii l«MMltc.> 3LTJB f, but it was ais ability to of a school- [ Julia, Edith and Frances 'e I can keep lughingly to ho had never before. She Id to see the that she had side were the ti bright flags landkerchiefs, ben there was jT themselves, )n the coming ipon the field ! med almost as rrom the very or the kick-off At the begin- hen Harvard full-back, and ceton's thirty- 'y prettily. ' cried Philip, BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 127 as the Harvard full-back tore through Princeton's centre for four yards planting the ball on the thirty-yard line and then a little later after some good play on both sides, he yelled wildly as he saw that Princeton was really driven to the last ditch, with Harvard only one yard to gain. Eoth made the try, and scored a touch- down m exactly fifteen minutes' play. Then when Hall, on the Harvard side, a great stalwart fellow brought the ball out, and held it for Hutton to kick on the try for goal, even Frances Pounder lost her air of indifference, and as the ball struck the goal post, and bounded back, she watched to see whether this was a time for applause, and finally condescended to clap her ha.ds. The score now stood Harvard 4, Princeton and Philip and Will excusing themselves for a few minutes leaped down to talk matters over with their classmates standing below at the end of the benches. As the game continued Roth distinguished himself still further. He scored another touch-down for Harvard from which a goal was kicked, making the score 10 to 0. "It's almost too one-sided," said Julia, "and I can't exactly understand it, for the Princeton men seem to be playing well, and really if you look at them, they are larger than most of the Harvard i>layera,—that ought to count in a game like this." "Well the game isn't over yet, and there may be some surprises before it is through." But just here Philip and his friend returned, and ■• ""«■"*««•*«»?««*««*» "1 i- 128 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB when Belle asked what the other men thought of the Princeton prospects, " Oh, they haven't a leg to stand on," said Philip, " at least that's what every one says, and you can see for yourself now, they can't hold out against our men." " I'm thankful for one thing," said Mrs. Blair, lean- ing towards her son, " there haven't been any serious accidents yet, although I am always expecting some- thing dreadful to happen." Hardly had she spoken, when two or three ladies in the neighborhood screamed. Princeton had just se- cured the ball, when one of her men who had fallen with half a dozen others on top of him, seemed unable to rise. He had in fact to be carried from the field, and though the girls afterward learned that he had only broken his collar bone, like so many other spec- tators, for the time being they were decidedly alarmed at his condition. After this Princeton had a little bet- ter luck. Harvard tried for a goal from the thirty-flve- yard line, but missed. Then the ball was Princeton's on her twenty-five-yard line, and after several rushes with small gains, the ball was passed back to Prince- ton's full-back for a kick. The ball went high in the air, and the Princeton's ends got down the field in beautiful shape. A Harvard half-back muffed the ball, and it was Princeton's on Harvard's twenty-yard line. Just here. Belle, emboldened by the turn of events managed to take a large orange and black scarf from her pocket. As yet she had not dared to wave it, though ^ii'HiliiiVnTrrfci'i I ■ i^.-t.^.*>w^.*^ i.ilWAlT»iia.»{Ui^jAi'— - B BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 129 Lt of the to stand one says, hold out lair, lean- y serious ing some- ) ladies in I just se- md fallen ed unable the field, it he had ther spec- y alarmed little bet- hirty-five- rinceton's ral rushes to Prince- igh in the e field in d the ball, -yard line. of events f from her it, though if you stop to think, had she been truly sympathetic, she ought to have had courage to show her colors even Avhen her chosen side was losing ground. Now in spite of the improvement in Princeton's play, the score had not changed, though Princeton had the ball on Harvard's ten-yard line when two minutes later the first half ended. In the second half of the game there was more ex- citement than in the first. Koth, who had been the hero of the afternoon in Harvard eyes, Avas carried off, and two or three Princeton m n were disabled. Har- vard, contrary to what had been expected was appar- ently playing the fiercer game. The yell of the Har- vard sympathizers grew louder and louder. In two downs Princeton had gained four yards. Then when the ball was passed to Dinsmore the noted Princeton half-back, Douglass, the popular Harvard quarter-back tore through the centre, and downed Dins- nore with the loss of five yards, making it Harvard's ball on Princeton's twenty-two yard line. The wildest hurrahing — a perfect pandemonium — now arose from the Harvard bleachers. For the crim- son was Avithin striking distance of a touch-down, and the orange had begun to droop. The girls in Edith's party, even those not wholly familiar with the game in its finer points, were thoroughly worked up. Some of the rough play worried Edith, and she buried her face in her hands with a shudder when Jefferson, the Harvard centre was carried from the field apparently senseless. 8 130 ti BRENDA, HEE SCHOOL AND HEE CLUB " Don't be a goose, Edith," whispered Nora, " you know that it can't be anything very dreadful, or they wouldn't go on playing." " Oh, yes, they would," murmured Edith. " They'd do anything in a football game, they haven't a bit of feeli^q." But she lifted her head, and was repaid by seeing Hutton kick a goal from the field thus sending the score up to fifteen. This especially pleased her, be- cause Hutton's little sister, who had a high opinion of her brother's prowess, was a great pet of hers. «' Don't you feel much as the Koman women used to feel at the Coliseum games ? " Julia contrived to say to Ruth in one of the intervals of play. » It's almost as savage a sport as some of those gladi- ator affairs," replied Euth, " but I don't believe that the gladiators were more uncivilized-looking than these players. Did you ever see such hair ? " The next moment the girls were all attention. For although the Harvard score never went beyond that fifteen, the game was an absorbing one for the follow- ers of both colors. Princeton's battering-ram proved effective more than once, and every one could see that in the matter of strength her men were ahead of the Harvard team. But in activity Harvard was undeniably the superior, and at last when the game was called, the score still stood 16 to in favor of the crimson. Then what a scene ! Men almost fell on one another's necks in their delight. The team was surrounded by a j»> ln i n . ■■B «fa ■ , H i Uitwr mt M iiiiiim^iim UB ora, "you 'ul, or they « They'd n't a bit of 3 repaid by lus sending sed her, be- opinion of [•s. len used to id to say to those gladi- lelieve that ; than these ntion. For leyond that the follow- 3 more than B matter of rvard team, he superior, e score still ne another's )unded by a \ BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 131 dense throng, and the 'rah, 'rah, 'rah was fairly deaf- ening. The friends of the vanquished hurried away from the field, and only a few of the younger and more enthusiastic lingered about in little knots to argue the situation, and prophesy a victory for their own men at the next intercollegiate match. " Oh, don't let's go off right away," cried Brenda, as she saw Edith turning in the direction of the exit from the field. "No, we might as well wait until Philip comes .jk ; he and Will couldn't resist going over there on the field to talk things over with some of their friends," said Mrs. Blair, " and I told them that I felt sure that you would excuse them." " Why, of course," added Julia, and Euth followed with a polite, " Yes, indeed." But Belle, looking a lit- tle discontented, said nothing. " What is the good," she was saying to herself, " of having two young .men in your party, if they never stay with you, when so many of the other girls are at the game with only their fath- ers, or elderly relatives." If she had thought carefully, she would have realized that the two boys had really sacrificed not a little fun to act as escorts to " a parcel of girls," as some of their student friends put it. Really they had been very po- lite, they had hardly laughed at the mistakes made by the girls in the use of tfl»*ms during the game, and they had been more than willing to explain the fine points of the play. When they were with the girls, it was lu.iii^fciMibit^ mumm 132 BKENDA, IIER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB not Belle whom they thought the moi;t about, but on rhilip's part, it was Julia, and on Will's, Kuth with her bright face, and vivacious manner. " Did you see papa ? " cried Nora, " he was tossing his hat in the air, like a boy. I tried to make him look at us, but he would not do so. I suppose it was harder for him to recognize us than for me to distinguish him." " No, I didn't see your father," replied Edith, " but I did see your brother Clifford. He, however, never looked our way for a second. He had his hat on the back of his head, and he and two or three other men seemed beside themselves." '« Oh, yes, I suppose he and his friends are dreadfully pleased. You know that Jefferson is a great friend of theirs." " But he was hurt." '- Oh, that's nothing ! As long as he wasn't killed it's all the more glory for him. He and Clifford are room- mates, and they are devoted to each other." Then as the crowds from the benches swept past the girls, they saw many friends and acquaintances, and Belle's injured pride was salved by the return of Philip and Will just as two or three girls whom she especially disliked walked past escorted only by an uncle. How pleasant the walk back to the Square through the college grounds was, with a few minutes in Philip's room, not long enough for the cup of tea which he wished to offer, but long enough to make them all en- thusiastic to accept his invitation to come out to Cam- * * 1- _i- .1 « »t lll I ifc»l « Hi nrr f JB ut, but on h with her as tossing e him look I'as harder uish him." :dith, " but ver, never hat on the other men dreadfully it friend of t killed it's I are room- pt past the tances, and n of Philip B especially cle. ire through ) in Philip's a which he hem all en- )ut to Cam- BUENDA, HER SCHOOL AND UER CLUB 133 bridge some other afternoon and examine his trophies. Eeally there seemed to be few ornaments on the walls that were not connected in some Avay with college sports — flags, medals, certificates of membership in this society or that, photographs of the crew, of the teams, — but some time you may hear more about the room, and so i will leave my description of it until then. To Julia the whole day had been more than delight- ful, she enjoyed every moment of it, and she began to feel so at home with Edith's friends, that not even Belle could rival her in quickness of repartee. Frances Pounder looked at her in astonishment, when some of her own little snubbing remarks fell one side without any effect. Euth Roberts, too, proved herself a great acquisition to the party, especially at the dinner at Edith's. For Mrs. Blair gave an elaborate dinner to the group that had attended the game, increased by the addition of two friends of Philip's ; and even if, as the worldly wise Frances Pounder suggested, the whole af- fair had been arranged to prevent Philip and his friends from joining the boisterous crowd of students in their Cambridge celebration of the victory, Philip certainly had occasion to congratulate himself on possessing a mother who would take so much trouble for her chil- dren. So Brenda ate raw oysters, and Belle entertained Will Hardon with an account of her last visit to New York, and Kora endeavored to eat and talk at the same time, and Edith smiled placidly on her friends while trying to remove the sting from some of Frances i i I 184 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Pounder's sharp remarks, and Julia forgot her shyness, and Ruth Roberts impressed Mrs. Blair as a particularly intelligent girl, and all the boys, as well as the girls, said that they had never had a pleasanter afternoon. So who can say that the game had not proved itself a great success in more ways than one ? -i -:■;-.- «i.,|| »lliijj u,nl J . . j i igL Jj^ i i . a« (^0 , ^, > l l ,!mi•piX^ i| FB p shyness, rticularly the girls, iftemoon. ed itself a XV A POET AT HOME One day Julia had an adventure— not " a wildly ex- citing one," as some of the girls liked to describe what had happened to them, but one that she was always to remember with pleasure. It was a windy day in early January, and there was a fine glaze on the ground from a storm of the day before. As she was slipping along down Beacon street, on her way home from school, it was all that she could do to hold her foot- ing. One hand was kept in constant use holding down the brim of her hat which seemed inclined to blow away. Luckily she had no books to carry, and so when suddenly she saw some sheets of letter paper whirling past her, she was able to rush on and pick them up as they were dashed against a lamp-post. Another moment, and they would have been driven by another gust of wind down a short street leading to the river. When she had the papers safely in her possession, Julia naturally looked around to see to whom they be- longed. The owner was not far away, for just a few steps behind her w^as an old gentleman, not very tall, dressed all in black with a high silk hat. Under his arm he carried a book, and as he held out his hand "? [ } ! ! : i * "v ^ Is 'rittiliiM 136 BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB towards her Julia had no doubt that he was the owner of the wandering manuacript. " Thank you, my child," he said, as she held the sheets towards him. " Another gust, and I should have had to compose a new poem to take the phace of the one that was so ready to— go to press against that lamp- post. " There, that was not a very brilliant pun, was it ? " he asked, for Julia now was walking along by his side, " Why, sir," she had begun to say, looking up in his face. Then suddenly she gave a start. Surely she had seen that face before ! But where ? Yet almost in a shorter time than I have taken to tell it, she recognized the owner of the papers. He was certainly no other than Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, the famous Autocrat of the Breakfast table, several of whose poems she knew almost by heart. All her old shyness came back to her, she did not exactly dare to say that she recognized him, and all she could think of was another question in rela- tion to the manuscript. "Were— were they some of your own poems ? " she managed to stammer, " it would have been dreadful if they had been lost." " Kot half as dreadful," he replied smiling, " as if they had been written by some one else. As a matter of fact these were sent me by an unfledged poet who wished me to tell him whether he Avould stand a chance of getting them into a publisher's hands. He told me to take great care of them as he had no copy. I read his note at my publisher's just now, and I felt bound to UB the owner held the hould have Lace of the that lamp- ,\vas it?" jy his side, g up in his ?ly she had dmost in a recognized [y no other s Autocrat IS she knew )ack to her, jnized him, ion in rela- )y some of , " it would " as if they itter of fact [vho wished chance of I told me to I read his It bound to BUENDA, HER 8CU00L AXD IIEll CLUB 137 carry the manuscript home. But I'm not sure that it Avould not have been a good thing to lose a sheet or two to teach him a lesson. lie should not send a thing to a stranger without making a copy." The poet of course did not speak to Julia in precisely these words, but this was the drift of what he said, and it was in about this form that she repeated it to her aunt and Brenda at the luncheon table. " What else did he say ? " her aunt had asked, with great interest. " Oh, he thanked me again for picking up the papers, complimented me for being so sure-footed on such a slippery sidewalk, and what do you think. Aunt Anna, when he heard that I had not long been in Boston, he asked me to call some afternoon to see him. He is al- ways at home after four. I walked along until he reached his door step. Do you know that he lives very near here. I was so surprised to find it out. Have you ever been there, Brenda ? " ' No," said Brenda, shaking her head, " I did not ex- actly notice whom you were talking about." Why, Dr. Holmes," replied Julia. " Oh," said Brenda, with a stare that seemed to imply that this name did not mean much to her. " Why, you know, Brenda, Oliver Wendell Holmes ? " prompted her mother, and still Brenda looked rather blank. " Brenda," said Mrs. Barlow, " I am surprised. Surely you remember how pleased you were with ' The Last mm* 138 BBENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Leaf when I had you learn it last summer, and you must remember that I told you that the poet who wrote it lives in Boston." " I dare say," answered Brenda carelessly, " but I had forgotten. I don't see why Julia should be so excited about meeting a poet. There must be ever so many of them everywhere." " Ah ! Brenda," responded her mother, " I do wish that you would take more interest in the affairs of your own city. Here is Julia who has been in Boston but a short time, and I am sure that she knows more about our famous men and women than you who have lived here all your life." For a wonder Brenda did not laugh at what her mother said, nor take offence. «'I never shall be a book-worm," she said very good-naturedly. "I am willing to leave all that to Julia." So when Julia asked her one afternoon, if she would not like to go with her to call on Dr. Holmes, she de- clined with thanks, and left Julia free to invite Edith. As the two friends walked up the short flight of stone steps to the front door, their hearts sank a little. To make a call on a poet was really a rather formida- ble thing, and they pressed each other's hands as they heard the maid opening the door to admit them. " Just wait here for a moment," said the maid, after they had enquired for the master of the house, and she showed them into a small room at the left of the en- WW I 3r, and you I poet who " but I had 5 SO excited so many of *I do wish airs of your oston but a more about > have lived t what her I said very all that to f she would mes, she de- vite Edith. )rt flight of sank a little, der formida- mds as they theiu. > maid, after use, and she ft of the en- BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 139 i) trance. It seemed to be merely a reception-room, but it was very pretty with its white woodwork and large- flowered yellow paper. There was a carved table in the centre with writing materials and ink-stand, and little other furniture besides a few handsome chairs. Tall bookcases matching the woodwork occupied the recesses, and they were filled with books in substantial bindings. In a moment the maid had returneJ and asked them to follow her. At the head of the 'i road stairs they saw the poet himself standing to meet them with out- stretched hand. When Julia mentioned Ed i La's name, " Ah," he said, " that is a good old Boston name, ,nd if I mistake not, I used to know your grandfather," and then when Edith had satisfied him on this point ht turned to Julia, and in a bantering way spot- of the service she had done him that windy day. The ' he made them sit down beside him, one on each side, while he occupied a large leather armchair drawn up before his open fire, and asked them one or two questions about their studies and their taste in literature. As he talked, Julia's eyes wandered to the bronze tig are of Father Time on the mantelpiece, and then to the little revolving bookcase on which she could not help noticing a number of volumes of Dr. Holmes' own works. The old gentleman following her glance, said : "They make a pretty fair shov. no: for one man, but my publishers are getting ready to bring out a complete edition of my works, and that, well that makes me !! 1 • ':'r iiiiiHaiiia HttaiMctollhiAaiiiiiiiiHiiw 140 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB realize my age." After a moment, as if reflecting, he asked quickly, " Does either of you write poetry ? " "Oh, no, sir," answered Edith quickly, "we couldn't." " AVhy, it isn't so very hard," he said, " at least I should judge not by the numbers of copies of verses that are sent to me to examine. Poetry deals with common human emotion, and almost any one with a fair vocabulary thinks that he can express himself in verse. But nearly everything worth saying has been said. Words and expressions seem very felicitous to the writer, but he cannot expect other persons to see his work as he sees it." "It depends, I suppose," said Edith shyly, "on whose work it is." « I am afraid," replied the poet, "that there is no ab- solute standard for verse-makers. It has always seemed to me that the writer of verse is almost in the position of a man who makes a mold for a plaster cast or some- thing of that kind. Whatever liquid mixture he puts into that mold will surely fit it. So the verse is the mold into which the poet puts his thought, and from his point of view it is sure to fit." Though Edith may not have grasped the full force of the poet's meaning, Julia was sure that she understood him. « Do you really have a great deal of poetry sent you to read ? " she asked. " Every mail," he answered, " brings me letters from ;lub •eflecting, he )oetry lickiv, O !5 we , "at least I ies of verses y deals Avitli T one with a ss himself in ing has been felicitous to lersons to see y, " on whose here is no ab- hvays seemed 1 the position cast or some- xture he puts le verse is the ^ht, and from le full force of he understood )etry sent you le letters from BRENDA, HER SCHOOL, AND HER CLUB 141 Strangers, — from every corner of the globe. Some con- tain poems in my honor, as specimens of what the poet can do. Others are accompanied by long manuscripts on which my opinion is asked. I am chary now about expressing any opinion, for publishers have a way of quoting very unfairly in their advertisements. If I write 'your book would be very charming Averc it not so carelessly written,' the publisher quotes merely ' very charming,' and prints this in large type." Both girls smiled at the expression of droll sorrow that came over the poet's face as he spoke. " And I am so very unfortunate myself," he added, " when I try to get an autograph of any consequence. Now I sent Gladstone a copy of a work on trees in which I thought he would be interested. lie returned the compliment with a copy of one of his books. But — " here he paused, " he wrote his thanks on a post- card ! " Again the girls laughed. " Dear me ! " he con- cluded, " this cannot interest young creatures like you ; do you care for poetry ? " *' Oh, yes indeed we do," cried Julia, " and we just love your poetry." " Well, well," said the poet, with a twinkle in his eye, "perhaps you would like to hear me read some- thing?" The beaming faces that met his glance were a suf- ficient answer, and taking a volume from the table, he began in a voice that was a trifle husky, though full of expression, .oMBMMaiiitttilii HrWI miiiMmmt. 142 BBENDA, HEE SCHOOL AND HER CLUB " This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign, Sails the unshadowed main, — The venturous bark that flings On the sweet summer wind its venturous wings In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings. And coral reefs lie bare, . . „ Where the cold sea maids raise to sun their streaming hair. When he had finished the stanza, he looked up en- quiringly. « The Chambered Nautilus," murmured Julia. " Ah, you know it then ? " said the poet. " Oh, yes, I love it," she answered. Then with a smile of appreciation, adjusting his glasses. Dr. Holmes read to the end of the poem in his wonderfully musical voice. When it was finished, the girls would have liked to ask for more, but the poet rose to replace the volume. "Come," he said, " you have listened to the poem which of all I have written I like the best, now I wish to show you my favorite view." Following him to the deep bay-win- dow, they looked out across the river. It was much the same view to which Julia was accustomed in her uncle's house, and yet it was looking at the river with new eyes to have the poet pointing out all the towns, seven or eight in number which he could see from that window. Somerville, Medford, Belmont, Arlington, Charlestown, Brookline, and one or two others, perhaps, besides Cambridge with its spires and chimneys. " In winter," said Dr. Holmes, " there is not much to .UB BRENDA, HEB SCHOOL AND UEB CLUB 143 inghair." ked up en- ulia. Ijusting his tie poem in as finished, )re, but the 3," he said, ! all I have ow you my ep bay-win- b was much justomed in at the river out all the le could see d, Belmont, one or two bs spires and not much to see besidt;^ ihd tug-boats and the gulls. But in the early spring it is a delight to me to watch the crews rowing by, and an occasional pleasure-boat, ah I I re- member " — but what it was he did not say, for as Edith turned her eyes toward an oil painting on the wall near by he said, " Of course you know who that is ; of course you recognize the famous Dorothy Q. Now look at the portrait closely, and tell me what you think of that cheek. Could you imagine any one so cruel as to have struck a sword into it? Yet there, if your eyes are sharp enough, you will see where a British soldier of the Eevolution thrust this rapier." When both girls admitted that they could not see the scar, " That only shows," he said, '• how clever the man was who made the repairs," Before they turned from the window he made them notice the tall factory chimneys on the other side of the river which he called his thermome- ters, because according to the direction in which the smoke curled upwards, he was able to tell how the wind blew, and decide in what direction he should walk. "Eemember," he said, "when you reach my age always to walk with your back to the wind," and at this the girls smiled, they feeling that it would be many years before they should need to follow this advice. Yet during their call how many things they had to see and to remember ! He let each of them hold for a mo* ■liMtoM «.liiiJft:-i. vhoTO. there s guidance, til the date id she told le living in ssed. better off They have e chance of L over there do learn it people are lower in ac- ts to make L a very un- famiiy and small room, d or clothes ) invest in a a. ;tter habits. rkers in this and indus- izations are ird work. I ficu.lties, but to history." BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 153 While Aliss South had been talking she had led them up a narrow street which in snowy weather must have lived up to its name " Snowhill street." At the top of the hill after a turn or two they came upon an old burying-ground. " Copp's Hill," said Julia. *' Why of course," responded Nora. "I brought you here to-day," said Miss South, " be- cause I knew that the gates would be open. One can- not always get in during the winter months except by special arrangement. But in summer the old grave- yard is like a park, and the little children from all parts of the North End come here to play, and mothers with their babies are thankful enough for a seat under the trees where they can feel the cool breeze from the harbor." " How quaint it is ! " said Julia, looking down the narrow street, just as they entered the gate. "Why there is Christ Church, isn't it ? " " How did you know it ? " asked Nora, " I thought that you had never been here before." "Well, I haven't, but there are ever so many pho- tographs, showing just this view. What is that queer little house, Miss South ? " - . " I am glad that you asked, although I should not have forgotten to point it out. That is a real Rev- olutionary relic. General Gage's headquarters during part of the British occupation ; it is one of the most in- teresting houses left standing." ^ Wf.^ ia y; »r'- . jii ii ':w«< ii i. '%i IIT-T-tTTm — a'~T""'"r*'-'" 154 BBENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Now turning their steps away from the quaint, hilly street, they were within the enclosure of the grave- yard. It would take long to tell all that they saw. Ther j was the old gravestone which the British had made a target, and marked with their bullets. There were some stones with nothing but the name and date, and neither very legible, others with rr agh carvings of cherubs' heads, or the angel of death, while some of the vaults at the side had heraldic carvings, the arms of old Tory families. Miss South told them of the days when this grave- yard had been neglected, and when the gravestones had toppled over, and had been carried off by any one who wished them. Some had been found by the pres- ent custodian of the ground in use as covers for drains, others as chinmey tops, and some in old cellars and basements. There were famous names on some of the stones, and strange verses on others. Julia copied an inscription or two, such as, " A sister of Sarah Lucas lyeth here, Whom I did love most dear ; And now lier soul hath took its flight, And bid her spightful foes good -night." and this "Death with his dart hath pierced my heart, While I was in my prime ; When this you see grieve not for me 'Twas God's appointed time." She had heard before of the Mather tomb, and looked with great interest on the brown slab enclosed with LUB BRENDA, ITER SCHOOL ATfD HER CLUB 155 [uaint, hilly the grave- t they saw. British had ets. There le and date, ^h carvings while some irvings, the 1 this grave- gravestones by any one by the pres- s for drains, cellars and some of the IB, art, t), and looked nclosed with an iron railing, under which rested the noted Puritan preacher. Yet while Julia took interest in the stones and in- scriptions, Nora was better pleased with the lovely view of the water to be seen from the summit. "It was there in the channel," said Miss South, " that the men-of-war lay when Paul Kevere started out on that wonderful ride, and no* so far from the spot where the receiving ship * "Wabash ' now lies at the Navy Yard, the British landed in Charlestown on their way to Bunker Hill." " Oh, yes," said Julia, who had put aside her pencil and notebook, " I can understand now what a fine view the people of Boston must have had of the battle when they crowded to the graveyard and the roofs." " Yes, there was almost a clear view then," said Miss South, " and it must ha /e been a very exciting day for the watchers on the Boiton side of the water." "They were making for the steeple, — the old sexton and his people ; The pigeons circled ronnd ns as we climbed the creaking stair, Just across the narrow river— oh so close it made us shiver! Stood a fortress on the hilltop that but yesterday was bare. " Not slow our eyes U) find it — well we knew who stood be'iind it, Though the earthwoik hid them from us, and the stubborn walla were dumb. Here were sister, wife and mother, looking wild upon each other, And their lips were white with terror, as they said ' The Hour is Come!'" "Bravo!" cried the others ai Nora finished this 156 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB quotation from Holmes' well-knoAvn poem. " If there were time," added Miss South, " we might ask Nora, or perhaps you Julia, to cap these stanzas with some other historical poem. " The North End would be well Avorth another visit," continued Miss South, as they turned away. " I hope that some time you will both come to a service in the old church, and if you choose the first Sunday of the month, you will be able to see the fine communion service presented by George the Second, and you will find the high backed pews and the frescoes on the wall the same as they were a hundred and twenty-fivo years ago." ""What lots of little children there are playing about," cried Nora ; " I should think that they would be run over a dozen times a day, for there are certainly more in the middle of the street than on the sidewalks. "Why see there, why just look, it really is " " Manuel," broke in Julia, as Nora rushed forward and took the little fellow by the hand—" why how are you, Manuel ? " " My mother sick," he replied, smiling at Nora whom evidently he remembered very well. "Oh, couldn't we just go to see him, I mean his mother," cried Nora. " But if she is sick — " replied Miss Sc'ith with hesita- tion. "Let ug wait here at the corner — this is the very corner," pleaded Nora, " and you can see whether there JU— LUB "If there ,sk Nora, or some other other visit," ', "I hope srvice in the nday of the communion id you will on the wall ,y-fivo years ire playing they would ire certainly e sidewalks. led forward rhy how are Nora whom I mean his with hesita- is the very hether there r ? wwn- 1 1 imgniiwiiiipf^" BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 157 would be any harm in our going there ; Julia wants to see the house, and perhaps Mrs. Rosa only has a cold." As this seemed to be a sensible suggestion. Miss South Avith Manuel by the hand went down the little street where the Rosas were living. > -j tis msi-iJi-^ XVII THE ROSAS AT HOME In a few moments Miss South returned. "I do not think," she said, " that there would be the least harm in your going with me to the house. I know, Nora, that your mother would not object, and Julia, you can use your own judgment. I am sure that there is no contagious disease in the neighbor- hood, and " "Oh," interrupted Julia, "do let me go back with you. I have never been in a tenement house and I am so anxious to see one. My aunt would not have the least objection, and you know that Brenda has been there." So in less time than it takes me to tell of it they were actually at the door of the house where the Kosas lived. Fortunately their rooms were now on the first floor, and as the door was open as well as the window, there was good ventilation. Had this not been the case they must have been half suffocated by the heat from the ' stove which was glowing hot. Mrs. Rosa was seated in a high backed wooden rocking-chair, but she rose to her feet as she saw Miss South and the two girls ap- proaching. To do this was evidently a great effort for her, and after she had said a word or two of welcome in broken English, she sank back half exhausted. , * \ T i „„ BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 159 ould be the the house. not object, I am sure e neighbor- I back with se and I am ive the least een there." it they were Rosas lived. ) first floor, ndow, there he case they ;at from the I was seated t she rose to ;wo girls ap- at effort for of welcome usted. She had strength, however, to speak to her elder daugh- ter, who had not turned when they entered, and at her bidding Angelina had looked up from the depths of the mysterious mixture which she was stirring in an iron kettle, and coming forward offered her hand to the three newcomers. Two younger girls in rather untidy dresses, with half the buttons off their shoes looked on a little timidly, and no one but Manuel seemed per- fectly at ease. "It's rather hard, isn't it," said Miss South pleas- antly, " to take care of so many children, Mrs. Eosa ? " "Oh, yes, Miss South," she replied, "they gets hungry every day, and always wants so much to eat." Even the lively Nora did not smile at this, although she afterwards said that she wondered if their mother expected the children to want only one meal a week. " But you're not able to work now ; you can't go out to your fruit sta:Kl, can you ? " continued Miss South. " Oh, no indeed, no indeed," shaking her head. " I'm awful weak." " Then how have j on been paying your rent ? " "Well, the good minister, he help me ; he pay it just now, and John he have a license for papers, and he sell quite a good many tvei-y day after school — and, oh well, we get along." Mrs. liusa had a very pleasant expression, and as she twlked she looked almost hand- some. Her black stuff dress, worn without a collar, made her pale face seem more haggard than usual, yet it beamed with gratitude as she told how kind one and wm"*' « t 160 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB another had been since her illness had become so serious. "Where does she sleep?" asked Julia in a half whisper to Nora. " Why, in that little room where you see the door open. I remember they told us when we were here before, that she and the girls sleep there, while the boys have a mattress to themselves on the kitchen floor. They bring it out every night." "How dreadful!" was all that Julia had time to say, for she saw Angelina's sharp eyes turned towards her, and feared that already she had been inipolite in talking thus in an aside to Nora. The latter, while Miss South was talking with Mrs. Eosa about her recont symptoms, tried to draw Manuel into conversation, but, as before, only a word or two at a time could be drawn from him, although his expression was still as seraphic as ever, even when Nora was half teasing him.. Yet, after all, they had been in the dingy room but a very short time when Miss South reminded them that it was growing dark, and that Mrs. Gostar and Mrs. Barlow would both disapprove their being out much later. As they rode up Hanover street in the car both girls no- ticed that Miss South was unusually quiet. At last Julia broke the silence. " I'm sure that you are thinking about Mrs. Eosa," she said softly. "Yes," answered Miss South, " I see that something » i ift ii V i < »< "■^'Wt UB jecome so in a half B the door were here while the tie kitchen id time to ed towards impolite in ; with Mrs. aw Manuel or two at a i expression ra was half room but a them that it tfrs. Barlow 1 later. As )th girls no- it. At last Mrs. Eosa," t something BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 161 must be done to help her, but I am not sure just what it should be. Possibly she cannot recover, or perhaps if she had a good doctor he might advise— but still, she is almost too poor to take advantage of any advice." "Yes," said Jfora, "suppose a doctor should advise her to go to Colorado, or CaUfornia; why he might as well talk about the moon." "I know it," murmured Julia, "and yet people are sometimes very kind to the poor." " Yes, at Christmas especially," rejoined Nora with a laugh. " Did you hear one of the little girls when I asked her what she had Thanksgiving say, ' Two tur- keys, one Baptist and one 'Piscopal' " Julia looked a little shocked at this, but Miss South only smiled. " I am afraid that loaves and fishes count for a great deal with these people when they come to select a church. They have discovered that they can get more from the Protestants than from their own church, and if they have some little disagreement with a priest^ they take advantage of this to put themselves under the wing of the Bethel, or of Christ Church. Both have a great many Portuguese in attendance, and I ought not to be too censorious, for some of them un- doubtedly are perfectly sincere." "How does it happen, Miss South, that you know so much about these poor North End people?" asked Julia. « There, I did not mean to be inquisitive, but it seems wonderful that you should understand them so well." 162 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB « To tell you the reason fully," replied she, " vould be a long story, but just now it may be enough to say that I have had a little mission class down there but a block or two from Mrs. Eosa's for several years. In this way, spending one evening among them, as well as Sunday afternoon, I have come to understand the char- i acteristics of these foreigners." • "Have you known Mrs. Eosa all this time?" asked Nora. " Oh, no indeed, I never had seen her until after you rescued Manuel. But since then I have called at the house two or three times and I have grown to like Mrs. Eosa very well. She has more influence over her children than many other foreign mothers of my ac- quaintance. But here we are at Scollay Square, and as it is only five o'clock, would not you enjoy walking down over Beacon Hill instead of taking another car ? " "Yes, indeed," both girls exclaimed, and pleased enough 'they were with their choice. For as they wound in and out through some of the picturesque streets of the West End, Miss South almost made the old streets alive again with the people of the past. As they passed the head of Hancock street back of the State House, "Down there," she said, "was the Sumner home- stead, where Charles Sumner lived for many years." Then as they continued down Mt. Vernon street, to- ward Louisbourg Square, she told them that here was once the estate of Eev. William Blackstone. *te»iai.anji ■^ n,0i,i)iM i *■ ■■!■ i*m\ ■' ' 1 iii*winTi\Tl> aiitfc«rtia w »rtB«iaeiiMW W NWiwi«»* «' •t' / m i i i m t ^- im CLUB she, " Avould Qough to say ti there but a al years. In m, as well as and the char- iime ? " asked ntil after you I called at the ^rown to like ence over her ers of my ac- r Square, and snjoy walking another car ? " , and pleased For as they le picturesque most made the ' the past. As it back of the Sumner home- many years." •non street, to- 1 that here was one. BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 163 " Historians," she added, « believe that the spring of fresh water whose discovery by Blackstone led Win- throp's party to prefer Boston to Charlestown, was probably not far from the centre of the grassplot in the square. But we must walk quickly," she concluded, as they turned to a side street that led them to the famil- iar Beacon street. " I have come over here to call your attention to this curved front of cream white at the middle of the slope. You have passed it hundreds of times, Nora, but I won- der if you have ever realized that it was for many years the home of William Hickling Prescott, the historian, and that here he wrote many of his finest works." K^ora was ashamed to admit that she hardly remem- bered what Prescott had written. But Julia, whose historical reading had been unusually deep for one of her years, was delighted to see the home of the author of « Ferdinand and Isabella." If there had been no old landmarks to look at they all would have enjoyed the walk to the utmost. Few streets in the world are more beautiful than Beacon street, at dusk or after the lamps are lighted. Those who walk westward at this time of day have the Common and the Garden on one side, the dignified old houses on the other, and winding far in front of them the long street with its long lines of lamps, while far off in the west the heights of Brookline whose brightly lit houses and twinkling street lamps suggest a huge castle as the end ,of the journey. Home for Julia and Nora, however, lay far this side of Brookline, .i 0r^ 11 164 BKENDA, IIEB SCHOOL AND HER (fLUB and it was not long before they had vo l.id Miss South good-bye, with many thanks for her kinaness. Nora at dinner that evening was full of the expe- riences <.f the afternoon, and her mother and father and the younger boys were not only interested, but had varirus suggestions to make as to the most helpful thin-s to do for the Rosas. I won't say that the boys v^^evl always practical, for with their minds full of the approaching Christmas they could think of little that was really worth while doing except giving the family an elaborately decorated Christmas tree. Dr Gostar promised to find out whether Mrs. Eosa was having the proper kind of medical treatment, and Mrs Gostar said that she would try to talk with Miss South and learn whether there was any special thing that she could do. . „ " The Christmas tree is not a very bad suggestion, said their mother consolingly to the boys when she saw that they were disappointed that their father treated this as a matter of slight importance. "Why I think that it would be just lovely to Igive them a tree," added Nora, « if , if, that is, you know that we must not forget Brenda." "Of course not," replied her mother, "but Brenda does not own the Rosas, in fact I should be inclined to think that she had forgotten them lately." " Oh she has made up her mind that she is going to accomplish something wonderful for them by means of the Easter Bazaar, and " (tLUB (1 Miss South less. of the expe- nd father and sted, but had most helpful that the boys ids full of the : of little that ng the family ber Mrs. Kosa reatment, and talk with Miss ' special thing ,d suggestion," 5 when she saw father treated lovely to "give you know that r, " but Brenda I be inclined to she is going to 5m by means of BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 1G5 " In the meantime she would leave them to starve." " Oh, papa, you are laughing at me ; Miss South says that there is no danger of any one's starving in Boston." " All the same you cani.ot expect me to encourage a dog-in-the-manger disposition in Brenda, and you have so good an adviser in Miss South that I am willing to help you to carry out any plans which she starts." Dr. Gostar was so far right in his estimate of Brenda that he would have felt more thn' stifled in what he had said to Nora had he look( a at the Barlows at dinner-time. For he might then have seen that Brenda was very much disturbed, and from her lips he would have heard some very cross words. " Really, Julia, I think that it wr^s awfully unkind in you and Nora to go to see the Eosas without me ; you know that I wanted to see them, and you never gave me the least idea that you were going." " But I am sure that Miss South invited you to go to the North End with us." " Well, you never said a word about the Eosas, and you know that I do not care at all about old streets and houses, and besides, I could not have gone this after- noon, so that you might have waited." " How unreasonable you are, Brenda, and inconsid- erate toAvards Julia," interposed her mother. " Eeally J had begun to hope that you were improving, and here you are, crosser than ever." " Yes, Brenda, don't let me hear you talk in that way again," added her father. 1 1G6 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB «' Well, I don't think it's fair for Julia and Miss South and Nora to keep making plans for the llosas Avhen I was the one who first ^^'auted to do something for them ; you remember, papa, that I asked you to buy a carpet for them, and I have been thinking so much about that Bazaar, but now it won't be a bit of good if everything is going to be done for them at Christmas." " Nonsense, Brenda, you can have a share in Julia's Christmas tree, and I cannot feel that your interest in them has continued very strong. It seems to me that you ha' been more inv.vrested in the Bazaar than in the Rosas, and that now you should be wiUing to let others make plans for them." Durin{.> all the discussion Julia had had little to say, but she resolved at the earliest opportunity to ask Miss South to tell Brenda the exact condition of the Eosas. CLUB ad Miss South llosas Avhen I something for you to buy a king so much bit of good if at Christmas." hare in Julia's our interest in ims to me that Jazaar than in willing to let i little to say, ity to ask Miss of the Kosas. '¥''■ ■-T» a< I W»JlMI | W I »]AJI. 'j «<-<.JJM!.'CTS* J. ^' U-- g..J»P '' -W-' ' -fe^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / A 1.0 Ui|28 |2.5 1^ 12.2 1.1 f/^"^ ^ Nil IJ5 il.4 11.6 «♦ r Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 L ^ ■^>i^^?iAg:>. ,» gag^aii i igi^f;aa >, , ., CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microroproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiquos « !f XVIII MEKUY ClIKISTMAS "VYhen Miss South heard of Brenda's feeling on the subject of the Rosas she hastened to invite her to assist in the Christmas tree enterprise "not so much with money, Brenda," she said, " as with your taste. I know that you and Belle can make several of the decorations for the tree. Money to spend for the things has been given me by a friend, and we shall have more than enough." V/ith this suggestion Brenda was not at all displeased, for she had spent more than double her liberal allow- ance of Christmas money on gifts for her friends. A foolish habit of exchanging presents had grown up at school, and each girl tried to return the presents of the season before with something handsomer than the giver had bestowed on her. In this way those who had to consider money were called mean if they did not give a handsome present to all those whom they knew, that is those girls with whom they had anything more than a speaking acquaintance. The ever extravagant Brenda had reached almost the end of the list of those whom she wished to remember with Christmas gifts, and had had to go to her father for more money, which he gave her only on condition that she should deduct it from her ^. , ■ tt«t>^«*!«««B*a«'*it«-.s<«K!(i«!»t«i^ ' 168 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB allowance of the next two months. It was probaW/ this knowledge that she could do little for the Christ- mas tree for the Rosas which had led her at first to express herself rather ill-naturedly to Julia on the sub- ject. Mr. Barlow always protested a little against Brenda's present-giving habit. He said that it was very foolish to give a silver pin-tray to a girl who perhaps already had a half-dozen similar articles, which she would prob- ably return with a silver scent bottle, of which Brenda already had more than she could use in a lifetime. " It would be much more sensible if each of you would go out and buy the thing which you wish the most for yourself and let others do the same. I have an idea that your wants would be less numerous and less costly if you felt that you were spending your own money for yourself." "Oh! papa." " Yes, I mean it. If you were in the habit of buying more books, it would not be so bad, there would be little danger of your having too many, and one book, if a duplicate, could be properly exchanged for another. But you buy such foolish things for one another, and the chief aim of each girl seems to be to outdo every other girl." " Oh, papa, I'm sure we all make out lists of what we want the most, and we always try to please one an- other, indeed we always do, and one can't be mean ; I'm sure you wouldn't want any one to call me mean." JB probably' he C'lrist- at first to n the sub- t Brenda's 3ry foolish ps ah'eady ould prob- ch Brenda I lifetime, you would e most for ve an idea less costly money for b of buying would be )ne book, if 3r another, nother, and )utdo every of what we ase one an- ; mean ; I'm mean." BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 1G9 " Now, Brenda, of course not ; but there are different kinds of meanness, and I wonder how many of you girls at Miss Crawdon's over stop to think how many little comforts your Christmas presents would buy for the needy men and women who have so little to brighten their lives. No, Brenda, I do not begrudge you the money that I give you, but I often do object to your way of spending it — sometimes," he hastened to add, as he saw the frown gathering on Brenda's face. But, after all, it would take too long to tell you how thoroughly in earnest Julia and the others were in their efforts to make the Christinas tree a success. The tree, to be sure, was the least part of it. For Mrs. Kosa's small kitchen was not adapted to a very large one, and Miss South decided that it would be rather foolish to put too much money into a thing of that kind. The decorations were inexpensive, or homemade, and the presents were useful rather than ornamental. Of course there were toys and colored picture-books for Manuel and the smalkr girls, and bags of candy and oranges for each of the family, and candles enough on the tree to make a cheerful illumination for five or ten minutes v/hile Miss South and Philip stood near by with pails of water ready to use in case a spark of fire should fall where it was not expected. But after all, things Avent off very well, and when the Four, or rather the Five — for Julia, of course, was included — drove down to see the distribution of the presents, they had hardly stand- inff-room in the little kitchen. Julia and Miss South ^MHMMItlMlM 170 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB had done the most of the purchasing, and the things that they had thought of were innumerable. I need not tell you what they all were, but there was a new rug to go in front of the stove, and there were two wadded quilts for each of the family beds, there was a new gown for Mrs. Rosa, and mittens and shoes for all the children, and— but it is better for you to imagine it all, only remembering that when a family is absolutely destitute, a great deal of money may be spent without making a great show. The Christmas dinner had been sent by the Baptist Church, and on Christmas evening the children were to go to a festival at the Episcopal Church where they expected to receive some other pres- ents. For even Miss South had not yet had enough in- fluence to get the Rosas to devote themselves to one church. They still continued to think that to attend two Protestant churches showed a praiseworthy excess of virtue. But whatever the trouble and expense had been, the beaming faces of Mrs. Rosa and the children were suffi- cient compensation for Miss South and her pupils. Even Belle had no fault to find with the tree, or the Rosas or with anything connected with the celebra- tion. But for Julia one of the pleasantest results of the Cliristmas tree was the intimacy which grew up between her and Miss South, a rather unusual friendship to have arisen between a girl of sixteen and a woman ten years older. ^"ilimniiiii .VB BRENDA, ITER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB l7l the things le. I need was a new were two .here was a bees for all imagine it absolutely ;nt without ir had been las evening e Episcopal other pres- enough in- Ives to one t to attend rthy excess d been, the I were sutli- her pupils, tree, or the he celebra- jults of the up between ship to have ,n ten years Mr. and Mrs. Barlow were pleased with the anima- tion which Julia had shown in this work for the Christ- mas tree, and they had no objection to the intimacy with Miss South, since Miss Crawdon had assured them that they knew her to be a young woman of unusually fine character. Just after Christmas Miss South went up to the country for a week or two of perfect rest, and Julia for the first time since she came to Boston found herself entering into a round of gaiety. Danc- ing parties were given almost every evening by some one of the schoolgirls, and no one thought of inviting Brenda without asking Julia, too. It is true that Julia did not care very much for round dances, but she had come to see that it was almost a duty to enter more heartily into the amusements of her schoolmates. So, putting aside — so far as she could — her natural diffi- dence — she almost always accompanied Brenda, and though she could not take part in round dances, she seldom had to sit alone. There was always some other girl who did not dance, or who had not been asked for the dance, and not infrequently some awkward boy who preferred sitting it out to dancing. On some oc- casions, even v/hen there had been but two or three square dances in which Julia could take part, she had reported to her uncle and aunt at breakfast the next morning that she had enjoyed herself very much. " A contented mind is a continual feast," said Belle, sarcastically, when she heard Julia telling some one how much she had enjoyed a certain evening. " Why, I Hie aemmm*"^ 172 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB do not think that Julia was on the floor twice. "When- ever I saw her she was talking to wall flowers, or small boys who ought to have been at home or in bed." By " small boy," Belle meant any one who was not yet in college, for she herself was hardly polite to any one younger than a sophomore, and she wondered that any hostess to whose house she was invited should think of having any one there younger than this. But the best- intentioned hostess sometimes had young cousins or nephews whom she wished to invite, and the two or three years' difference in age between a sophomore and a boy still in the preparatory school did not count for much in her eyes, however it may have been re- garded by some of the girls of Belle's age. Yet in spite of Belle's unfavorable criticisms, Julia was gradually winning her way to considerable pop- ularity, and this without any effort on her own part. She was especially polite to elderly ladies, not from any motive, but because this seemed the proper thing, and her natural kindliness of heart led her to look after any other girl Avho seemed neglected or lonely. As to the boys — well, while no one could tell exactly how it was, she had a way of drawing them out and making even those who hated parties, admit to her that if more girls were like her they wouldn't mind going out. " But most girls, you know, just order us boys about so, and we have to dance whether we want to or not, or they call us all kinds of things behind our backs," one of them said to Julia one evening. J B . When- , or small ed." By lot yet in any one that any I think of , the best- ousins or e two or aphomore not count I been re- 5ras, Julia able pop- awn part, from any ;hing, and after any As to the y how it id making lat if more ■oing out. 3 about so, or not, or acks," one BRENDA. HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 173 " Why, how do you know ? " she had asked. " Oh, our sisters tell us ; why haven't you any broth- ers yourself ? " " No," said Julia, laughing at his earnestness, " nor any sisters either." " Oh, well, you know lots of girls, and you must have heard them talk. I can tell you after I have heard my sisters and their friends talking people over, I think that I will never go to a party again." " Then why do you ? " " Oh, you have to ; some way, the other fellows all kind of make fun of you if you don't, and then your fam- ily all get at you, and it's all an awful bore. But when I find a girl like you who don't mind sitting still and talking, I don't have quite so bad a time." Then re- membering that a little more politeness was due even to a girl who didn't pretend to be fond of dancing, he added, " Wouldn't you like to try this Portland Fancy ? I can generally get through that all right, and I don't mind dancing with you," and though the compliment in the last part of his speech was a little dubious, Julia accepted, to the amazement of some of the other girls, who Avould have felt themselves very ranch lowered if obliged to dance with a schoolboy. After all the gaiety of Christmas wee^' it wasn't the easiest thing in the world for the girls to settle down to work at school. There were so many things to talk over, there was so much to think about. Christmas day itself had been very pleasant for Julia, though it 174 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB had been kept by her uncle and aunt strictly as a fam- ily festival. She and Brenda were the youngest of the group gathered at the table, for Brenda's elder sister ■was still in Europe, and the other cousins invited to the dinner were all older than Julia and Brenda. The presents were given unostentatiously at breakfast be- fore the arrival of any outside of the household, and Julia was touched to find that she had been remem- bered not only by the relatives Avhom she had seen, but by the absent cousins in Europe who had known her only when she was a very little girl. Brenda in her turn was extremely surprised by the handsome gifts which Julia gave to her and to her father and mother. There was the beautiful bracelet which she had been longing for as she hnd seen it in a "Winter street win- dow, with the tiny a ^h set near the clasp, while for her father and mother was a large paper edition of Thackeray, finely illustrated and elegantly bound. Brenda was too heedless of money herself to stop to count the cost of these gifts, and yet she realized that they must be expensive, and while thanking Julia with the greatest warmth, she wondered how in the world she had been able to afford them. Her father had laughed as usual at what he called her " silverware," and had asked her again as he had always asked her since she had acquired the habit of present exchanging, as he called it. " Now, wouldn't it really be more fun to have all your own money again, Brenda, so that you could start 1 as a fam- est of the Ider sister invited to Ida. The ikfast be- hold, and n remem- [ seen, but nown her la in her ome gifts d mother, had been treet win- while for edition of y bound, to stop to dized that Fulia with the world ; he called as he had le habit of ) have all jould start J BRENDA, ITER SCHOOL AND ITER CLUB 175 out, and buy for yourself the things that you like the most instead of all these odds and ends." " Oh, papa," Brenda had replied, as she always did, " I just love these things, and I have more presents than almost any girl I know ; they say that I reall}'^ am the most popular." " Yes," he rejoined, " because you make the most presents. However," as he saw a cloud settling on her face, " I will not say anything if you are happy. Only remember that you won't have any allowance again until the first of March." But an empty pocketbook did not seem the worst thing in the world to Brenda with her happy-go-lucky disposition, and on the Monday after New Year's, when they were all back in school she was the merriest of the crowd. :l L imiiii miiiiiMiiMiiiti XIX NORA'S THOUGHTLESSNESS It is never the easiest thing in the world to settle down to Avork after the holidays, and even Julia for a day or two found herself a little dreamy, with her thoughts constantly going back to the many pleasant things of that Christmas week. But it was not as hard for her as for her cousins to resume the regular routine. She had a more definite aim than they, with the pros- pect of college examinations not so very far away. Brenda had not yot made up her mind to give her ap- proval to her cousin's studying Greek, and she did not take the trouble to contradict Belle and Frances Pounder when they said that it must be a very disagreeable thing to have a cousin who intended to be a teacher. It is true that neither Belle nor Frances was thoroughly in- formed as to Julia's intentions, but they never needed very definite facts on which to base their theories. Consequently when they were at a loss for a subject of conversation, they were in the habit of discussing Julia's peculiarities. Other persons did not find Julia peculiar. To older people she seemed an especially well-mannered girl, with a delightful vein of thought- fulness that was not too often met in young girls. She had become also a decided favorite with the brothers 1 to settle ulia for a with her y pleasant ot as hard ar routine. I the pros- far away, ve her ap- he did not 3S Pounder jable thing her. It is roughly in- i^er needed r theories. , subject of discussing ; find Julia especially )f thought- girls. She le brothers BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 177 of her school friends to an extent that sometimes seemed surprising. For Julia was not an extremely pretty girl, and she was not half so well informed on sports and games as were the girls who had lived all their lives in Boston. But she had a way of listening at- tentively to whatever any boy happened to be saying to her, and the questions that she asked always showed an unusual degree of attention — an attention that any one could see was not a mere pretence. Philip Blair had already begun to confide to her a larger share of his college woes than he would have confided to his placid sister Edith. For Edith had an uncomfortable habit of forgetting just what was to be kept secret, and though Philip had no very dark secrets, there were still little things that he preferred not to have told. Julia was also very ready to help Nora's younger brothers in their lessons, and as Harry Gostar said, •' There isn't another girl Nora knows that could help a fellow with his Greek exercises, and even if she hasn't studied Greek any longer than I have, she has learned more than enough to show me where I make mistakes in these beastly old conjugations." There was probably some jealousy in the feeling of Frances and Belle toward Julia, but jealousy was not a strong motive with Brenda. In her case there had been little more than pettishness in her first attitude towards her cousin — the pettishness of a spoiled child. Yet this pettishness, which left to itself would have seemed of little account, — hardly worth noticing, when 12 178 BEENDA, HER SOUOOL AXD HER CLUB fanned by Belle and Frances took on the aspec;. of jealousy. In consequence of this feeling Julia had been made at times very uncomfortable, though no one had ever known her to say a word to Brcnda in resent- ment. Sometimes she found it very hard not to say a word when she heard the Four rushing upstairs on the afternoons of the club meetings. Strange though it may seem, no invitation had yet been given her to as- sist in the work for the Bazaar, even although all the other girls realized that the success of the Eosas' Christ- mas tree had been largely due to her. Perhaps it was just as well that Julia had no opportunity to inspect the things that were preparing for the Bazaar. For even after these many weeks of work there was hardly a single finished article. Belle's centrepiece was so elaborate that a whole afternoon showed hardly more than a single finished leaf, or one exquisitely Avrought blossom. " If any one would pay you for your time, Bella," Nora said mischievously one day, " we should have money enough to send one of the Eosa children to Europe." "You'd better talk, Nora," Belle replied, "your afghan isn't half done either, and an afghan does not begin to be as fussy as a centrepiece, and it isn't even artistic, or " " Oh, well," Nora replied, " this is not the only thing that I have done ; I keep it to work on here, but I have finished a small shawl at home, and a pair of baby's 3LUB le aspecL of r Julia had ougli no one da in resent- not to say a itairs on the e though it 3n her to as- ough all the 'osas' Clirist- rhaps it was ;y to inspect iazaar. For ) was hardly liece was so hardly more 3ly Avrought time, Bell3," should have children to plied, "your lan does not it isn't even le only thing fe, but I have dr of baby's BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 179 shoes, and I am going to do any number of things be- sides." "Ah," said Belle, tossing her head, "you won't find me working myself to death over a Bazaar. I think one afternoon a week is a great deal to give to any poor family, for that is what it amounts to, and you know that I don't care much about those Rosas, anyway." " Oh, Belle ! " cried Edith, looking shocked. "No, indeed, I don't, and I am sure that Brenda does not care half as much as she pretends. Why, Edith, as for that you yourself never go down to the North End to see them." "I can't; ray mother won't let me go into dirty streets or into tenement houses." " Oh ! if you cared very much, you'd find some way to go there occasionally. You could drive." Edith looked so uncomfortable at this suggestion, that Nora, on whom usually fell the duty of taking up the cudgels, exclaimed, " You know that Edith was very generous at Christ- mas, and that she is ready to do ever so much more for the Eosas, and it isn't a bit fair to speak in that Avay." Belle discreetly said nothing further, for she had learned that when Nora assumed this positive tone, Brenda was apt to go over on her side, and then Belle herself would be so in the minority as to be obliged to seem an unpopular person, and if there was one thing in the world that she dreaded, it was to be considered unpopular. So trimming her sails she said. i nliM l i i Ote 180 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB "Why, how silly you are, Nora, you know that I was only in fun. Of course we all are interested in the Rosas, and I only wish that I could do two or three centrepieces for the Bazaar. But I am always so busy at this season " " You busy, Belle," cried Nora. " Who ever heard of such a thing. You are just the idlest person I know." " Indeed I am not," was the answer. " I have to do all the errands for the family, and half my clothes are made in the house, and we always have such stupid seamstresses, that " " I should say so. Belle ; I do think that you have had some of the ugliest clothes, lately, that I have seen this winter," interrupted Nora, rather unceremoniously. Belle reddened very deeply at this speech, for as a mat- ter of fact she was extremely sensitive on the subject of her clothes. Unlike Brenda or Edith, she never had the privilege of going to a fine costumer ; nor could she even employ the dressmaker who made some of the gowns worn by others of her set of friends. The cir- cumstances in her family were such that she could not gratify her taste in dress. She must wear this thing or that thing that her grandmother had selected, or must have something of her mother's altered to the present fashion for girls. However skilful the alterations, she felt as if she were in some way disgraced. Now to tell the truth Belle herself had so much natural taste that only a very severe critic could see anything to J- t « iX LUB BKENDA, IIEK SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 181 now that I itercsted in ;wo or three ays so busy ever heard st person I [ have to do clothes are such stupid ou have had ive seen this emoniously. or as a mat- le subject of ; never had ; nor could some of the Is. The cir- le could not ;his thing or ted, or must ' the present alterations, aced. Now latural taste anything to criticise in her dress, and a sensible person watching the two girls would have said that it was much better for a young girl to be brought up witl the somewhat economical habits that had to be Belle's than to have the rather too elegant clothes, and the many changes of costume which Mrs. Blair seemed to prefer for Edith. But girls will be girls, and Belle's great grievance was that when fawn brown for example, was the fashionable spring shade, she had to wear a gown of stone grey, because somewhere in the cedar chests in her grand- mother's attic there was a stonegrey thibet, ample enough to cut over into a spring gown for her. As to hats, neither her mother nor her grandmother approved of her having her hats trimmed at a milliner's. In con- sequence, after her mother had put on a hat a simple trimming such as she approved herself. Belle would spend her first spare afternoon in ripping it all off, in order to retrim it. Indeed she usually spent not one afternoon but several in this operation, and even ven- tured to lay out her own pocket money in little orna- ments or in ribbons that she thought would add to the appearance of the hat. In the same way she was able too to make slight alterations in the appearance of her gowns, and sometimes the changes were improvements. At other times what she had considered a genuine addi- tion to the style of her garment or hat to other eyes seemed only queer, or in schoolgirl parlance " weird." When therefore Nora said that she had considered Belle's clothes of the present winter the ugliest she had , i I IMMM ixiiimiiiiiin mill 182 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB seen, she touched a tender cord. In the first place Belle had had a strong dislike for the coat Jind hat which her mother and grandmother had selected for her, and in the second place she thought that she had improved the appearance of her costume as a whole by entirely altering the style of her winter hat. For she had twisted the front to the back, had added a deep blue bow to the trimming, and she believed that alto- gether she had accomplished wonders. At Nora's speech the teai's came to her eyes, and the heedless Brenda, who was not herself always careful of the feelings broke forth indignantly, " I do think, Nora, that you might be careful what you say ; you know that Belle dresses as well as she can, and I think that she always looks well. I wish that I could trim hats." " Oh, Brenda, it is a good thing that you can't, for if you could you never would have a thing to wear ; you can do fancy work, but you haven't a thing finished yet for the Bazaar." While Nora was talking Belle had been folding up her work, and in a moment more she was putting on her hat and coat. " You are '^ot going now ? " cried Brenda. " Oh, don't go ; you're not mad at Nora, are you ? " "Oh, no," answered Belle with the air of injured innocence. " Oh, no, but I think that I ought to be going. I did not mean to stay the whole afternoon." " Oh, don't go," urged Edith ; " if you'll wait half an mmtm .UB BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 183 first place at Jind hat lelected for lat she had 1 whole by t. For she ded a deep i that alto- es, and the 3 careful of ireful what well as she jU. I wish can't, for if wear; you ng finished folding up putting on ttda. " Oh, of injured . ught to be 'ternoon." rait half an * .* hour I will go with you, but I must finish this piece of drawn work." But Belle continued to put on her outer v;raps, and in a few minutes had bidden the others good-bye. As a matter of fact Belle was deeply offended, and she knew that if she had stayed much longer with her friends she would have been driven to express herself strongly. Now a general quarrel was a thing to be dreaded, and she knew that it would be unwise to risk it. Belle was certainly a sensible girl, and what she now did was really the best thing under the circum- stances. Left to themselves the three other girls let their tongues move very freely. It was something new for the rather loquacious Belle to go off without a word, as if in some way she had been vanquished. It was the very best thing that she could have done for herself. " Keally, Nora, I don't see how you could speak in that way to Belle. I am sure that she feels very badly," began Edith. "Well, she is awfully conceited about her clothes, and sometimes she does look so queer." " But you shouldn't say so to her face " " Better to her face than behind her back." "I don't know," rejoined Edith, "there are some things that it is just as well not to say at all. Belle has a right to wear whatever kind of hats she likes." " Oh, Edith," responded Nora, " you are altogether too fair. I am tired of having Belle find fault with 184 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB every one else as if she were just perfect herself. For my own part, I " "AVell, Nora," said Brenda, "you ought not to say anything to Belle when she is in my house. I happen to know that she is very sensitive about her clothes. In the first place her mother will never let her have what she wants " " No, it's her grandmother," interrupted Edith. " She really does have a hard time, and it isn't fair to criti- cise her." «' No," added Brenda, « it is noL" •' Well, Brenda," said Nora, " you ought not to say anything. You make Belle awfully mad sometimes by what you say. I heard you telling her the other day that you should think that she'd just hate that winter coat that she has been wearing, the fur is so very unbe- coming, and you asked her why she didn't have a chinchilla collar and muff. She won't quarrel with you, because there are so many little things that you can do for her." "There, there," cried Edith who saw that neither Brenda nor Nora was in an amiable frame of mind. " Don't let us bicker. Any one would think that we were all enemies instead of the inseparable four." " Oh, Edith, we can't all be as amiable as you," re- sponded Nora. " But really I am a little sorry that I of- fended Belle, for I know that she has a rather hard time at home, but I do wish that she would not put on such superior airs, and I do wish that she would not wear LUB rself. For not to say [ happen to lothes. In have what lith. "She 'air to criti- not to say tnetimes by 3 other day hat winter very unbe- n't have a b1 with you, lat you caa tiat neither ae of mind, ink that we four." as you," re- py that I of- ir hard time put on such Id not wear BEENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 185 her hats hind side before. Sometimes I almost hate to go out with her." " Why, Nora, I never heard of suet a thing. I did not know that you attached the leas- importance to appearances. Besides I thought that you always wanted to make every one comfortable in her feelings. It seems strange that you should have been so awfully thoughtless towards Belle." " I dare say that you are perfectly correct," responded Nora ; " you usually are, Edith Blair. And I haven't a doubt that I shall go down on my knees to-morrow at recess, and apologize to Belle and to every one else whom I have ever offended. But I say that we have had enough of this exchange of compliments for to-day. Let us put up our work, and talk about something else. Why, see here, Belle has left her centrepiece behind her." " Oh, give it to me," cried Brenda ; " I will put it away," and she took it from Nora's hands. " We shouldn't ha\'e had this fuss, should we," said Edith," if Julia had been working with us ? " " You don't call this a fuss," rejoined Nora," only a slight misunderstanding." Now in spite of her outspokenness Nora was really a very fair minded young person, or perhaps I ought to say because of it. Those who express themselves very plainly often hurt the feelings of their friends, and not all of them have the courage to admit that they have been wrong. It does require some courage to go to a "^ .imt ' r ij e.jwtiolwi >i4b« I igilMffWliilTiriliilMnri \ik\',a iMIIBrTflMa I ! 186 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB girl who is in the habit of justifying all her own woids and deeds to tell her that you yourself have been wrong. Yet this was just Avhat Nora did a day or two later Avben she began to reflect on the criticisms she had made in the matter of Belle's clothes. She was surprised herself at the graciousness with which Belle received her apology. But this was one of the cases — rather exceptional to be sure, — in which Nora was de- cidedly in the wrong. Belle, therefore, could afford to be magnanimous. After this Nora was much more careful about criticising any one, for it was her general aim in life to follow as closely as she could the Golden Eule. :'t- i;^ -mmmenatrnmumm' UB 3wn woids have been lay or two ticisms she She was fhich Belle ;he cases — )ra was de- d afford to luch more ler general ;he Golden XX FIDESSA AND HER MISTRESS On the very afternoon when Nora and Belle had their falling out, Julia, after finishing her practising, had gone for a walk. It was a bright, clear day, and she wished that she had some other girl to walk with her. For when by herself she never ventured beyond the entrance to the park, although if her cousin or one of her school friends could go with her, her aunt had no objection to her walking in the park itself. One of the disadvantages of her friendship with Ruth Roberts, lay in the fact that they could seldom be together in the afternoons. Their homes were too far apart. Sometimes on Saturday Julia would go to Roxbury to spend the half day with Ruth, and on other Saturdays Ruth would come in town to stay with Julia. It was hard to tell which was the pleasanter thing to do. At Roxbury, there were Ruth's ponies to drive, and in snowy weather a chance to coast down a quiet side street. Out of town there are many more chances for fun for girls past sixteen than can possibly be found in town or the city. When Ruth visited Julia the two usually went to a concert accompanied by Mrs. Barlow, or when she could not go, by one of their teachers. Of late Julia had been in the habit of inviting Miss South to go ^ ■ &, f . ;fc>U- 4^-^ - . .^ ;.:- , t. te^ », ' , 1S8 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB with them. Brenda never went to these concerts. She was not fond of music, and she did not pretend to be. The only matinee that she cared for was the theatre, and as her parents were decidedly opposed to her going often to the play, she could not indulge herself half as much as she wished. On this particular afternoon Julia felt especially lonely. Doubtless no small part of her loneliness came from the fact that she was perfectly well aware of the presence of the " Four " in the house, and though she had tried not even to say to herself that she felt slighted, she would have been less than human not to feel that her cousin had slighted her in not asking her to the club. " To look up and not down, to look out and not in," had been one of the lessons which her father had been most careful to teach her. It was therefore not very often that she let her thoughts dwell too long on her oAvn affairs. But on this partic- ular day she felt a little low-spirited and inclined to re- gard herself as rather ill-used. Without realizing it she had walked some distance into the park, and pausing to admire a bit of distant view that she Avas able to get from a slightly elevated point, she lingered a moment or two longer to decide whether it was an animal or a child that she heard crying behind a small clump of bushes near by. When she found that there was no other way of satisfying herself, she walked up to the bushes, and there, standing forlornly on three legs, was a tiny Italian greyhound. :.UB jerts. She tend to be. ihe theatre, ) her going self half as especially [iness came vare of the though she it she felt [nan not to asking her bo look out which her r. It was • thoughts this partic- ined to re- izing it she pausing to able to get a moment niraal or a clump of 3re was no up to the e legs, was BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB ISO « Why, you poor little thing ! " she cried, " what is the matter ? " and as she spoke she took the little crea- ture in her arms. " Is your leg broken, or sprained, or what ? " she con- tinued, though of course she did not expect any reply from the dog. The greyhound showed great joy at the sound of a friendly voice, and looked up in Julia's face with an expression of confidence and gratitude. " Come, I am going to put you down on the ground for a minute to see whether you are hurt, or only pre- tending." So, suiting the action to the word, she stood the little dog on its feet. As if understanding her pur- pose, the little creature limped in front of her for a few steps, but the limp was so slight as to assure Julia that no serious accident had befallen the leg, which the dog still seemed inclined to hold off the ground. " Now let me see if your collar tells who your owner is," added Julia, and she bent down towards the dog. There to her surprise, she read in clear letters, " Fidessa, Madame du Launy." Now immediately Julia decided that the owner of the dog must be the mistress of the large house near the school, about which her friends were so curious. In an instant, too, she remembered that she had seen this little animal, or one very like it, taking its exercise in front of the great, mysterious house. Julia had always been fond of dogs, and the little trembling creature appealed strongly to her. For a moment she almost wished that there were no name on the collar, so that she might have kept it with her ,*-!"-«- 190 BUENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB for a (lay or two while finding the owner. " O, if only it luul no owner, what joy ! " she thought, us she gazed into its dark eyes, " to keep it for myself ! " As things were, however, she felt that she ought to try to return it as soon as possible, and taking the little Fidessa in her arms, she retraced her steps to the other side of the city where Madame du Launy lived. As she stood in front of the house which Nora and Brenda had tried so unsuccessfully to enter a few weeks before, the old timidity which at one time had been the trial of her life returned to her. Nevertheless, she rang the bell bravely, and was welcomed almost Avith open arms by the serious-faced servant Avho opened the door. He had seen Fidessa instantly, and if he had not, the little creature would have made herself quickly known. When Julia released her, she jumped about in the greatest excitement, Avhirling around in a circle and then rushing ahead up the stairs. All trace of the lameness seemed to be gone, greatly to Julia's surprise. "While Fidessa was running ahead, the man, asking Julia to follow him, had shown her into a large room, rather dimly lighted. At first she thought that she was alone, but far at the other end of the apartment she saw a slight figure arise from the depths of a large armchair, as the man said solemnly, " Madame du Launy, here is a young lady who has found Fidessa." At that moment the truant dog bounded into the room, and leaping up towards the old lady almost knocked her over. At the same moment a plain, elderly woman en- -ai'w»irJ*"r1» I'ifcfi LIB " O, if only IS she gazed be ought to ng the little to the other :ecl. h Nora and a. few weeks ad been the ;ss, she rang ; Avith open 3d the door, lad not, the ;kly known. )out in the L circle and race of the I's surprise, man, asking large room, bt that she e apartment IS of a large le du Launy, l" At that B room, and cnocked her ' woman en- BRENDA, HF.R SCHoOL AND HER CLT'n 191 tered behinJ Fidessa, and Julia could see as she stood in the doorway tluit her eyes wore rather red around the edges as if she had been weeping. Draw up a blind, or two, Janios," said Madame du Launy, querulously, " we are not lit. a funeral. Come nearer, my dear, I am sure that I am very much obliged to you for your trouble. Where did you find my poor little dog ? " By this time, the " poor little dog " was seated calmly on a cushion with its slender front legs crossed as if it had never given any one a moment's uneasiness. As Julia looked at the lady who had addressed her, she saw that she was, or had been tall. Her figure, though somewhat bent, gave the impression of stateliuess. This aspect was increased by the largo towering structure which she wore on her head, whether to be called cap, or turban, it was hard to tell with its folds of black silk, its border of white lace and with two or three jeweled pins sticking in it. In answer to Madame du Launy's question, Julia de- scribed finding the little dog in the park, and her fear at first lest it had hurt its leg. "That is an old trick of Fidessa," said her mistress smiling, "when she is at all unhappy she limps about on three legs as if really lame. She does not know her way about the city, and she is never supposed to go anywhere without her leash. As nearly as I can un- derstand from Jane, Fidessa went out for a drive to- day under her care. When Jane left the carriage to call on a friend of hers, who lives near the park, she ^awamhii^iiiiWi'iniB* 192 BBENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB forgot all about my dog. Fidessa probably jumped out of the carriage to take a walk herself. But I must say that it seems most extraordinary that no one saw her, neither the coachman, the footman nor Jane. When the carriage started home none of them took the trouble to look under the rugs to see if she was there." Here Jane began to sniffle a little. " Well," continued Madame du Launy, "it is a great wonder that she was not stolen or run over, poor little thing 1 It's no thanks to you, Jane," and she looked daggers at the unfortu- nate maid. "It is a wonder, too, that none of you could find Fidessa. For I don't believe that the little thing was actuaUy hiding, and you all three have come back with the report that it was impossible to find her." While Madame du Launy was speaking Julia said to herself that she would be very sorry to bring on herself a scolding from so sharp-voiced an old lady, and she could not help feeling sorry for Jane, even though the latter had probably been careless. But now, with a sudden change of manner, Madame du Launy turned toward the young girl. " There is no reason, however, why you should suffer for Jane's mis- dsGds "Jane, ring the bell," she cried, and then in what seemed an incredibly short time, a man entered with a butler's tray, which he placed on a table in front of Madame du Launy, while the latter invited Julia to come nearer and take a cup of tea. Now as Julia sat there drinking tea from the quaint- I B CLUB obably jumped If. But I must ,hat no one saw man nor Jane, •f them took the she was there." Veil," continued ier that she was I It's no thanks i at the unfortu- at none of you re that the little three have come ible to find her." ing Julia said to > bring on herself Id lady, and she even though the nanner, Madame p1. " There is no ar for Jane's mis- id then in what m entered with a table in front of ited Julia to come , from the quaint- ' . ♦ BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 193 est of old-fashioned china cups, and eating slices of thin bread and butter, and cakes that almost melted in her mouth, she could not help wondering what her friends and her cousin would say to see her actually seated in the house which most of them considered absolutely im- possible to enter. In spite of the fact that the curtain ^ at one or two windows had been raised a little the room was still rather dark, ttud as she glanced about, Julia could see the pictures and furniture rather indistinctly. She noticed, however, that one wall was quite covered with large pieces of tapestry representing medieval battle scenes, and that on the opposite wall on either side of a long mirror there hung a number of family portraits. One of these in a heavily gilded oval frame represented a young girl of perhaps eighteen years, whose features, for some reason or other, seemed strangely familiar ; in fact there was something in the bright and earnest face that drew Julia's eyes so con- stantly towards it that she began to fear lest Madame du Launy would think it strange that she should pay such close attention to it. It seemed a remarkable thing to Julia that she should find herself drinking tea under tho roof of the mys- terious house about which the schoolgirls had shoAvn so much curiosity. It seemed even stranger that Madame du Launy should prove to be altogether less of an ogre than she had been represented. Although a trembling hand and a rather weak voice betrayed her age, she talked brightly of various things, asking Julia about her 13 . J i' ■ iMiiMMHIii 194 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUE school, and her studies, and drawing the young girl out to talk about the western country in which she had spent so much time. On one subject, however, the old ladv was silent. She said nothing in praise of Boston, either ancient or modern. She never alluded to a single individual as "my friend" or "my neighbor." She spoke only of things, and for the most part of things that had no connection with New England. Her ques- tions about the school were evidently prompted by po- liteness in accordance with the general rule that one should show an interest in whatever probably inter- ests the one with whom she is talking. Jane who stood not far from her mistress' chair, and James who kept his post near the drawing-room door, looked in amazement on Madame du Launy and her young guest. In all their remembrance,— and both had lived in the house more than twenty-five years— they had never seen a young girl in conversation with their mistress. Indeed, they had seen very few guests in that gloomy old drawing-room, and certainly they had never known any one else to be asked to drink tea. It was as pleasant as it was novel to Madame du Launy to have Julia sitting with her, and as for Fidessa, she altogether forgot the strict discipline under which she had been reared, and instead of sitting calmly on her cushion, she jumped up in Julia's lap, and from time to time planted a cold, moist little kiss on her cheek. When at last Julia rose to go she had made a much longer visit than she should have made in view of the fact that g girl out I she had jr, the old )f Boston, to a single or." She of things Her ques- ted by po- ) that one ibly inter- chair, and worn door, y and her d both had ears — they with their ests in that J had never ea. It was jny to have 5 altogether B had been er cushion, me to time . "When at longer visit le fact that BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 19: the end of the afternoon was near at hand, and that she had some distance to go to reach her uncle's house. When, however, she rose to go, Madame du Launy begged her to wait a moment. " I have ordered my carriage," she added, " for it is altogether too late for you to go home alone. Let me thank you very much for your kindness to my little Fidessa, for it would have been a very serious loss for me, had she fallen into the wrong hands." Then when she saw James returning to an- nounce that the carriage was ready, she added, " and if you will come again some afternoon, and spare an hour or so for me, you will add more than you can imagine to relieve my very monotonous life." Thus Julia as she bade the old lady good-bye f"ilt that she had made a new friend, and in a very unexpected way. The car- riage in which she rode home, though old-fashioned in shape, was delightfully comfortable, and when she descended from it at her uncle's door, still another sur- prise awaited her. The footman placed in her hand a little box " with Madame du Launy's compliments," he said. This when she opened proved to contain a deli- cately chased little envelope opener, shaped like a tiny scimitar. "Really," she thought, " I have had a most exciting adventure. Better than I deserve, for it was only this afternoon that I was feeling so cross and so disheartened because the Four would not include me in the club. But if I had been with them this afternoon I could not have had this adventure." - "Well, I certainly should call it an adventure," said 106 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL A^D HER CLUB Mr. Barlow that evening, when she told him her ex- perience with Mme. du Launy. " Why, even I, in all niy years of residence here, have never had a glimpse of the old lady. I have sometimes thought it a pity that she should lead so solitary a life, but it's her own choice. They say she has a regular hermit disposition. How did it strike you, Julia?" "Not that way, uncle, at all, not at all, though she seemed very sad." " Perhaps she's repenting for the way she has neg- lected her grandchildren," interposed Brenda. "Are you sure that there are any grandchildren?" enquired Mrs. Barlow. "Why, yes, of course, at least I suppose so," an- swered Brenda. Mr. Barlow laughed, "I am afraid that you cannot make out a very strong case of cruelty to children unless you can prove the existence of the children." " Oh, well," interposed Mrs. Barlow, to prevent that ruffling of Brenda's feelings which was sure to follow when she felt that some one was laughing at her, " There is not much doubt that there are one or two grandchildren for whom Madame du Launy ought to do something. I forget what I have heard about it myself, but I could make enquiries." " Oh, Julia will soon be able to tell us more about Madame du Launy and her grandchildren than anybody "A. [JB m her ex- I, in all Hiy glimpse of , pity that 3 her own lisposition. ;hough she e has neg- children?" se so," an- that you cruelty to jnce of the )revent that re to follow ing at her, ) one or two • ought to do lut it myself, BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 197 else ever dreamed of," said Brenda, a little spitefully, as she left the room. "Poor Brenda," murmured Mr. Barlow, "will she ever overcome that spirit of jealousy ? " more about lan anybody xxt !: MISS SOUTH AND JULIA " You can say what you like," said Belle to Brenda when the latter told her of Julia's adventure with the dog, " but I think that it was downright mean in her to go to Madame du Launy's in that sneaking kind of way." " Why, Belle, it wasn't sneaking. What was she to do with the little dog ? She couldn't L rve it on the street." " Well, she knew how anxious we all were to see the inside of that house, and the least that she could do was to invite some of us to go with her." " Oh, Belle, if you are not the most unreasonable girl in the world," exclaimed Nora, who had heard the lat- ter part of this speech. " You couldn't expect her to invite one of us Four, wheA at that very moment we were having our meeting ; and it's you who won't let the rest of us invite her to sew with us. For my part, I am glad that Julia has got ahead of us." Here Brenda spoke up in a tone rather more judicial than she was accustomed to employ. " I think that you are wrong, too. Belle ; I don't believe that Julia had ever given Madame du Launy a thought before, and I'm almost sure that she didn't expect to be invited into the house when she took the little dog home." i Mik^ to Brenda 9 with the 1 in her to i of way." '^as she to I it on the to see the lid do was mable girl rd the lat- lect her to loment we > won't let p my part, re judicial k that you Julia had *e, and I'm )d into the BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 199 " Oh, she knew what she was doing," replied Belle ; "you can't make me believe anything else, and I only hope she'll invite you to go there with her some day. You must be sure to let me know if she does." " Oh, of course," responded Brenda carelessly, " but then I am not so anxious myself to see Madame du Launy, I never did care so very much for old ladies." " It isn't Madame du Launy," interposed Belle, " it's the house. Didn't Julia tell you that it was perfectly beautiful?" " I don't know that she said so very much about it. She hasn't said much to me. You'd better ask her your- self, if you wish to know all about it," said Brenda in reply, while Nora added a little mischievously, " Yes, here she comes, with Edith and Ruth." But Belle with a scornful " No thank you," passed on into the house. As a matter of fact Brenda was just a little envious of what to her seemed Julia's good fortune in this par- ticular instance ; but her cousin's charm of disposition and manner had already begun to have an effect on her, and she was also weary of hearing Belle so constantly find fault with her. After all blood is thicker than water, and Brenda had a little more than her share of true family pride. By noon, however, her annoyance with Belle had disappeared, and she listened eagerly to some plans which Belle was arranging for the after- noon. It happened that very day that Miss South and Julia s ■ !. 200 BREXDA, IIEK SCHOOL AXD IIEU CLUB were to make one of their journeys to the North End, and on the way Julia very naturally told her teacher of her visit to Madame du Launy. The latter listened Avith great interest, but made rather less comment than Julia had expected. Yet she asked one or two ques- tions that surprised Julia. " Did you like the picture of the young girl over the drawing-room mantel- piece ? " " Why, is there one there, did I speak of it ? " said Julia. ^liss South, Julia could not help noticing it, really blushed as she replied, " "Well, you may not have mentioned it, but I had heard " " Oh, yes," interrupted Julia, without waiting for her to finish. " Oh, yes, I do remember ; a young girl with long, fair curls. I sat just where my eye fell on it, and I could not help thinking that it was rather a sad pic- ture, at least the girl had a sad expression, and it seemed too, as if I had seen some one who looked very much like her. Why, have you ever seen that portrait, Miss South?" "Oh, no," answered Miss South. "Oh, no, but I have heard of it, and — " but she did not finish the sentence, and altogether she seemed to be in a rather silent mood, although she encouraged Julia to talk freely about Madame du Launy. " Madame du Launy must be dreadfully lonely," said Julia, " living alone in that great house. I believe it is a ,UB buj:nda, iiku school axd her cluh 20l S'orth End, ler teacher ;er listened iment than r two ques- the picture m mantel- f it ? " said g it, really but I had ;ing for her g girl with 1 on it, and r a sad pic- d it seemed, very much rtrait, Miss no, but I finish the in a rather lia to talk mely," said believe it is true as the girls at school say that no one ever goes to see her." " Not to see a great many people does not always moan loneliness," replied Miss South. " You know that I have not a great many acquaintances in Boston, but still I am never lonely. Of course," she continued, " I have you girls, but that is not the same thing as having friends of my own age to exchange visits with me." " Yes," responded Julia sympathetically, " and since I have known so much about you I have often thought that it must be very hard to be alone this way in a large city. Of course you have your brother to think about — but he is so far away, out there on the railroad in Texas, — why you are worse off than I am, for I have ray uncle and aunt — and Brenda — " she ended with a smile. "As I have said, Julia," continued Miss South, "I am not so very lonely, although I have not a single re- lation in Boston, at least not one to whom I can turn ; yes, I might as well say, not one." "IIow did you ever happen to come here, then?" asked Julia. " Oh, I had just finished my normal course in New York, when I met Miss Crawdon one summer. She needed an assistant, and made me a very good offer. Besides I had always wished to come to Boston, and as long as Louis and I had to be separated, it seemed to me that I might as well be here as anywhere else. I should have liked to go to Texas with Louis, ■I j; J 202 BRENDA, IIEE SCHOOL AND HER CLUB but his work keeps him so much on the railroad that we should not have been much good to each other. Of course when he is a railway president we sh'ill live together— but he is only twenty-two now, and it is foolish to think of that at present." For the first time since the beginning of her ac- quaintance with Miss South, Julia felt decidedly anxious to ask questions about her early Ufe. Perhaps Miss South had an insight into her mind. At any rate she said, in a half tone of apology, " Since you are inter- ested, Julia, I will tell you a little about myself. When my brother was ten years old, and I fourteen, our father died. Our mother had died several years before. The little bit of money which our father left was hardly enough to support us until we were educated. Fortu- nately he had a friend, a lawyer, who looked after it very carefully, and although he had to spend most of the' capital for us as well as the interest, we were both able to live comfortably, though in a very economical way, until I was eighteen. At this time we had but a few hundred dollars left, and Louis was glad enough to take a situation in a railroad office offered to him by the efforts of the same kind friend. He was soon earn- ing his board, and every year he has had an increase of salary, with a steady promotion. I went first to the State University in the state where I had grown up and was able to afford myself a good normal course. Since I came to Boston I have been able to save a little from my salary. You can see, then, that I am not very ,UB ilroad that jacli otliei'. e sh'ill live , and it is of her ac- lly anxious rhaps Miss ny rate she I are inter- lelf. When , our father jfore. The was hardly ed. Fortu- :ed after it 3nd most of 3 were both economical e had but a i enough to i to him by s soon earn- L increase of first to the 1 grown up •mal course, save a little am not very BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 203 badly off— only I do wish sometimes that I had a few relations." " Haven't you any, really ? " asked Julia. «' None— at least practically none near enough to take any interest in me. You see my mother was an only child, at least her brother and sister died young, and so was my father. Besides he was an Englishman, and what distant cousins of his there are, live in England." Julia would have liked to ask more, but just at that moment a little figure darted into view, and flung him- self upon her. It was Manuel, in all the glory of a new pair of trousers, new at least to him, though even an eye inexperienced in tailoring could see that they had been cut down from garments originally made for a much larger person. But to him they were abso- lutely the finest pair of trousers that he had ever seen, because they were the first that he had ever worn. After this there was no danger that any one could imagine thrt he was his own little sister, a mortifying mistake that strangers were in the habit of making. Miss South and Julia followed him down the crooked street, which their several visits had made very familiar to them, and stood behind him as he pushed open the narrow door. At the very first glance into the room. Miss South, who was ahead, felt a little disheartened. Everything was in disorder, although she had been making such efforts this winter to get Mrs. Rosa to see the necessity for cleanliness and neatness. But when she and Julia went inside she felt that perhaps she had : i n ii y i ... ii iii i III! iMiWniHt r^^ "'""■'" - '"'*—"'■ ' 201 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB been " little too severe in her judgment. Mrs. Eosa lay back in her chair looking sicker and weaker than they had ever seen her, and though she put out her hand in greeting, she seemed unable to rise. " How is this ? " exclaimed Miss South. " Oh, miss, I believe I'm real sick," was the reply ; •' I haven't eaten nothing for such a long time. I can't eat nothing, and I can't hardly raise my voice to the children. Here you, Manuel, don't eat that bread and molasses before the ladies." Then Mrs. Rosa lay back in her chair in a fit of vio- lent coughing brought on by her efforts to be polite and parental at the same time. " Aren't you almost ready to go to the hospital, now, Mrs. Rosa ? " enquired Miss South, sympathetically. " I think that it is altogether too hard for you to try to stay here to manage these children and take care of yourself." Mrs. Rosa shook her head. " Not the hospital, miss ; I should die, I'm suio, if I should go there." " But you can't stay here, if you grow worse, and in- deed, I am sure that you cannot get any better, if you stay here. Then your children would be much Avorse off than they would be if you should be parted from them for a little while. The doctors at the hospital might make you perfectly well." Mrs. Rosa shook her head feebly, and Miss South felt decidedly discouraged. Even when Julia added her voice in a gentle persuasive wav, Mrs. Rosa refused to be convinced. No, she I J UB Mrs. Eosa eaker than It out her the reply ; e. I can't oice to the bread and I fit of vio- be polite ipital, now, tically. "I •u to try to ake care of pital, miss ; rse, and in- itter, if you nuch worse arted from he hospital a, shook her [iscouraged. ! persuasive No, she BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 205 would stay where she was for a while. By and by per- haps she would go somewhere, but she could not tell ; she couldn't leave the children, and the nurse had told her that she could not take them with her to the hospital. " Well, wouldn't you go to the country if we could find a place for you there ? " asked Julia gently ; " per- haps we could find a house where you and the children all could go, for you can't get well if you stay here." At this suggestion, Mrs. Kosa's face brightened a trifle, but from her reply it was hard to tell whether she would be perfectly willing to leave her own un- wholesome abode, even for the country. " You ought to make Angelina keep this room cleaner," said Miss South. " Oh, I can't make Angelina do nothing," she an- swered ; " Angelina is so lazy I don't know what to do with her. She just reads library books all the time." Again Mrs. Rosa leaned back in a fit of coughing, and Miss South and Julia, after leaving one or two lit- tle delicaci-^s that they had brought her, went away less cheerful than they had been. *' It's rather dreadful, isn't it ? " said Julia. " Yes," replied Miss South, " especially as it would not require a great deal of effort or money to make that family perfectly comfortable." " How much ? " asked Julia. Miss South laughed. " You are very practical," she said, *' Perhaps I ought to have said that it is effort - M-i .^'c-.^.-j i; 206 BRENDA, IIER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB in the right direction that is needed rather than money." "Nobody can do very much, I am afraid.'' said Julia, " while Mrs. Rosa is so obstinate. It seems as if some one ought to have the right to oblige her to move." " "Well, personal liberty is one of the privileges that foreigners living in this country appreciate the most. Yet Mrs. Rosa ought not to feel that she can do just as she likes, since she is living on charity altogether now." "I was wondering — " began Julia. " Yes," continued Miss South, " her church pays half her rent, and provides her coal ; the Provident Associ- ation supplies her with groceries. Some of her Por- tuguese neighbors help her with food from their own table, and one or two charitable people give shoes and old clothes to the children. The dispensary doctor treats her without charge, and she has the occasional services of a district nurse. If Angelina would only follow out some of the directions left by the nurse, the whole family would be much more comfortable." " I had no idea," said Julia, *' that so much would be done for one poor family ; and you haven't spoken of what you do yourself, Miss South." " Oh, my part is very small ; I just keep a general oversight, and by calling on Mrs. Rosa once or twice a week, I try to see that things run smoothly." " There isn't so very much, then, for Brenda and the other girls to do. You know that they are working for J atlier than raid.'' said It seems as blige her to vileges that 5 the most. a. do just as ether now." ih pays half lent Associ- of her Por- 1 their own 6 shoes and iary doctor ) occasional would only e nurse, the able." sh would be 't spoken of p a general e or twice a nda and the working for BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 207 a sale from which they hope to raise a lot of money for Manuel and his family." " Yes, I have heard about it," replied Miss South, " and I should be the last one to discourage them in their efforts ; but I am sure that if Mrs. Eosa had been depending on their help she would have suffered this winter. They are too spasmodic." " What do you think then that there will be for them to do with the money they raise at the Bazaar, for I am sure that they have large expectations ? " " Oh, there are many practical things. This matter of moving the family to the country, for example. To accomplish this will take more money than you might think, and I do not myself know any charitable agency with money to expend in this way." " But do you think that you can move them ? " " Why not ? It may be hard, but if Mrs. Rosa should find it impossible to get help from the people who have been helping her, she may be glad to fall in with our plan." " Well, it's ail very interesting," said Julia, " and it may be that I can help you in some way. Of course I do not wish to interfere with Brenda's plans, and I shall have to find out what she intends to do. If I were going to have anything to do with the Bazaar directly, it would be different." "Haven't you been admitted yet into the sacred circle of * The Four ' ? " said Miss South, smiling. " I thought that you would have been before this." :"3 ■dMHlMWilM ...j,imi*-i^t. T t. fc -lL ' i. h a n 208 BRENDA, HEB SCHOOL AND HER CLUB "No," replied Julia a little sadly. "No, I suppose that they think that I should not have so very muoh time for fancy work, and I dare say it is better that I should spend what spare hours I have in some other way, but still " " But still," said Miss South, finishing out her sen- tence, " but still it isn't altogether agreeable to be left out." " No," answered Julia, " it isn't." While they were talking they had been riding up Hanover street, and leaving the car in Washington street, they did two or three errands in one of the large shops. " Shall we walk home now, or ride ? " enquired :^^iss South. " Oh, I would much rather walk," ansAvered Julia, " if it is all the same to you ; " and so they walked on through Winter street, intending to cross the Common. Leading off Winter street there is a side street on which is the back entrance of the music hall. Now just as they reached the corner of this street, they saw two girls near the theatre door, walking in their direction. " Why, how much that looks— why it is Brenda," ex- claimed Julia, " and that is Belle with her," she con- tinued in surprise ; " I wonder what they are doing down here." Even as she spoke, the two figures at which she had been looking a moment before disappeared within a doorway. 1 J , I suppose very muoh etter that I some other •ut her sen- io to be left 1 riding up tVashington of the large quired ijriss rered Julia, T walked on le Common, set on which S"ow just as ey saw two p direction. Brenda," ex- er," she con- y are doing liich she had ed within a T BRENDA, UER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 209 " "Would you like to meet them and ask them to walk home with us ? " enquired Miss South. " Why, I don't know," replied Julia. " I am afraid that they may not wish to come with us; it almost seems as if they are hiding from us. You saw them, didn't you, that first time. Miss South f " " Yes, indeed, I recognized them both, but isn't it unusual for them to be down town alone ? " " It's against the rules for Brenda, I know, at least I have heard my aunt say that she did not care to have her go down town without her. I imagine that prob- ably they have some one with them. Brenda is rather careful about disobeying, as a general thing." " Oh, then it's probably all right," said Miss South, " and we might as well go on." 14 ii I ' .dlidHHMMMiaiMIMft>nvM«i«J»iMMi RWH XXII bbenda's secret Julia had not been long in the liouse after her walk with Miss South, when she heard her aunt at her door. In reply to her " Are you here, Julia ? " the young girl ran forward, with a " Yes, indeed, auntie, come right in." " Why, how pretty your room looks," exclaimed Mrs. Barlow ; " I had almost forgotten that it could be so pleasant." "That sounds as if you had not been up here for some time, and indeed I was thinking myself only this morning that you had rather neglected me lately — at least in the matter of visiting me." " I know it, dear child, but you know that I have been very busy this winter. There are many things to occupy me, and the Boston season is so short. We haven't had one of our pleasant chats here for several weeks. But I hope that you are perfectly comfortable. I am sure that you would tell me if you should need anything that I had overlooked." " Nothing has ever been overlooked, Aunt Anna, that could add in any way to my comfort." " Then you are perfectly contented. Sometimes I fancy that I see an expression on your face that seems 'mSSmSitalSSSi, BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 211 >r her walk it her door. young girl come right aimed Mrs. could be so ip here for ilf only this 3 lately — at that I have ly things to short. We I for several omfortable. should need ; Anna, that ometimes I ) that seems to indicate — well, not discontent, but something of the kind, as if you were a little unhappy." " Oh, no indeed, Aunt Anna. You are all too kind, and I enjoy every moment in Boston. Of course I miss poor papa, but ho had expected to leave me for so long a time, that I was prepared, and he himself always said that ho wished me to think of him as only goue away for a time, yet of course I miss him. But then you and Uncle Thomas have been everything to me, and so thoughtful. I can't imagine a more delightful room than this with the view of the river, and these dainty, artistic things about me, and my own piano and books. You have no idea how I have enjoyed it." " Well, I am glad that it all pleases you, for perhaps we could not have done as well for you if Agnes had been at home. You know that this was her studio, and no other room in the house is so large and cheerful. Now it has always seemed hard that you could not have kept Eliza with you this winter; she had been a part of your old life, and you would have been much happier with some one to talk with about it." " Of course I should have been glad to have had her with me, but I couldn't insist on her staying when her brother needed her so much after the death of his wife. I had such an amusing letter from one of her little nieces the other day, thanking me for lending them their Aunt Eliza, and saying that they did not know when they could return her." ■l»aw»MIWiMiMlMI*>AM>^' i \ I r. 212 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB " Then she can't come to spend the summer at Storm- bridge ? " " 1 do not exactly know, for Eliza has not written to me herself ; but I half believe that it is better for mo to do without a maid ; I feel ever so much more independ- ent, although naturally I do miss Eliza." IMrs. Barlow smiled at the philosophic tone which Julia had assumed, for she had quietly made her own observations on the state of Julia's mind when at the very beginning of her stay in Boston Eliza had been called away. " Another year you may need somebody, even if you cannot have Eliza. The older a girl grows the more stitches there are to be taken for her, and next season you will have less time than at present to do things for yourself." " But I like this feeling of independence, or rather I like to feel that I have to depend almost entirely on myself ; I am just so much more of a person than I should be if I had Eliza to wait on me constantly, as I used to." " A certain amount of independence in a young girl is a good thing," replied Mrs. Barlow, " and I am glad that yours takes a somewhat different form from Brenda's I wonder, for example, where she is this afternoon. She had an appointment at her dress- maker's, but when I went there to make a suggestion or two about her new coat, they told me that she had not oeen there, and here it is near dinner-time with no LUB 3r at Storm- t written to 3r for me to e independ- tone which kde her own tvhen at the a had been even if you rs the more next season things for or rather I entirely on irson than I itantly, as I i young girl A. I am glad form from she is this her dress- i suggestion hat she had me with no BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 213 sign of Brenda. Trobably she is with Belle or some of the girls, but still I do not like her going off in this way." While Mrs. Barlow was speaking Julia hoped that she would not ask lier if she had seen Brenda, and for- tunately she did not do so. To be sure, Julia had nothing special to tell, and indeed had not her aunt spoken of the broken appointment at the dressmaker's, she. might have mentioned the glimpse of Brenda that she had had down town, but now she began to suspect that something was wrong, at least it Avas strange that Brenda should have deceived her mother about the dressmaking appointment. The dressmaker's rooms were not down town, so that it was not this appoint- ment that had taken her to the neighborhood of Winter street, " But where have you been, yourself, this afternoon, Julia ? " asked Mrs. Barlow ; and Julia told her of her visit to the Rosas, and of the plans that Miss South had suggested for raising them out of their present trouble. " I am afraid that Brenda won't agree with her," she said, " for she has the idea that the one thing needful is to give Mrs. Rosa a large sum of money to spend just as she likes." •'Brenda isn't very practical," replied Mrs. Bar- low. *' I only wish that she had your common sense ; or if she were more like Agnes, it would be better, for although Agnes is an artist, she is decidedly prac- tical." ■< i ti a m r iWrt— x ^ft l i li r i •rtfiiiiW- i - i ■''--' ■- '■T-"^^''^>^ [■'i 2U BRENDA, ITER SCHOOL AND ITER CLITB " Oh, Brenda is so much younger," said Julia apolo- getically. " Yes, I know it, that is undoubtedly one reason for her heedlessness, but it sometimes seems as if her Avil- fulness increases every day. I am afraid, too, that she has not always been considerate of you ; I have been wishing to speak of this for a long time, though it is not an easy thing to do. It would pain me very much to have you feel that any of us— even Brenda had been inhospitable." " Oh, no indeed, Aunt Anna, I am not likely to think anything of that kind. I make allowances for Brenda, and I honestly think that she is getting to like me better." " There ought not to be any question of that kind. If it were not for Belle, Brenda would be inclined to throw herself more upon you, but I am sure that Belle keeps her stirred up all the time. But there— I ought not to talk so much about this, at least to you, only I have thought that I ought to tell you that your uncle and I have feared that you have had several experiences this winter that were not altogether pleasant, and I should fail in my duty if I did not express our appre- ciation of your patience." Then rising from her chair, Mrs. Barlow leaned over Julia, and kissed her on the forehead, saying as she turned to leave the room, " We have barely time now to get ready for dinner." Just as Julia opened her door to go down to the rulia apolo- reason for i if her wil- )o, that she [ have been uhough it is very much la had been jly to think for Brenda, to like me f that kind, inclined to e that Belle re — I ought you, only I i your uncle experiences isant, and I s our appre- leaned over ,ying as she ly time now lown to the BRENDA, UER SCHOOL AND IIEll CLUB 215 library where she usually talked with her uncle for a few minutes before dinner, she saw Brenda rushing upstairs to the floor above. " Where's Brenda ? " asked Mr. Barlow, as they took their places at the table. There was a note of severity in his voice, that Mrs. Barlow and Julia detected at once. " Why, she has been out all the afternoon," replied the former ; " but I have sent word for her to hasten downstairs." At this moment the delinquent entered the dining- room, and took her place at the table. Although she had changed her street dress, she had apparently dressed in a great hurry, and her hair looked almost disheveled, as she had evidently not had time to rearrange it. Hardly responding to the greetings of her parents and cousin, Brenda began to talk very rapidly about — well about the subject to which many of us turn when WQ are embarrassed, — the weather. " Yes," said her father, in a kind o* general response to her very vague remarks. " Yes, I will admit that it has been a fine day, almost the first really springlike day that we have had, that it is a delightful day to have been out in the open air, but all this does not pre- vent my asking 'you why you should be so late to dinner ; you know my rule, and that I shall have to punish you in some » ery decided way if this happens again." " For once Brenda has no excuse ready," added Mrs. ^ik 216 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Barlow ; " now / am anxious to know where you have been this afternoon ? " Brenda turned very red before replying, " Oh, Belle and I have been together." " I dare say," said Mr. Barlow, " but that does not tell us wher^ you have been ? " " Any one would think," cried Brenda, almost in tears, " that I Avas a girl of ten years of age. I do not know any one who has to account for everything she does ; there is not a girl at school who is watched in this way." " Sometimes I think that it would be better if you were under closer guardianship. Some one has been telling me that you need it." Brenda flashed a glance at Julia as if she might be the informant, and Julia rejoiced that she had not even mentioned having seen Brenda down town. " You were not at the dressmaker's this afternoon," said Mrs. Barlow reproachfully. " I hope that you were not on the bridge, looking at the crews," said Mr. Barlow. " No," said Brenda quickly, " I was not. Why did you think of that ? " " Because some one has been telling me that a num- ber of foolish girls are in the habit of going where the Harvard Bridge is building on fine afternoons, just as the class crews are out exercising, and that some of these girls always wave their handkerchiefs, and even cheer, as their favorites come near — and more than this some one has told me that you are often to be seen among JL e you have » Ob, Belle it does not ost in tears, 3 not know ^ she does ; I this way." jtter if you le has beeu le might be id not even afternoon," , looking at Why did that a num- y where the jons, just as )me of these even cheer, ,n this some seen among BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 217 these girls ; now, Brenda, I tell you frankly that this won't do." " Oh, papa, you are so particular ; a great many girls think that it is perfectly proper to go there, and no one ever says a word about it. I wonder who told you ; some old maid, I am certain of that." "No, indeed, no old maid, but a young man, .nd a student, too. He felt very sorry that you should be seen there ; he says that there is always a great mixture of people in the crowds on the bridge, and that it must be far from an agreeable place for a young lady, be- sides not being a proper one." "Well I only wish that I could tell who that young man is," cried Brenda. " I should call him a perfect goose." " He is far from that," responded Mr. Barlow ; " and I ought to say that I agree with him thoroughly. I only wish that I had heard about this before, and now I hope that you will understand, Brenda, that you are forbidden to go near the Harvard Bridge in the after- noon." " Not to the bridge at all ! " cried Brenda, in a most doleful voice. *' Why, I can't see the harm." " Well, I can, and that is enough." " You can go to the races themselves, Brenda, when they actually come off," interposed Mrs. Barlow, " but if you think it over, you will see good reasons for not hanging about the bridge, as a boy might, merely to see the crews pass." WMMMMIiUIHMI* l l l « Mf i.i l i L lfclWi Hi 218 BEENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Brenda made no attempt at further argument, and one result of the little discussion that there had been about the bridge and the crews was to divert her father and mother from asking further questions about the way in which she had spent this particular afternoon. She was rather relieved when the evening passed without Julia's referring to having seen her down town. She was almost sure that Julia and Miss South had recognized her, and Belle and she were in dread lest in this way her father and mother should learn that she and her rather mischievous friend had gone alone to a matinee. For this was now Brenda's secret,— she had not only gone down town alone, but she had gone to the Music Hall without an older person accompanying her. With parents as indulgent as hers there seemed no need for her to try to secure forbidden pleasures. Nor would she probably have done this but for Belle. It had been the study of Belle's life to get what she wished in a clan- destine way. Her stern old grandmother was con- stantly forbidding her to do this thing or that, and her commands were often really unreasonable. No one was quicker to detect this than Belle herself, and it was on this ground that she often excused her own disobe- dience. "Why even mamma does not expect me to mind everything that grandmamma says," and as her mother was rather timid, as well as half -ill all the time, she gave her self-possessed daughter very few com- mands of her own. •* I don't believe that I should be so ready to disobey » f ument, and •e had been t her father Dut the way noon. She led without n. She was , recognized in this way she and her ) a matinee, ad not only o the Music her. With no need for 3r would she lad been the 3d in a clan- >r was con- hat, and her ie. Ko one f, and it was own disobe- cpect me to ' and as her all the time, •y few com- y to disobey BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 219 mamma," Belle would say to Brenda when the latter on occasions remonstrated with her, " but with grand- mamma it is different, for I do not consider that she has any right to lay down the law as she does." Nevertheless when Brenda and Belle sat in the front row in the large Music Hall — for Brenda had bought expensive seats — both girls felt that old Mrs. Gregg was pretty nearly right in saying that places of amuse- ment were not proper for a 3 oung girl. They had both been at similar performances before, but always some older person had selected the entertainment. This one, which they themselves had chosen from the glaring posters decorating the bill-boards of the city, and from the conversation of the Harvard freshman of their ac- quaintance was altogether different from anything that they had seen. It was advertised as an exhibition of ventriloquists, but it had a general air of vulgarity that was extremely displeasing to them. Brenda wished more than once that she had not joined Belle in this adventure. She did not like the loud jokes, and the scant costumes of the performers, and she hoped that there was no one in the audience who would recognize her. Of course there were times when she laughed at the funny things on the stage — for who could help it — but many of the jokes and the incidents at which the rest of the audience laughed the loudest fell rather flat on the ears of the two young girls. This was as it should be, for neither of the two was anything worse than heedless and a little too fond of having her own 1 # 220 BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB way. In Belle this Avilfulness took the form of a will- ingness to use subterfuge, both in word or deed to gain her own way. Brenda did not follow her very closely in this direction, although there was danger that her conscience would be dulled, before she realized it, under Belle's influence. Brenda indeed felt so uncomfortable during the performance, that if she could have done so without observation, she would have left the hall. But she did not quite dare to go out in the face of the great audience, and besides when she made the suggestion to Belle, the latter would not hear of her going. " No, indeed," she had said, " why should we go. You are a regular baby, Brenda ; it isn't so very bad, only a little vulgar, and just see Avbat crowds of people there are here, and some of them seem just as good as we are, and you know I read you that newspaper clipping that said that this was one of the successes of the year. You and I are not used to this kind of thing, but dear me ! we can't expect to stay children all our lives." So Brenda sat there with an uneasy conscience, wondering what her mother would say, or her father — or Julia who never by any chance did anything that she ought not to do. Stolen sweets are apt to taste a little bitter, and when the performance was over, Brenda and Belle went out with the crowd. On the way out rough people, or people whom Belle called " rough," pushed against them, while one or two rude boys made saucy remarks to the young girls who seemed conscious of )f a will- l to gain f closely that her it, under ifortable ! done so all But the great estion to r. " Ko, "^ou are a y a little here are s we are, ping that ar. You dear me ! res." So ondering -or Julia ihe ought tter, and nd Belle ut rough ," pushed ide saucy Lscious of BEENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 221 being in the wrong place. It wasn't at all an agree- able experience, especially as they were both wonder- ing if any of their friends were likely to see them. Then there was that chance glimpse of Julia and Miss South, and the rather silly action on the part of Brenda and Belle of hiding in the doorway. Eeally they needed all the consolation they could get from their visit to the confectioner's around the corner, "".ere they drank great glasses of chocolate, sipping the whipped cream at the top, as if they were young ladies of twenty loitering in the shops after the sym- phony. As they stirred the chocolate with their long spoons, and lingered on the settee at the end of the shop to watch the lively young men and women who were constantly coming in and out to buy bonbons, or to get refreshment, they forgot all that had been dis- agreeable at the music hall, and for the time being im- agined that they were young ladies themselves. Yet when Brenda reached home with hardly time to dress for dinner, conscience began to prick again. ■■ s ^ % in XXIII ALMOST BEADY Now however slowly time appears to pass, the end of any period of waiting is sure to come, and its last days or hours generally seem to melt away. Thus, when The Four realized that less than two weeks lay between a certain April afternoon when they met to sew, and the day appointed for the opening of the Bazaar, they began to feel a little nervous. " I wish that we hadn't set any particular day," exclaimed Brenda, " we might just have waited until we were all ready, and then we " " Oh, Brenda, how unpractical you are," cried Edith, " that would have been perfectly ridiculous. You know that we have to advertise a little, and engage music and people to help us, and make all kinds of arrange- ments." " Oh, I dare say," responded the unpractical Brenda, " but still it takes all the fun out of it to think that we must be ready by a particular day ; I feel exactly as if some one were driving me on, and you know that is not pleasant." " Oh, nonsense," interposed Nora, with a smile. " Just think how long we were working without any special object. I am sure that we had all the time we wished, I, the end id its last y. Thus, weeks lay )y met to ig of the " I wish exclaimed e were all ied Edith, 5fou know Eige music f arrange- il Brenda, k that we actly as if 3W that is ile. "Just ny special v^e wished, BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 223 and we had hardly a thing to shoAV for it. For ray own part I shall be awfully glad to have the Bazaar over with. The weather is altogether too fine to waste indoors on fancy work, but until we have that money for Manuel I suppose that none of us will feel free to do as sho likes in the afternoons. There are so many things to attend to that I don't see how we are ever to got ready even in two weeks." Now the plans for the Bazaar had received much at- tention from the older persons in the families of the young workers, and the encouragement that they had had from their elders was now their chief incentive. Edith's mother had offered them the use of a large drawing-room in her house which was just adapted to an affair of this kind. It was a long room with hard wood floor, intended really for dancing. Its walls, paneled with mirrors, would reflect the tables of fancy work in such a way, as to make it seem " as if we had twice as much as we really have," said Brenda. As to other things there was a great deal to be decided. Brenda and Belle wished a small orchestra engaged to play during the evening of the Bazaar, and furnish 11 Msio for dancing at the close of the sale. Edith and Nora were afraid that this would eat up too much of their profits, but Brenda was very decided in her views. " You can't expect that we are not to have any fun out of it ourselves, after all the trouble we've had, and I know that there is going to be plenty of money for the Eosas. "We shall make lots out of the flower table ; we u . ^ «»iii Wfc ^ . « . i mmiMm ■m m n i fi i mmm( J 224 BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB have quantities of plants and cut flowers promised us from the greenhouses of our friends— just quantities, and then the refreshment table, and— well you know yourselves that we shall have more than we can sell." " What good will that do ? " enquired the practical Nora. "We can't make much out of things that we can't sell." " Oh, I mean sell in the regular way ; of course we'll have an auction, and get ever so much in that way. I shouldn't wonder if we should have more than $500 to give to Mrs. Kosa." " Don't count your chickens too soon, Brenda," said Belle; "suppose it should rain on the day of the sale, or suppose, " " Oh, how tiresome you are ! " cried the sanguine Brenda, " you are just as bad as the others, and it's quite as much your Bazaar as mine, and if it doepn't succeed, you'll be just as much to blame." The fretful note in Brenda's voice warned her friends that she was taking things too deeply to heart. " Why, Brenda, no one is probably going to be to blame, for the Bazaar will be a great success," inter- posed the peace-loving Edith. "All we have to do now is to try our very best to make it go off as well as possible." Now the Bazaar was to be the Wednesday of the week following Easter, and this year Easter fell almost in the middle of April. During the last days of school preceding the Easter vacation the four did much can- .» I ■ -■ '■■• "■ BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 225 mised us lantities ou know m sell." practical that we irse we'll way. I 1 $500 to ida," said le sale, or sanguine %, and it's it doepn't er friends t. to be to ss," inter- ive to do as well as ay of the 'ell almost I of school much can- vassing among their friends to see whether all the ar- ticles promised were finished. Of course there were several disappointments. Some girls who had promised special things either had not finished them or had for- gotten all about them. On the other hand, there were some who had not only done much more than they had promised themselves, but had collected many pretty, and even valuable articles from their friends. All the school girls near the age of the four were invited to as- sist at the tables. The four resolved themselves into an executive committee, adding to their number Julia, and Frances and one or two others. Each of these girls was to have special charge of a table or depart- ment, and she in turn was to call on others to assist her. Julia had invited Ruth Eoberts as her chief assistant, rather to the distaste of Frances, who thought that this was going too far out of their set. " What do we know about Euth Roberts ? " she had said in a contemptuous way ; " nobody ever heard of her, I am sure, until she came here to school." " "We have nothing to do with that," replied Nora, to whom the remark happened to be made. " I dare say that there are a great many good people in the world of whom we have never heard ; I know all that I need to about Ruth Roberts, that she has good manners and a pleasant disposition, and an agreeable family. I know, for I have visited them " Then, throwing a little emphasis into her voice, she concluded, " Really, 15 U ! ? ; I uBimr'iiiiiii 9Se BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AKD HER CLUB Frances, you are growing very tiresome, and if I were vou I should try to be less narrow-minded. Any one "to hear you talk, would think that no one in the world is worth considering who does not happen to live in certain streets in your neighborhood." " Perhaps that is what I do think," answered Frances. "We can't make intimate friends of every one in the world, and we might as well have nothing to do with those who are not in our own set.^ I hate these people who are always trying to push in." « If you mean Ruth, you are entirely wrong. She is the last girl in the world likely to try to push in. She thinks quite as well of herself as you do of yourself, and I dare say that she had some ancestors, even if they were not governors of Massachusetts." Now despite the fact that this speech, when quoted, sounds rather acrimonious, Frances took no offence at it She could not afford to quarrel with so popular a girl as Nora, and besides she knew that the Gostars had a good claim to the same kind of pride of descent that she had herself. So, although both girls turned away from each other with an annoyed expression on their faces, their next meeting was perfectly amicable. When Nora repeated this conversation to her mother, Mrs. Gostar smiled. « If I were you, Nora, I would not take anything that Frances says too seriously. She has been brought up rather unfortunately." _ "But it is so tiresome to have her going around most UB I if I TTere Any one the world to live in id Frances. one in the to do with lese people ng. She is sh in. She of yourself, )ven if they lien quoted, offence at so popular a the Gostars e of descent girls turned xpression on ly amicable. • her mother, ny thing that 1 brought up around most BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 227 of the time with her head in the air, saying, ' Oh, I cannot do this, or I cannot do that, because I am a Pounder.' " Mrs. Gostar laughed at this speech, and the gesture and tossing back of the head with which Nora em- phasized it. "Frances hardly says that, does she?" she en- quired. « Yes, she does, she really does— sometimes," replied Nora, " and I am sure that she feels like saying it all the time. Of course we all know that there have been two governors, and one or two generals, and other people like that in her family somewhere in the dim past. I am sure that we have heard enough aU)ut it. But there is nothing very great about Frances' own family so far as I have ever heard, and some one told me that her father could not even get his degree at college. If they hadn't so much money " " There, there," interrupted her mother, " aren't you growing uncharitable yourself ? It is really true that Frances had ancestors who were of great service to the country, and her family has had position for a long time, and all the advantages of education. But among your schoolmates and hers there are probably other girls of good descent, who have had advantages hardly inferior to those that Frances has enjoyed. They may have names that are not so well known, and yet their ancestors may have been almost as useful in building up this country as those of Frances." 'A/ 'I i 228 UREXDA, IIER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB " Well," said Nora, " I don't value people for their ancestors, but for what they are themselves." " That is the right spirit, and yet neither you nor I should blame Frances for having pride in what her ancestors have done. It is well to remember such things, if remembering them makes one more ambitious or more helpful to those around him. But when this pride in his own people leads one to belittle all others whose part in making history may have been almost as important, if less conspicuous— then I would rather see a girl or a boy without family pride. In connection with this, let me tell you a story. Years ago a murder was committed by a member of a good, old family, and sometime afterwards r, lady who bore the same name, though she was not closely related to the murderer, was out shopping. It seemed to her a certain clerk was not sufficiently deferential, and so to reprove him, she said, in a rather haughty tone, ' Perhaps you do not know who I am.' 'No, madame, I do not,' was his reply. 'I am a Blenki?isop,'' she responded, thinking probably that this would overwhelm him. ' Indeed,' he answered, 'you surprise me. I thought that all the Blenkinsops had been hanged.' So you see that it does not always do to boast of one's family name. Of course this does not apply to Frances, and I should be sorry if either she or you should forget all the good things which her ancestors did for the commonwealth. Yet it would be a great deal better to forget it than to have the remembrance of the distinction of your an- m X .utf.t ' .-La iaissi^K!': B for their ^'ou nor I what her ber such ambitious when this all others m almost lid rather onnection a murder imily, and rae name, murderer, 'tain clerk )rove him, ^'ou do not t,' was his , thinking ' Indeed,' it that all see that it name. Of [ should be 1 the good iionwealth. b it than to )f your an- BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 229 cestors so elato you as to make you contemptuous of your schoolmates.'' "I know that, mother dear," replied Nora, "and I believe that some day I may be able to have a little talk with Frances, and perhaps I can get her to see things as I do." " You might tell her," responded Mrs. Gostar, with a smile, " about the Virginia lady of whom I was reading the other day. Her little niece was remarking .v ith pride that her grandfather had beec the son ot a baronet, and that in consequence she had a dght to feel superior to many of her neighbors. 'Yes,' re- sponded the aunt, ' he was the sor of a baronet, who was the son of a manufacturer, who was the son of a apothecary's apprentice.' *0h, dear,' sighed the 'iJ jv-e, « is it really true ? Am I descended from an apothe- cary's apprentice? I thought that all .ny mcestors were gentlemen.' '< * I haven't finished,' returned the aunt. * The ap- prentice was the grandson of a baronet, who in turn was said to trace his descent from a king of England.' The aunt smiled at the expression of relief on her niece's face on hearing this, as she said, * I always knew that we were of good family.' My own moral," concluded Mrs. Gostar, " would be the same as that which the aunt tried to impress on her niece. "We all can trace our descent through a variety of '''^milies, and while we can often find ancestors to boasc "' as often we find others who are what Frances might call ' very plain people.' " ^i 1 230 BBENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Nora realized that she was fortunate in having a mother Avho was always ready to advise her in the small matters that seem so important to schoolgirls, as well as in those larger things that really are of conse- quence. Without encouraging anything approaching gossip or tale-bearing Mrs. Gostar always permitted Nora to talk very freely on all the subjects that in- terested her, and the confidence between mother and daughter was almost ideal. Mrs. Blair and Mrs. Barlow were also ready to advise their daughters, although they both were a little more occupied with society than Mrs. Gostar and had less time at home- The wilful Brenda, too, was more apt to seek her mother's advice after she had done a certain thing than to ask it in advance. Yet although her doings were sometimes a little annoying to others, she always admitted to herself that she could depend on her mother's sympathy. Edith, with a rather phlegmatic disposition, seldom did anything wrong. She had been brought up rather strictly in ac- cordance with prescribed rules, and she was always confident that whatever her mother had arranged or advised was exactly right. Belle alone, of the Four, was unfortunate in her home surroundings. Her mother, a nervous invalid, had permitted Belle's grand- moth.er to rule the household with a rod of iron, and knowing that the old lady was often unjust the former did not reprove BeUe sufiiciently when she broke some of her grandmother's rules. Belle in this way came to be a law to herself. She obeyed her grandmother when UB having a ber in the oolgirls, as '6 of conse- pproaching permitted cts that in- mother and ilrs. Barlow hough they y than Mrs. ful Brenda, ce after she ranee. Yet annoying to at she could th, with a d anything irictly in ac- was always arranged or »f the Four, lings. Her lelle's grand- of iron, and t the former 5 broke some way came to mother when BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 231 there was no escape for it, but of tener she took the chance of disregarding her authority, saying to herself,— or even to others—" If mamma could do as she liked, she would let me do this." It was not always a legitimate excuse, although the conditions in her family enabled many of her acquaintances to make excuses for Belle. As to Frances, those who knew her best, realized that her family pride had been nurtured at home, and that her unfortunate way of looking at things was not wholly her own fault. Yet that Nora had been able to influence her some- what was proved by a slight change in Frances' de- meanor towards others. The latter was even known one day to offer to go out to Euth Roberts' house to help her finish a piece of work for the Bazaar. In those last days, too, before the Easter vacation there seemed to be an unusual unity among the schoolgirls. Even those in the older classes, who seldom interested them- selves in the "small fry," as they called the Fcp.r and their contemporaries, came forward with many con- tributions for the Bazaar. " Dear me ! " moaned Brenda one day, " I am afraid that we won't have people * enough to sell all these things to, and a while ago I was afraid that we shouldn't have things enough to sell to all those who might come to our Bazaar." " That shows," said Miss South, who had come up behind Brenda while she was talking, " that it is never worth while to borrow trouble about anything." I >A,*> i ? 232 BREXDA, HER SCHOOL AND HEB CLUB « That is true," interposed the placid Edith, to ^vrhoin Brenda had been talking. "For my own part, I am never surprised or disappointed about anything, for I never expect too much beforehand. I find that 1 can always put up with things when they come." ^^ "Then you are really a philosopher, Edith," said Miss South, "some persons take almost a lifetime to learn this simple lesson, and indeed some persons never learn it at all." As the preparations for the Bazaar advanced it was very pleasant for Julia to find herself counted in among the band of workers. It is true that she often had to take a sharp word from Brenda, or a cold glance from Belle, but these things did not disturb her. She had become accustomed to her cousin's little ways, and she realized that her "bark was worse than her bite," as Nora was in the habit of saying. There was one thing about which Brenda was very decided, and that was that no older person, that is no parent or teacher, was to have any part in managing the Bazaar. , t i.u- i •*■ "We want all the credit ourselves, and I think it will be a fine thing to show how much we can do all by ourselves. " If she could have had her own way, I be- lieve that she would have refused the offer of Edith's mother to provide a room for the Bazaar, and she would have been quite willing to pay for a hotel drawing- room from her own allowance— although to do so would UB 1, to -whora part, I am liing, for I that 1 can dith," said lifetime to rsons never need it was jd in among sharp word 5, but these )usin'b little I worse than da was very in, that is no lanaging the d I think it can do all by m way, I be- ■er of Edith's nd she would )tel drawing- o do so would BUENDA, IIEB SCHOOL AND IIEB CLUB 233 have run her several months in debt. But this was evidently so unwise a plan, that she contented herself with simply broaching it to her friends. » The idea ! " had been their criticism, « of throwing money away like that when we can have such a beautiful room for noth- ing." ♦' It certainly would be foolish," said Belle, « and be- sides my mother would not think a hotel a proper place for girls like us to hold a bazaar ; it would be different if we were in society, or if some older women were managing it." , j j « Oh, I suppose you are right," Brenda acknowledged with a sigh, " but I should be ever so much better pleased with a hotel. It would seem so much more as if we were grown up. I hope that this won't seem like a children's party. You know that Edith always had her birthday parties in that room." " Yes, but she'll have her coming out party, there, too, I heard her mother say so the other day, and really I think that it is very, very kind in her to offer the room, because there will be strangers coming and going all day long through the house." So Brenda had to profess herself grateful for the room, and was obliged to turn in other directions for an outlet for the energy which she was anxious to show in managing the Bazaar. '-./!: XXIV AN evening's fun Mrs. Blair had said that all the preparations for the Bazaar must be completed on Tuesday, the day be- fore it was to open. She knew the ways of girls too well to think that it would be safe to have anything left for Wednesday morning. The flower table, of course had to be arranged on that day, and some things for the refreshment table. But so definite had she been in expressing her wishes, that the girls felt that it was due her for lending her house to pay all defer- ence to what she said. On the Monday therefore after Easter they went to work with a will to gather m the promised contributions. There were naturally some disappointments, but on the whole the fancy articles bestowed upon them were numerous and beautiful, and many were the » ohs and ahs " from the Four and their assistants, when on Tuesday they fell to the task of opening the parcels and arranging their contents on the tables. Tuesday waa rainy, and at dusk gave little promise of a bright sky for the following day. Brenda was in a tremor of excitement. " Oh, dear, how dread- ful if to-morrow should be stormy I I am sure it will be, and what shall we do?" with great emphasis on the "shall." , ' ' * 1 BRENDA, HEB SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 235 •ations for he day be- if girls too e anything • table, of ome things ;e had she •Is felt that y all def er- refore after ither in the Tally some icy articles autiful, and ir and their ihe task of tents on the gave little a,y. Brenda how dread- L sure it Avill jmphasis on "Full many a cloudy morning turns out a sunny day," sang Nora, while Edith patted Brenda on the back aad said, "Well, we can't do anything to change the weather, and we might as well hope for the best. I know that a lot of people will come even if it rams, and perhaps they'll be good and buy three tmies as much as they would in fine weather." Just then Julia came in with the evening paper in her hand. " See, or rather hear the news. Old Prob- ability says, 'clear and fair Wednesday.' Mrs. Blair sent this paper up from the library to cheer you. There was a large patch of blue in the west when the sun went down- " " The sun ! " exclaimed the others derisively. " In the place where the sun should have gone down," she responded with a smile. "Why, how well the rooms look 1 there won't be a thing for the boys to do this evening." , For PhUip and Will Hardon and one or two others were to come in the evening to see what they could do to help, and in view of their coming Mrs. Blair had in- vited the girls to stay to dinner. "Oh, no, there really isn't a thing for them to do, but perhaps when they see how hard we have worked they will make up their minds to spend any amount of money to-morrow. I think it's a rather good idea to have them come to-night, so that they can make a lot of other boys come to-morrow." « Boys are not so fond of spending money at fairs, I I 230 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB can tell you that," said Nora, rather decidedly, " and besides most of them are so much in debt that tlioy haven't anything to spend." " Oh, well, Philip's friends are not like that," said Belle, rather sharply. "I know several who have more money than they know what to do with. Some juniors that I know— New York fellows, are coming to-morrow and they will spend a lot of money." "Gracious!" exclaimed Brenda, "I hope that we have things that will suit them. It seems to me that most of these things are for girls to use." " Oh, they can buy things for their sisters and cousins ; besides, boys like pincushions and picture frames and sofa pillows. Oh, I am sure that we shall have no trouble getting them to buy all that they can afford," replied Belle positively. As a matter of fact when the boys after dinner were ushered into the pretty little ballroom, where the tables laden with fancy goods stood, they expressed great interest in all that they saw, and began to make bids for the things which seemed to them best worth having. " Look out," cried Nora, " or we may take you at your word, Will Hardon, and make you pay one hundred dollars for that crimson pillow that you admire so." "Well, why not?" he enquired, "as long as it is to be in a good cause." "Oh, no," interrupted the practical Edith, "that would not really be fair. Besides, I am sure that we '^ UB jdly, " and , that tJiey that," said have more me juniors to-morrow e that we to me that nd cousins ; frames and 11 have no !an afford," Eter dinner , where the '■ expressed an to make best worth you at your ne hundred aire so." r as it is to dith, "that ore that we BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 237 ought not to sell anything until to-morrow ; everybody ought to have an equal chance at the beginning." « Oh, how silly you are, Edith," broke in Brenda ; " as if all the people who come to the Bazaar could be here at the same minute. If any one wants to bid on any- thing to-night I say that it is perfectly fair." After much discussion, it was at last decided that any one who had a great preference for any special thing might write his namo on a piece of paper and have it pinned to the object with the limit of price that he was willing to pay. « Then you must be willing," said Brenda, " to let us sell the things you have chosen, if some fussy old per- son comes along and wishes any of these reserved things, and refuses to be contented with anything else." « But in that case what are we to do ? " cried two op three of the boys in chorus. « Oh, there will be plenty of things that will suit you just as well, if you only make up your minds to it." « Perhaps you'll want me to buy a blue sofa pillow or some other Yale thing," sighed Will Harden. "Perhaps I shall be driven to take this," moaned Philip, holding up a large doll dressed in the long em- broidered robes of a baby. - All the girls laughed except Edith, who seldom saw the funny side of things as quickly as the others. " "Well, you can see yourselves, boys," she said, in a determined tone, "that you ought to be glad to buy 4 1 238 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Tvhatever is left over,-for you probably won't get in until toward evening. You can alway-i find some one to give the things to that you buy." « This doll ? " asked Philip, holding it rather clumsily on his arm. « Why, of course," said Edith, " we know several children who would be delighted with it at Christmas." «No, thank you, sister Edith," responded Philip, "I'm not going to spend my hard earned allowance in presents for children ; if you make me buy this doll, out it goes to a certain room in one of the college buildings to become a cherished decoration, and," waving the doll dramatically in the air, 'I shall defy any proctor or college authority to tear it away from me." "Then I hope he may get it," murmured Will Hardon to Euth Roberts ; «I can't imagine anything that would amuse the fellows more ; we'd have to hold open house for a week or two-a regular reception. But you know Pm in earnest about that pillow," he added, for he knew, and Ruth knew that he knew that the down pillow with its rich crimson cover embroidered with a large «H." was the work of her skilful fingers. Ruth and Will had met several times since the baU game, and although the Four had not yet discovered it, these two young persons had begun to take considerable interest in each other. ^ ^^ « You wouldn't pay a hundred dollars for it ? queried Ruth. » If I couldn't get it in any other way, of course i BUENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLrB 239 ron't get in (1 some one ler clumsily low several Christmas." ded Philip, lUowance in his doll, out ge buildings ring the doll J proctor or mured Will ne anything have to hold ir reception. ,t pillow," he ae knew that embroidered dlful fingers, since the ball discovered it, > considerable lars for it?" i,y, of course I would, and besides it would be worth much more to me." This was not entirely an idle boast, this readiness to spend a large sum of money for a small thing— on the part of Will, as Philip and some of his classmates might have testified. Although very quiet in his way of living, and in his general conversation, he had a larger income than many in his set. His own tastes were simple, and though he naturally spent more than the average undergraduate, in accordance with the habit of the set to which he belonged, he still had enough to spend on others, and more than one of his less fortunate classmates had reason to thank him for what he had done for him. No one knew of his liber- ality except those whom he helped, for he had not the least wish to pose as a benefactor. Now Ruth, while pleased at his Avish for the cushion had no idea that he would, if necessary, pay a hundred dollars for it. « If you really wish to have it, I'll try to secure it for you," she said. " I am sure there won't be any trouble, although I suppose that it can't be laid aside to-night, as long as Edith feels as she does." " Very well," answered Will, " I'll trust to you, for I really do want it very much." « Come," cried Brenda, rushing up to them, " you are not doing a thing, you two." "Well, the rest of you seemed so busy that we thought we should only be in the way," said Will with 240 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB the glibness that is almost second nature with youths of his age, « but we're ready to work now," and they went across the room to the surprise table where half a dozen of their friends were busy. The "surprise table" had been an idea of Belle's, and was a rather agreeable change from the usual grab-bag. AH kmds of little things-toys, novelties, like those used as German favors, small books and photographs, were neatly done up in bright tissue paper wrappmgs, and tied With silk ribbons. They were heaped on a large table, and purchasers were permitted to buy each little package at their own price, provided at least, according to a sign placed above the table, that no bid should be for less than fifteen cents. Nora was to have charge of this table, and she expected to have a great deal of fun out of the misfits between the purchasers and the ^"^ Alto-ether the preparations for the Bazaar had moved along much more smoothly than any one had expected. It is true that the various mothers of the girls com- prising " The Four" had said that they would be glad enough when it was all over, because for a fortnight it had been impossible to get the girls to think of any- thing else. Yet each of these mothers saw a compen- sation for the excitement of this last week or two in the fact that her daughter had shown more perseverance than she had given her credit for. Mrs. Barlow was especially pleased with the good spirit that her niece Julia had shown, for it would have been so easy and BRENDA, nEK SCnOOL AND HER CLUR 241 th youths and they rhere half " surprise s a rather All kinds ) used as iphs, were pings, and on a large each little according I should be ave charge eat deal of )rs and the had moved d expected. 3 girls com- uld be glad fortnight it link of any- V a compen- p two in the (erseverance Barlow was at her niece so easy and natural for her at the last to display a little pettishness in the way of a refusal to have anything to do with the Bazaar in view of the fact that she had not been invited to ioin "The Four" at their weekly meetings for work. But Julia was not one to show this kind of resent- ment, and since she had become interested in Manuel she was only too glad to help the Bazaar that was to benefit him. At her aunt's suggestion she had made t her special duty to coUect flowers and plants or he flower table, and armed with notes of introduction from Mrs. Barlow she had gone to many a supposedly close person to ask for some small contribution to the flower table. Her success had been altogether remark- able, and in addition to the cut flowers that were o arrive on Wednesday, a great many beautiful potted plants and vines had been sent in from various con- servatories for general decorations. The only real work for the boys who had come to assist, consisted in moving some of these heavy plants about to places between the mirrors, or near the flower table where they would be most effective. The work did not, of course, proceed very rapidly, for every one in the group of fifteen or more had to give an opinion on everything, and a unanimous opinion as to what looked best in any particular case was naturally im- ^"^The krge room was so handsome as to require com- paratively little decoration. The long mirrors with which every side was paneled formed a complete deco- 16 242 BRENr^, HER SCHOOL AND HiB CLUB ration in themselves, and added to the general effec- tiveness, as Brenda said by making the tables " look double." Now if the boys did not find a great deal of work to do they were very outspoken in their admiration for all that had been accomplished by the girls. "Well, if other people will only be as much im- pressed as you are, and will open their purses accord- ingly, wo shall have nothing to complain of," said Nora, "and I hope that you will all come back and buy everything that is left over by to-morrow evening." " Can't we have first choice of anything ? " queried Tom Hurst, a mischief loving friend of Philip's whom some of the girls distrusted a little, " No," answered Nora, sternly, " you must not be so selfish. There may be old ladies who will want " " Do you suppose that any old lady will want that tobacco pouch ? " asked Tom, with a most innocent ex- pression on his face. " She might," answered Nora, with a very dignified -manner. " She might if she had a son who was fond of smoking, at any rate she ought to have first choice." " Well, then," replied Tom, " I don't believe that I shall return, for I am not sure that I ought to patronize an institution that encourages old ladies to buy tobacco pouches." " They're more harmless for old ladies than for Har- vard undergraduates," said another of the girls seri- ously, whereat two or three of the boys pulled cigarette iral effec- les "look f work to ation for much im- es accord- of," said k and buy ning." " queried p's whom not be so mi " want that locent ex- '■ dignified I was fond 3t choice." !ve that I ► patronize ly tobacco n for Har- girls seri- i cigarette I m^Ti riiai iijii itiiiC TQlnrfiliw* BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 243 cases out of their pockets, and said, " Wouldn't you rather have us use tobacco pouches than smoke these unwholesome cigarettes?" " You shouldn't use tobacco at all," cried Edith in a plaintive tone, "at your age, Philip, you know how mamma feels about it." " Don't be a goose, Edith," retorted Philip, " unless you want us to stay away to-morrow. Anyway it's time we started for Cambridge, we're not used to late hours." At this the rest of the boys laughed rather more loudly than the occasion seemed to war- rant, but with a return of good manners they bade the girls good-bye, and promised Mrs. Blair, who had re- turned to the room that they would certainly drop in some time on "Wednesday. " Don't forget your promise to me," said Will Har- don in an undertone as he shook hands with Euth, and Kuth promised not to forget. Ruth and one other girl were to spend the night with Julia and Brenda, so as to be ready early in the morning, and the rest of the assistants started off in a large group attended by one of Mrs. Blair's servants, for none of them had very far to walk. . " It certainly does look as if it might clear up," said Belle to Nora, as they walked along. " Yes, indeed," answered Nora, " there are as many as twenty stars to be seen, and that is almost a sure sign. Some people believe that it will be fine the next day if you can count nine stars the night before." XXV THE BAZAAR The sun, after all, did shine on Wednesday morning, and The Four and their assistants arrived bright and early at Mrs. Blair's. By ten o'clock everything was in order for patrons, and really the arrangement of the tables reflected great credit on the young girls. The table of fancy handi- work was loaded with beautiful articles. There was Nora's afghan with its rich, warm stripes, there was Belle's fine embroidery,— centre piece, doilies, and other dainty bits chiefly for the dining-room. I cannot truly say that Brenda, thoug> giving liberally, had con- tributed very much that was made by her own hands, and I have an idea that if the bottom drawer of her bureau had been examined, it would have been found to contain the majority of the unfinished things over which at one time or another she had been so enihusiastic. Not even her zeal for the Bazaar had enabled her to disentangle that confusion of odds and ends. Some of the older girls at school had contributed beautiful things. One had copied an old French mini- ature and had had it framed in gUt. Another had painted a set of tiny chocolate cups. There were some exquisite picture frames covered in old brocade brought y morning, bright and :or patrons, ected great ancy handi- There was , there was oilies, and . I cannot ly, had con- own hands, awer of her sen found to ; over which snihusiastic. abled her to i. contributed French mini- Lnother had e were some sade brought # BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 245 over from Europe by another girl, and still a third had sent some wood carvings done in a peculiar style which she had learned at Venice. An uncle of Edith's who was a publisher, had seat a number of finely bound books. Then there were many smaller and less expen- sive things, so that it seemed as if every taste must be suited. " Oh, how lovely," exclaimed Kuth as she stood for a moment beside the flower table which Edith, Julia and Ruth had spent an hour or more in decorating. " Where did you get those beautiful orchids ? " asked Edith. " Why Edith Blair," answered Julia, " I should think that you ought to recognize your own possessions. Your mother sent these in from your greenhouse in Brookline." Edith laughed good-humoredly. "I thought that they had a kind of familiar look, but then other people have orchids, too." " Well other people have been generous, as well as your mother. I have quantities of violets besides these on the tables, and the most beautiful roses, and see this dozen of maiden hair fern in little pots. Almost every plant has been enga^ d by some of the girls at the tables. They are to be left with me until evening." " What will you do with things that are left over ? " " Oh, I have been told to do with them as I like, and probably they will be sent to the Children's Hos- pital. Shouldn't you think that a good idea, Edith ? " :; .' 'I ■ r1 ..jjatWBBWM l i li l w ii rii i # i ^ 246 BBENDA, HER SCHOOL AND UER CLUB " Oh, yes, the very best in the world ; it would be fun to go up on the same day and see what the children say to them." " Yes, provided we really do have anything left over. Of course it would be better if we could sell everything in the room." " Yes, of course, when you can leave do come over to my table for a minute ; I want to ask your opinion about arranging something. It's awfully hard to combine the colors, and in some way Frances and I never agree exactly about things, though I try to see things as she does," and Edith walked off, sighing a little over her weight of responsibility, for she had complete charge of the fancy-work table with Frances Pounder as chief assistant. Other girls from their group of friends were to relieve them at intervals during the day, but the responsibility of seeing that there were always two attendants at the table fell entirely on Edith. Belle had complete charge of the refreshment room, which was a small room off the dancing hall where the other tables were set. Brenda and she had chosen this department, but the latter had declined \ny responsi- bility. " I wish to be free to move anywaere ; I just hate having to stay in one spot, so ask as many others as you wish, Belle." Thus Belie had surrounded her- self with half a dozen of the younger girls, and she was able to assume an air of authority over them that would have been impossible with the girls of her own age. There were three or four little round tables in this - ..,,^-,^-^,-.^.>^ .-..-..-fm^ .,,-r. VB uld be fun lildren say g left over, everything me over to inion about combine lever agree lings as she le over her ilete charge ler as chief of friends he day, but always two 1. ment room, 1 where the chosen this ny respoDsi- lere; I just nany others ounded her- and she was 1 that would )wn age. ables in this BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 247 room beside the larger one covered with boxes and baskets of bonbons. At the little tables the gu-ls were to serve ices to all who wished them. " Dear me," fretted Belle as she and Brenda stood surveying the room. " Dear me 1 I wish that we had a larger room. This is going to be awfully crowded if we have many people, and there will surely be a crowd before evening, I don't see what we shall do." " Can't they take turns ? " asked one of the younger girls, who happened to be standing near. " We could not have more than a dozen at a time, I should think." " Oh, you don't know anything about it, Annie Bell," exclaimed Belle in a tone that brought tears to the eyes of the younger girl. " Of course I don't ex- pect that every one who comes to the Bazaar will rush in here the first thing, but we ought to have had a larger room. I'm almost sorry that I said that I would take charge of this part of the Bazaar. It's going to be a great deal more fun outside." " Ah, well ! " replied Brenda, consolingly, " you won't Lave to stay in here all the time, the girls can look after things, and besides I am not going to be away all the time." « Oh, no," said Belle, " if I undertake a thing I al- ways calculate to carry it through. Some one has to bo here at the money table all the time, or else things will get dreadfully mixed up." "Well, I'm sorry that you feel so," said Brenda. " But as long as there is no one here now I will go off l| i ■ 248 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB for a while and see how Nora is getting on at the sur- prise table." As Brenda went off, Belle sat down at the little table which answered for cashier's desk. She had already taken in two dollars for bonbons, although as yet the Bazaar had had but a few patrons. Toward noon about forty altogether had visited the Bazaar. Among tnci: ' were several elderly ladies and gentlemen, and a number of nurses with children who patronized chiefly the surprise table and the refreshment room, and Belle had her hands full making change, and correcting the errors of her young assistants with whom arithme- tic was evidently not a strong point. At about one o'clock the attendants at the Bazaar began to go down to the dining-room where Mrs. Blair had had a luncheon spread for them. " How's business ? " asked Belle of Nora, as they sat there over their salad and cocoa. " Oh, tine," replied the latter, expressively, if inele- gantly. " I've taken nearly twenty dollars, and the table looks as if hardly a thing had been touched. Julia and Ruth have done a great deal better, of course, and I wouldn't daro say how much Edith and Frances have made. They sold that set of chocolate cups for twenty dollars to old Mrs. Bean." " That was more than they were worth," interrupted Belle. "Oh, I don't know, they were LOVELY, there was over so much work on them." ', ' * '.' 'f a ita i mr ti rtn ii B ,t the sur- ittle table 1 already IS yet the ard noon Among len, and a ed chiefly oom, and 5orrecting I arithme- be Bazaar Mrs. Blair ,s they sat f, if inele- I, and the 1 touched, of course, id Frances te cups for nterrupted there was BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HEE CLUB 249 "Well, I suppose at a Bazaar, a thing is worth what any one is wUling to pay for it, but still, even if I could afford it, I would not pay twenty dollars for those cups. I didn't like the shape." "You're too fussy, Belle, about little things; I've heard ever so many other persons admiring those cups, and Mrs. Bean thought that they were beautiful." " Well, what else have they sold ? " " I can hardly tell, I've been so busy myself, but the table begins to look just a little bare, at least in spots, and I know that even Frances thinks that they have done very well. You know it's a great deal for her to be contented with anything." " Well, I wish I could get some one to change with me this af tornoon, I'm awfully tired of that little re- freshment room. It will be more fun in the evening, but " "You ought to make Brenda take charge for an hour or two." " Who in the world could ever make Brenda do any- thing?" " I know she's a kind of a will-o'-the-wisp, and she feels as if she were managing everything and every- body here, but then tha!^, does not hurt us and it pleases her." Here Belle remembered that it was always her cus- tom to stand up for Brenda, and in the fashion which is always rather annoying to the person who has not intended any offence, she said, "Why of course we all 'f 250 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB understand Brenda, and for my part I think that she is exactly right. Of course, she was the one who planned this whole thing, and except for her no one would have tried to do a thing for the Eosas." Nora did not think it worth while to reply that she had not been the one to make any criticism of Brenda. Instead she contented herself with saying, mischiev- ously, " Well, you know that it was I who discovered Manuel, and if we had not had an object we should not have had a Bazaar." Belle had nothing to say to this, and indeed there was no chonce, for two or three of the younger girls came down with a rush, thus re- minding Nora and Belle that they ought to go upstairs again to their duties. By the middle of the afternoon the Bazaar was a scene of the greatest activity, every one was there, young and old, and the fancy-work table had really begun to look bare. One of Nora's brothers had to be sent down town for a fresh supply of novelties for the surprise table, as not only the children but their parents found great amusement in opening those bright- colored packages. Belle and some of the older girls regretted that there was nothing to raffle. " Don't you honestly think that it is much more ex- citing to get a thing in that way than to buy it just as you would in a shop?" asked Edith, who had been in- fluenced by Belle to try to coax Mrs. Blair to change her opinion in the matter of raffles. But Mrs. Blair was firm, and she gave her reasons so clearly that not ,&iiii& JB £ that she one who iv no one Y that she if Brenda. mischiev- liscovered VQ should ; to say to or three b, thus re- o upstairs aar was a v&s there, lad really jrs had to velties for but their ose bright- )lder girls ti more ex- Y it just as id been in- to change Mrs. Blair y that not BRENDA, HEE SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 251 only her daughter, but aU the others interested in the Bazaar, except Belle, seemed convinced. « I haven't said," she had been careful in explaining, "that raffles are wrong, only very often they lead to things that are not exactly right. It is bard « -^^^ the average person see why it is perfectly right to buy shares in a handsome doll-house, and wrong to invest in a lottery ticket." .. , * » « Oh every one understands about lottery tickets. "Well, that may be true, lotteries are against the law in this part of the country, and yet a raffle at a bazaar or other charitable affair is to my mind always objectionable. Some persons take their disap- pointment very much to heart, and — --" "But, mamma, do you not call people very silly who take a little thing like that to heart?" « I may call them silly and yet I cannot justify my- self in causing them this discomfort, if a rafile ^^ould be held in my house. Without going into all the prin- ciples involved, Edith, I am sure that you can see that I have good reasons for feeling unwilling to have any raffles at the Bazaar." So Edith and the others had acquiesced, with only a slight feeling of rebellion when one or two particularly handsome things were contributed to the Bazaar which seemed almost too expensive to sell to a smgle pur- 'TsUg reason given by Mrs. Blair against raffles had been her objection to having people urged to buy '.| 1 i mmmm 252 BRENDA, HEB SCHOOL AND HER CLUB shares, and she had cautioned the girls to be careful not to try to influence their friends when looking at things on the tables to buy against their will. On the whole did any action of this kind seem necessary, since almost every one who attended the Bazaar came as a purchaser, and as there was only one fancy -goods table, there was no rivalry among the sellers. Some of the larger and more expensive things did not sell very readily, and Brenda was in a twitter — at least that Avas what Nora called it — about the fate of these things. There was one especially valuable thing, or valuable from the point of view of The Four, a water color con- tributed by an artist friend of Mrs. Barlow's. He was a well-known artist, and his work was in demand, and down town the picture would have brought a large price. The girls in making the price of articles for the sale, had been uncertain what to do about this, and after long consultation with the older persons interested, had decided on one hundred dollars. The artist himse" lad acquiesced in this, for they had thought it polite to refer the matter finally to him. Every one had prophesied that the picture would sell at once, yet for some reason or other, by the middle of the afternoon it was still unsold. By four o'clock it seemed as if all Miss Crawdon's school had emptied it- self into the pretty hall, and about this time Brenda began to yield to a little temptation. "What are you and Belle so mysterious about?" asked Kora, as she saw the two busily talking in a m. UB be careful looking at 1. On the sary, since came as a aods table, >me of the sell very t that Avas 3se things. r valuable color con- . He was tnand, and bt a large les for the > this, and interested, I, for they Uy to him. would sell 1 middle of o'clock it 3mptied it- ne Brenda 3 about?" Iking in a BBENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 253 corner, and evidently rather afraid of being inter- rupted. " Oh, nothing, only a little business," Brenda had re- plied, and then she and Belle had resumed their con- versation which seemed to partake of the nature of calculation, with frequent references to a little note- book. After this Nora could not help noticing that Brenda devoted her attention to the older schoolgirls, and the college boys who in the latter part of the after- noon had begun to arrive in considerable numbers. " What in the world are you doing ? " she asked again and again, as Belle darted by as if searching for some special person, or Brenda stalked up and down study- ing her notebook. Toward four o'clock there was considerable bustle at the entrance to the room, and Mrs. Blair's waitress, who had been standing in the hall, came forward with a message for Julia. At least she went up to the flower booth, and after speaking to Julia the latter hurried forward to the door where stood an old lady leaning on the arm of a tall serving man. " Who is it ? " " Isn't she fine looking ? " " Oh, no, I think her rather queer ; who ever saw a turban like that ? " Avere a few of the remarks that flew around the room, as Julia and the old lady with her attendant walked over toward the group of easy-chairs which Mrs. Blair had thoughtfully provided in one corner. "Why, it's Madame Du Launy," cried Nora, who was really the first to recognize the occupant of the mys- S64 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB terious house near the school, and so jh the news spread, until there was hardly a person in t) .j room who had not heard it. Every one, naturally enough, was too polite to show her curiosity, although it must be ad- mitted that a few of the bolder wandered nearer to the seated group than was actually necessary in order to get a good view of the old lady, or to overhear a part of what she and Julia had to say to each other. At Julia's request the waitress had found Mrs. Blair, and after making the necessary introduction, Julia had led Madame Du Launy, accompanied by Mrs. Blair, to the flower table. 'No one who had ever heard Madame Du Launy called miserly, could have believed this true while watching her progress from table to table at the Bazaar. Though every one knew that she had her own little conservatory, she bought pl^.nts and cut flowers with great liberality, and while she always asked the price of each thing, she never demurred at the stated sum. When Madame Du Launy and her little party ap- proached the fancy-work table, Frances fairly bristled with importance, and displayed her goods, as if con- ferring the greatest favor. In spite of this rather forbid- ding manner on the part of the young saleswoman, Madame Du Launy proved a good patron. She bought one set of Edith's doilies, as well as several smaller things, and then her eye fell on the water color, which, to display it the better, had been hung on the wall back of the table. |., i 4. * SiiMMi>M-«MI [JB vvs spread, I who had , was too 1st be ad- irer to the L order to ear a part »ther. At Blair, and ia had led air, to the [ Madame d this true ible at the d her own ut flowers asked the the stated party ap- ly bristled as if con- ker forbid- leswoman, he bought •al smaller [or, which, wall back BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 255 "Is that for sale?" she asked rather abruptly. " Why, no, or rather, yes," replied Frances with a certain hesitation. " At least it has been for sale," she added. " Is it sold ? " asked Mrs. Blair in some surprise ; " a short time ago, I understood that you had not found a purchaser." Frances reddened a little under Mrs. Blair's rather searching glance, and reddened still more deeply as Mrs. Blair continued, " Has ■' one bought it within the last half hour?" "Why, no," said Frances, "not exactly, although—" During this conversation, an expression of annoy- ance had come over Madame Du Launy's face. Appar- ently she was accustomed to having whatever she ex- pressed a desire to buy, and this reluctance on the part of Frances was far from agreeable to her. It was hardly less distasteful to Mrs. Blair. " I should think, Frances, that as valuable a thing as this would either be for sale, or if sold would have had a purchaser, whom you could mention." "I wish that Belle were here," murmured Frances rather helplessly. " Why I thought that you and Edith had complete charge here," remarked Mrs. Blair. "Well, so we had, but Edith is resting now, and " " It is of no consequence, Mrs. Blair, there are other pictures elsewhere that will probably suit me as Avell, i > ■ i n ■ii u ■ I iiiiii.iiMiiiiiiiiiiiiM'iWi''*^^^''''''''''^''''*^ Mri«Mi£B«liilibM*tiMii 966 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB only I imagined that the young ladies wished to sell this one," interposed Madame Du Launy haughtily, and holding her head rather high, she started in the direction of the surprise tal.le. Now jist at this mo- ment Miss South, who had been amusing herself with some of Nora's funny little surprise packages, turned away from this table to meet Julia who was walking a step or two behind Madame Du Launy and Mrs. Blair. She had removed her hat, and her wavy, brown hair, was dressed rather low on each side of her forehead, somewhat as we have seen it in tb^ portraits of a gen- eration or two ago. She smiled brightly as her eye met Julia's, and then she looked toward Mrs. Blair and Madame Du Launy, whom evidently she had not noticed 1 >efore. For as her eye feU on the latter she gave a start of surprise. At the same time the latter, with a gasp, leaned heavily on the arm of her attend- ant, fu I woul 1 have faUen had he not led her quickly to a c .u-i!', ^ , * IB ^1" ed to sell aaughtily, ted in the t this mo- irself with ;es, turned walking a Mrs. Blair, rown hair, • forehead, s of a gen- er eye met Blair and 3 had not ( latter she the latter, ler attend- ler quickly %- % , TJJS^SJS^CSSSJW J^,^W 7 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 Ik I.I 11.25 ■ 2.2 U 11.6 ■UUu •y Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. US80 (716)877-4503 L_ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques XXVI GREAT EXCITEMENT For several moments all was confusion. "While try- ing not to show an inconsiderate curiosity, the girls behind the tables could not help leaving their places, though they stood at a fair distance from the spot where Julia and Miss South and two or three older women were trying to do what they could to revive Madame Du Launy. Although she had not actually fainted, she was certainly not herself, and for several minutes she leaned back in her chair with her eyes half-closed. Yet although she looked pale and almost pitiful with the lines of age clearly showing in her face, she would not accept help from any one, not even the glass of water which they offered her. At last, after a time that seemed longer than it really was to those who stood by, she opened her eyes, and without a word to those standing near, motioned to her man. " My carriage, at once," was all she said, then mo- tioning to him again she took his arm, as she rose from her seat. Turning for a moment toward Julia who had extended her hand, " Good-bye, dear," she murmured as she started to walk with stately step across the room. The whole thing had been so strange — Madame Du Laun^'s fain ting-spell, and her peculiar manner on 17 ^1 li I-' ,1* f 258 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB coming to herself, that those who stood near instead of making any comments only gazed after the old lady in surprise. In the midst of the excitement Miss South, too, had slipped away, and on making enquiries about her Julia was told that she had gone home. Yet although at the very moment of this strange oc- currence no one had had much to say, when the girls gathered in little groups aside, their tongues swung back and forward with great energy. "What in the world could have caused it?" was asked on every hand, and many were the guesses and speculations as to what had caused the little scene. « Oh, old ladies ought not to try to go to festive places like this," said one of the girls glancing around the long room with its walls paneled with mirrors, its decorations of vines, and plants, and bright streamers. « Especially old ladies who have hardly set foot in the house of any one else for fifty years, more or less," added another. " Well, even then I don't see what made her faint," said Nora, who happened to have heard the last re- mark. "There wasn't anything particularly exciting going on here." "Oh," replied Belle, "it had something to do with Miss South. I stood where I could see Madame Du Launy's face, and when she fainted she had just met Miss South's eye, and didn't you notice, Miss South looked as if she would like to faint herself ! " " How ridiculous 1 " said a girl who had nevly joined ..5i. LUB ,r instead of I old ladv in Miss South, [uiries about } strange oc- len the girls gues swung 3d it?" was guesses and e scene. ;o to festive icing around 1 mirrors, its t streamers, y set foot in lore or less," le her faint," the last re- arly exoiting g to do with Madame Du had just met , Miss South M" newly joined BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 259 the group, " you always see more than any one else does, Belle." "What if I do? I am just as often right, and you can see for yourself that Miss South is not here now. I noticed that she hurried away as soon as she could." " What if she did ? " cried Nora ; « I do think, Belle, that you are sometimes perfectly ridiculous. Any number of people are not here now, who were in the room half an hour ago." « Oh, you know what I mean, Nora ; mark my words there is something queer about the whole thing." "How in the world, I wonder, did Madame Du Launy happen to know about the Bazaar?" asked Frances Pounder. "Why, Frances Pounder, where have you been? cried Nora. « Why, yes, Frances Pounder, where have you been i echoed Belle. " Haven't you heard of the tremendous intimacy that has sprung up between Julia and Ma- dame Du Launy since she rescued her little Fidessa from the park police? It really is a wonderful story, and we all expect Julia to be the old lady's heir." "Come, come," interrupted Nora, "we can't afford to waste our time gossiping; we should be thankful that Madame Du Launy ventured to come here at all, for she bought any number of things, and paid good prices, and now if we do not return to our tables, we may lose all the patronage of the other old ladies who are wandering about." O mW '-.|iiu'ij^..*"i»r"«"*" .?!»■■■* 2G0 BRENDA, IIER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB So two by two the little crowd dispersed. Some of the girls went behind the tables, while others hovered about, picking and choosing what they should buy ac- cording to their purses or their taste. But to tell all the happenings of that afternoon and evening would take a longer time than can be spared to it now. In the evening not only the fathers and uncles of many of the girls came upon the scene, but Philip and his friends appeared to form a small army of pur- chasers. The latter were not on the whole inclined to buy very expensive things, though they patronized the refreshment table so steadily that Belle had to beg one of the New York boys to become assistant cashier. They also almost swept the flower booth clean of cut flowers and plants, to the loss of the little patients in the children's hospital, who might otherwise have been benefited, had any flowers been left over. Yet although I say that they did not buy a great deal I must not be misunderstood. They did carry off all kinds of little things that they thought would raise a laugh in their college rooms. Philip, for example, bought a work- basket, lined with pink and white silk, grumbling as he did so that this was the nearest approach he could find to crimson. Besides that he paid a good price for the doll which he had admired, and which Nora had mis- chievously reserved for him by pinning to it a card bear- ing his name. He also bought a small hammock of twisted ribbons, in which he said he intended to suspend the doll in a conspicuous place o\er his mantelpiece. Some of rs hovered lid buy ac- irnoon and e spared to and uncles but Philip •my of pur- inclined to ronized the to beg one nt cashier. ;lean of cut patients in ) have been et although nust not be ds of little igh in their ht a work- ibling as he B could find irice for the ra had mis- a card bear- lammock of i to suspend itelpiece. BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND UER CLUB 2G1 Tom Hurst had to buy two or three tobacco pouches, and in addition he chose a rattle, the covering of which Isora had knitted and decorated with bells. " Pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw," quoted Nora, as he carried away his purchase, at the same time presenting him with a wisp of stravs from a broom, which she had tied together with a piece of crimson ribbon. " To be forever cherished," responded Tom, as he walked ofE with his trophies, in a tone that made the usually unsentimental Nora blush. As to Will Ilardon, he lost no time in going to the table over which Frances and Edith presided to enquire for a sofa pillow which had been reserved for him. " Keserved ! " cried Edith in a tone of surprise, for Kuth had taken her into the secret. " I thought it was understood that nothing could be reserved here " Will's face fell, for he was very much in earnest. " Oh, now Miss Blair," he said, " you surely were not in earnest last evening ; you know that I had made up my mind to that pillow." "Wouldn't something else do just as well?" she asked, "this centre-piece for example, /worked this," with an emphasis on the pronoun. "Why, it's very pretty," said poor Will, "only I shouldn't know what to do with it, but I'd like it very much, really I would," he hastened to add, as Edith looked a little serious. « Well, I'm sorry," she responded, " that you fix your 262 BRENDA, HEB SCHOOL AND IIEB CLUB affection on such impossible things ; now this centre- piece is also disposed of. Mrs. Barlow has bought it, and will take it home this evening." "Also," exclaimed Will, "you said 'also,' do you mean that the sofa pillow is really gone ? " Edith could not help smiling at his expression of dis- appointment, " Here comes Kuth," she said, " ask her ; " and Ruth, with her hands full of flowers which she was carrying across the room to Mrs. Pounder, paused for a moment. " Why, you look as if you were quarreling," she said to Edith, "you and— Mr. Hardon ; can't I be umpire ?" " Why, yes," replied Will, " that was just what we wish, for you are the only one who really understands the merits of the case. You remember that cushion ? " Euth looked suflaciently conscious to make further reply unnecessary. "Of course you do remember it," continued Will, " and you know that you more than half promised to save it for me. Now nobody here at this table seems able to tell me about it, at least Miss Blair isn't, and she ought to, if any one could, tell me just where it is." " I am not sure," responded Edith, " that you have really put the question to me. At any rate I am posi- tive that I have not made any statement about it." " But you told me to refer to Miss Roberts, and I thought that that meant that you knew nothing about it." " Well, honestly, I can't tell you about the cushion," K| .-■■ !-, - I, ; , --,r'-''-''*'-- "-■-'■ ''' ' i«ia i f'r«tt*»»' i ■ «» -.> *'i*'W i * '»---*^ V'* ii WaM!»»^ ^ M8r ^" ,his cent'-e- bought it, 30,' do you ssion of dis- ' and Ruth, as carrying ' a moment. g," she said e umpire ? " it what we inderstands 1 cushion ? " ake further inued Will, promised to table seems sn't, and she re it is," it you have ,e I am posi- •out it." )berts, and I ►thing about he cushion," BKENDA, HER SCUOOL AND IIEU CLUB •263 said Euth ; " if any one offered more than one hundred dollars, which I think was your limit, I suppose that it has been sold." " You think that I did not mean what I said," cried Will. " Oh, no, indeed, but if any one offered more " All this time Edith had been standing with one hand behind her back, and at the last minute she raised her arm, and disclosed the cushion, which a minute before she had brought from its hiding-place beneath the table. " There, that is mine," exclaimed the young man, " let me have it." «' Well, I declare ! " cried Edith, as in surprise, " this card really does bear your name, and so I suppose that I must give you the cushion." Will leaned forward eagerly. " Yes, it is mine, but," as he glanced at the card, " the price is not right. It is only one-tenth what I expected to pay." " Why ! would you really have paid one hundred dol- lars for it ? " asked Euth. " Why not ? " he asked. « Oh, it is so much more thaa it is worth," she re- plied. " Even for the Eosas we could not have permit- ted it." ««Tcli," he answered, as he handed out the crisp ten dollar * ill, which paid the price marked on the pillow, « well, I must make it up to the Eosas in some other way." Then turning toward Edith, " thank you, Miss Blair, for waiting on me, although you did give me a 't* tfii i .ip sss s 20)4 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB bad quarter of a minute, when you made me believe that I might have missed the purchase which I came expressly to make." So with a pleasant smile, carrying the pretty cushion on one arm, he walked across the room with Ruth. Belle, as she watched them, could not help thinking how well they looked together, even though for the moment she felt a little jealousy of Ruth's growing popularity. Neither the evening before, nor dur- ing the whole progress of the Bazaar, had Belle received any special attention from even one of " the boys " as Philip and his friends were called collectively. Ruth, to be sure, was nearly a year and a half older than " The Four," and it was more natural that she should receive a little more attention of the kind that young ladies receive. But Belle thought that she her- self felt as old as she should ever feel, and now since she wore her hair done up, and had skirts that almost touched, she did not see why she should not be treated just as if she were " grown up." To suit her ideas, therefore, of the deportment of a young lady, she had be- gun to assume a very coquettish manner. But this, in- stead of producing the desired effect— that of gaining for her great admiration, only amused the boys, and led them to make fun of her when by themselves. Edith through Philip, and Nora through her brother, had some knowledge of this fact. But Brenda regarded Belle with more or less awe, and considered her an ex- ceedingly worldly-wise person. When, therefore, Belle > '^ f... [JB ae believe ich I came i, carrying across the p thinking jh for the s growing nor dur- le received the boys " ollectively. half older d that she 3 kind that lat she her- l now since ihat almost be treated her ideas, she had be- But this, in- gaining for ys, and led ves. Edith rother, had la regarded i her an ex- 'ef ore, Belle BKEXDA, IIER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 205 proposed to her that instead of selling the water-color painting of which I have spoken, at a fixed price, they should vote it to the most popular young man of their acquaintance, Brenda acquiesced. " You see it will be this way," said Belle, " we can get people to vote by taking shares." " How much will the shares be ? " " Oh, a dollar, and we can easily sell a hundred and fifty dollars worth. I am sure that is a great deal better than letting the picture go for one hundred dollars." ♦' But isn't that the same as a raflle ? " " No, stupid, of course not." « For you know that Mrs. Blair has forbidden us to have any raffles." " Yes, I know about that rule, and a very silly rule it is, too," replied Belle, «'but this isn't at all the same thing as a raffle. People just pay for the privilege of voting, and don't expect any gain for themselves, as they would in a lottery or raffle. It's a good thing, too, for the person they vote for, it's doing him good, and no one can disapprove of a plan to help other people," said Belle with an unselfishness of sentiment that could not have been looked for in her. «0h, no," said Brenda, hesitatingly, "I suppose not." " All the same," Belle had continued, " I think that we had better not say anything to Edith and Nora about it, they might interfere in some way, and besides I am p I 206 BRENDA, UER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB sure that they both have enough to do looking after their own tables." " Well, but how can we get any votes if we do not say anything to anybody ?" enquired Brenda. " Oh, of course we must take Frances into our confi- dence. She is at the table where the picture is. There won't be much danger of its selling at once for one hundred dollars, and we can trust Frances to head any one off who pretends to wish to buy it.'' So it was as a result of this plan of Belle's that Frances had prevented a sale of the picture to Madame du Launy. For at that time Brenda and Belle had a number of names on their books, enough in fact to rep- resent one half the valuation of the picture. Each girl who voted was bound to secrecy, for Belle realized (though she had put it in a different light to Brenda) that she was violating the spirit, if not the letter of Mrs. Blair's command. Nevertheless the very fact that the carrying out of this plan involved a certain amount of mystery, gave the whole thmg more zest than it would otherwise have had for the two. Strangely enough, however, after the first fifty votes had been cast, with a great scattering as to the most popular youth, the two girls found it hard to get more names. The evening, indeed, was half over before the list had increased to sixty votes. About this time an awkward thing happened. Kun- ning upstairs from the dining-room, Belle had dropped the neat little book in which she kept record of her ,UB >king after we do not a. D our conft- I is. There ice for one o head any Selle's that to Madame Belle had a fact to rep- ture. Each jlle realized to Brenda) he letter of jry fact that tain amount :est than it it fifty votes to the most to get more jr before the lened. Run- had dropped record of her BKENDA, HER SCUOOL AND IIEU CLUB 207 votes, and when one of the maids handed it to ]\Irs. Blair, great was her surprise to find on the fly-leaf the sentence " voting contest for the picture." " Whose handwriting is this ? " she asked Edith, " and what does this all mean ; surely none of you is carrying on a raifle." "It's Belle's writing," answered Edith a little reluc- tantly, for she saw that her mother was angry. " But I do not know what it means." Well after this, of course Belle was summoned to talk with Mrs. Blair, and though she reiterated that she had only desired to make as much money as she could for the Bazaar, Mrs. Blair insisted that Belle should give her all that she had already received to return to those who had subscribed or voted. Brenda, too, came in for a good share of reproof, and the wholo thing was very humiliating to the two girls, who found themselves so clearly in the wrong. Beyond obliging them to con- form, however, to her views of what was proper, Mrs. Blair had no intention of making them unduly uncom- fortable. « Think no more about it," she said, " only remember that you have prevented the sale of the picture, for I saw to-day that Madame Du Launy was very anxious to buy it." After hearing this Brenda and Belle, although morti- fied, decided to make the best of the rest of the even- ing. They merely explained to some of the voters who asked them, that it had been decided to give up this 208 BPvENDA, HER SCHOOL AND IIEB CLUB plan for disposing of the picture, and that the money Avould be returned. The episode of Madame Du Launy in the afternoon, and this little unpleasant incident of the evening were the only things to make this Bazaar seem very different from other Bazaars. You know what they are all like, and that each fair or sale or Bazaar depends for its charm on the unity with which the workers carry things on, and the ex- tent to which their friends patronize it, and I will say for " The Four " that they were much more in harmony through this whole aflfair than often they had been in the past, and that their friends— especially their young friends — did even more than had been expected of them to help swell the fund for the Eosas. Brenda had been anxious to have one or two of this interesting family on the spot to work on the sympathies of the patrons of the Bazaar. She had thought that it would bo delightful to have Angelina wait on the re- freshment table, and she did not see why Manuel might not have been present all the time. " In some kind of fancy costume, of course, for I know that his own clothes would not be exactly clean and whole." But Mrs. Blair had objected to the presence of the Eosas whether in fancy dress, or in their usual garb, and Mrs. Barlow had succeeded in making Brenda see that it would not be the best thing in the world for the Eosa children to be introduced to what must seem to them a scene of great luxury in a Back Bay house, even I LUB the money I afternoon, "^ening were sry different at each fair )n the unity and the ex- id I will say in harmony had been in their young cted of them r two of this ) sympathies mght that it it on the re- ;anuel might some kind of bat his own ole." Bsence of the r usual garb, r Brenda see vorld for the must seem to f house, even BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 209 though it might be explained to them that part of tho gorgeousness was dua to a desire to help them — the special gorgeousness, I mean, of the Bazaar. " Who in the world is to take care of all the money ?" asked Nora, as she looked at the large tin box almost running over with silver and bills taken in as receipts at the various tables. " Oh, Mrs. Blair is to put it in her safe to-night, and to-morrow it will be exchanged at the bank for large bills ! " answered Brenda. "And then ?" "And then we must have a committee meeting to decide what is to be done with it. "When it was last counted there were nearly three hundred dollars, and there has been something added to it since." " Why, how perfectly splendid ! " cried Nora ; "why we should be able to do almost anything we wish to do for the Kosas ; why, it is a regular fortune ! " for Nora had ideas almost as vague as Brenda of the value of money. " Oh, yes, we've done very well, but I am glad that it is all over; the Bazaar has been fun, but ii is kind of a relief not to have it on my mind any more." "Oh, Brenda, it hasn't worried jou much, you took things very easy until the last day or two." " Well, that's just it ; I've felt so busy to-day, that I would like to rest for a week." " But you haven't been half as busy as Julia, she has hardly left her post all day, and I think that she looks pretty tired." m* I MiinlililiHIII»ii 1 270 BKENDA, HER SCnOOL AND HER CLUB "Dear me," said Brenda crossly, "if she had not wished to serve at the flower booth, we could have found some other girl to do it. Oh, Julia," she cried as her cousin drew near her, "are you coming home in the carriage with me ? " " Why, yes, if you wish it." " "Well, it has just taken papa and mamma homo, and when it comes back, I shall be ready." The pretty dancing-hall now presented a thoroughly disordered appearance. It was strewn with wrapping papers that had been pushed from behind the tables, or had been thrown there by careless persons who had tossed down the coverings of their surprise packages. There were also a number of faded flowers lying about, and the tables themselves were in confused heaps. For, of course, not everything had sold, and the " remains" as one of the boys called what was left, had to stay on the tables until the morning. When Brenda and Julia were finally ready to go home, they were almost the last to leave. Even the Cambridge boys had said " good-bye " and Kuth and Frances had started for home. " Thank you very much, Mrs. Blair, for letting us come here," said Brenda, as they left the room. For Brenda seldom forgot her good manners where older people were concerned, even though she was sometimes in- clined to be pettish toward her younger friends. " Why, what is that ? " she enquired, as Julia had a large package lifted into the carriage. LUB be had not could have she cried as borne in the 1 homo, and thoroughly ;h wrapping be tables, or ns who had se packages, lying about, heaps. For, ) " remains " d to stay on ready to go ;. Even the d Euth and ..| i |,L MJ. , BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 271 « It's that water-color that was on Edith's table." " Why, what are you taking it home for ? " " I have bought it," replied Julia quietl}', " and I am going to give it to Aunt Anna." Brenda was almost too much surprised to speak, for this was the picture which she and Belle had tried to raffle. " But you did not pay one hundred dollars for it ? " " Why not ? " said Julia with a smile, as they reached their door. ^tinguscome For Brenda older people ometimes in- iends. I Julia had a J.. XXVII A MISTAKE Brenda, herself, was too sleepy that night when she reached home, to express her surprise at Julia's hav- ing bought the picture. Yet she certainly wondered that the cousin whom she had hitherto regarded as bound down to economy, should have been able to spend so large a sum for a single purchase. Julia on her part was not surprised at her cousin's indifference, for Brenda had a way of seeming curious or especially interested only in relation to things that immediately concerned her. When they had separated, and Julia was alone in her own room, she had opportunity for the first time since the morning for thinking over all the events of the day. Her place at the Bazaar had been a very pleasant one, and while she had not had much to do with any of the girls except Kuth, her attention had been constantly occupied in disposing of her flowers. Philip and his friends had been especially good patrons, and the former had taken the chances that came to him of going up to the table and talking to Julia on one thing and another, not always connected with the Bazaar or with the Rosas. In spite of a certain amount of conceit —and what young sophomore is without this quality- Philip was really a very agreeable fellow, and in Julia BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 273 t when she ulia's hav- wondered egarded as en able to !. Julia on ndifference, r especially namediatel}'^ [, and Julia nity for the over all the had been a lad much to itention had lier flowers. 3od patrons, 3ame to him on one thing le Bazaar or it of conceit lis quality — and in Julia he had some one ready to listen to him more attentively than was Edith's habit, or indeed that of the other girls. For Belle, for example, although she liked what she called " attention " from the boys of her set, wished to have the conversation turn entirely upon herself antl her own affairs, and she always showed impatience when the person with whom she was talking turned to any other subject. Now Philip— though in this he was not so very different from other young men— liked to have some one to talk to who would listen sympathetically to his tales of college triumphs, or grievances, and oc- casionally give him a word of advice. In Julia he found not only an attentive listener, but an intelligent adviser. So although the Bazaar was not just the place for con- fidences, he had been able to have several pleasant little snatches of conversation with Julia. She had enjoyed these little fragmentary talks as much as Philip had, and they both had had much amusement from his rather clumsy attempts to help her in arranging bou- quets for her customers. Julia, therefore, had many pleasant things to recall connected with the Bazaar, and not the least pleasant was the fact that she had been able to contribute a good deal toward helping the Rosas. The one strange feature of the whole affair had been the sudden departure of Madame Du Launy. " And why," mused Julia, " did Miss South go away without bidding me good-bye ? I know that she meant to stay until evening. "Well, perhaps it will all be explained. 18 I ni ii rVl ii T'wi iii i iiiii i iwwi ii wm-fc uxniimmmitmrnfttrmirrT 274 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Though certainly now I cannot understand it all. Perhaps to-morrow—" and here Julia fell asleep rath the question still unsettled. Early the next morning— as soon at least as she had had her breakfast, Julia started off to find Miss South, but the maid at her boarding-house said that she had gone out and probably would not be back before even- ing ; with this she had to be conter.t, although in ad- dition to general enquiries about tlie strange event of the day before, she wished tr talk over with Miss South some of the plans which they had been discuss- ing for the assistance of the Kosa family. They had been finally successful in getting Mrs. Kosa to promise to go to the country for the summer, if for no longer a time. They had found a house in Shiloh, a small vil- lage with elevated land not so very far from Boston, and they were sure that a residence there would benefit the sick woman. A man whom Miss South knew, who had been at one time given up by the doctors as in hopeless consumption, had moved to this village, and after a year had been pronounced almost well. . He had opened a little shop there, his children had found employment for their spare hours, and the family had at last started on the high road to prosperity. This was a great change for them, for during their father's illness in town, they had often had to have charitable relief. Miss South's plan for Mrs. Kosa included a certain amount of work for the family. A farmer had been found Avho promised to employ the oldest boy, ^1 111 Ai t um mmm LUB and it all. asleep v,ith ; as she had Miss South, hat she had before even- lough in ad- ge event of ■ with Miss jeen discuss- , They had a to promise no longer a , a small vil- :rom Boston, irould benefit h knew, who doctors as in village, and st well. . He en had found le family had perity. This their father's ive charitable ;a included a A farmer had 16 oldest boy, BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 275 and a woman who took summer boarders said that she could pay Angelina two dollars a week, to help in her kitchen, if she could sleep at home. The house which they had selected had a small piece of land where it was hoped that Mrs. Rosa could raise seme vegetables. To accomplish what they wished, considerable money was needed, and they had enlisted Brenda's interest to so great an extent that she professed herself perfectly willing to have the money raised a£ the Bazaar used to rent and equip the house, and pay the many little expenses that would be caused by the enterprise. "As Brenda really has been interested in Manuel, it would be hardly fair to leave her out of this plan, although," said Julia, " although we might get on without her help." " Oh, dear, no," Miss South had said, " it would never in the world do to overlook Brenda. She is an im- pulsive little thing, and although Mrs. Eosa and the children might have fared badly this Avinter, had they had no one but Brenda to depend on, still it is a great advance for Brenda to be interested in some one besides herself, and it is excellent discipline for her to have a certain share in carrying out this plan. It is not alto- gether a matter of money." Now, Brenda, of course, in deciding to favor the plan proposed by Miss South was not acting entirely for herself. Edith, Nora, and Belle were as much con- cerned as she, and Nora in fact, as the rescuer of Manuel, was more interested than any of the others. Belle, the only one who might have been expected to mmtm trriiriflilHfllTfl w f m I In ! 1- 276 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB oppose Miss South's plan, really had no objection to it Her one thought in the whole matter had been to get as much pleasure and glory as possible out of the Ba- zaar itself. Edith, while practical about some things, -needlework for example, and lessons,-seldom put her mind on money matters, and Nora was as heedless about this as about other things. Brenda was almost as heedless, and yet The Four had thought it perfectly proper that she should be treasurer of their httle fund. So it happened that on the very morning when Julia was trying to find Miss South, Brenda had received from Mrs. Blair's hands four crisp one hundred dollar notes This was a little more than had been taken at the Bazaar. But in getting the loose bills and cheques changed into more compact form, Mrs. Blair tad added enough to make the sum an even four hundred dollars. The other three girls were with Brenda as she re- ceived the money from Mrs. Blair, and immediately they sat down to count up the expenses that must be paid from their receipts. Kather to Mrs. Blair s sur- prise these expenses mounted up to more than one hundred doUars, and she scolded The Four a little for having engaged an expensive orchestra for the music of the preceding evening, when music was not really needed at all The ices and other things furnished the refreshment room made another large item in the bills, although there had been some profit from this depart- « I will take one of your one hundred dollar bills, «- LUB lection to it. been to get It of the Ba- some things, -seldom put s as heedless X was almost t it perfectly ir little fund. y when Julia had received mdred dollar jeen taken at } and cheques lir had added adred dollars, da as she re- immediately I that must be •s. Blair's sur- ore than one )ur a little for for the music v&a not really J furnished the jm in the bills, )m this depart- ed dollar bills, BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 277 and with it pay the expenses," said Mrs. Blair, " and I would advise you to take care of the three hundred dol- lars, for after all it is not a large sum lo be used toward the support of a sick woman and five children." "Of course we'll take care of it, at least Brcnda will," cried Nora, as Brenda folded the money away carefully in her purse, and placed the purse in a small leather bag. Then they went home with Brenda, and they saw her lock the bag into her top bureau drawer. After this they sat for a while as girls will, idly talk- ing about the affairs of the day, while Mrs. Barlow's French maid bustled about, laying away some new waists and skirts of Brenda's that had just come home from the dressmaker's. " Look," at last cried Brenda, jumping up from her seat impetuously, " look, Marie, did you ever see so much money," and opening the drawer and the purse she brandished the three hundred dollar bills before the eyes of the young Frenchwoman. " Oh, my ! Mees," cried Marie, " three dollars, that is not so very much ! " "Three dollars!" shouted Brenda, "three hundred dollars, what you call twelve hundred francs." "Oh, my!" exclaimed Marie, her eyes almost jump- ing out of her head, " oh, my ! I never did see so much money, let me look." So they let her touch the bills, and they laughed at the comments she made, and espe- cially when she cried, " Louis would marry me if that money was mine." s 'I* i I * nifraJMrnim ■ni . ' «- timA>*» \^. :'l f' » 2!I4 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND IIEK cLTB Her vacation had been anything but restful. The Bazaar by itself need not have tired her had she not in ihe latter j)artof the week spent almost every hour in s. iie kind of vijrorous exercise in search of what she and Belle called " fun." There had been two long bicycle rides, one danc- ing party, a three hours' walk to Brookline and back one day, and other things that really had told on her strength. Moreover her conscience was pricking her. For on the preceding afternoon, moved by an impulse which she now regretted, she had persuaded Nora to go with her to the North End to visit Mrs. Rosa, This was not long after Miss South had left the sick woman, and they found Mrs. Rosa somewhat depressed, first at the thought that she was really going to leave the city, second by the fact that her persistent creditor had just been in and had told her that he might " take the law on her "—so she quoted him, if she did not pay the money which he found written against her name in his mother's little book. Now Mrs. Rosa ought to have rested herself on Miss South's assurance that the young man could not make good his claim in law, but she was only a rather ignorant foreigner to whom the power of the law meant that she might be dragged ofif to the nearest police station by the brass-buttoned officers. She did not tell the young girls about her creditor, but when they pitied her for looking so ill, she sighed so sadly that they felt very sorry indeed for her. Marie, Avho had accompanied them to the North End had left them for a quarter of an. hour to see a friend of hers LIB The Bazaar in ihe latter i mekiinl ol" lielle called es, onedanc- ie and back told on lier ricking her. ^ an impulse I Nora to go Rosa, This sick woman, ssed, first at iive the citv, .tor had just take the law not pay the name in his srht to have it the young but she was the power of 3d off to the )ned officers, creditor, but she sighed so her. Marie, End had left riend of hers BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 295 living in the neighborhood, and then Brenda had no one but Nora to remonstrate with her for any folly she might wish to commit. "When, therefore, out of a small bag which she carried, she took her purse, — her best purse with the silver monogram, — and when from the purse she extracted the three hundred-dollar notes, the proceeds of the Bazaar, even Nora gave a little gasp. "Why, Brenda, how did you ever dare to bring that money down to this part of the city ? " " Why shouldn't I, you goose ! I am sure that it will do Mrs. Rosa more good to see this money than any- thing else possibly could. See! Mrs. Rosa," she con- tinued, " this is all yours, this three hundred dollars that wo made at the Bazaar that we have been telling you about " For Nora and she had expatiated on the charms of the ovoasion — the flowers, the music, and the many pretty articles that had been displayed on the tables. In fact ihey had broug'.it several simple little things as presents for Mrs. Rosa and the children, and while the former probably did not understand all that they said to her, she did realize that some one had been at a great deal of trouble for her, and that this money was the result. " All for me, oh tank you," she said, reaching her hand out towards the bills. Nora hastily jerked Brenda's arm. " You mustn't give them to her." Now up to this moment, Brenda had had no intention of doing this. " Why, Nora, really I think that I under- 296 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Stand things as well as you do." Nora for the moment forgot the effect which opposition usually had on Brenda. Mrs. Kosa glanced questioningly from one girl to the other. " Why, yes, you may look at them close too, you may hold them," said Brenda, laying the bills on Mrs. Rosa's transparent hand. The expression on the poov woman's face brightened. " The money means a great deal to her," said Nora, sympathetically. "Yes," answered Brenda, "you see that I was right in giving it to her, I mean in letting her see it. She has a little color in her cheeks already. She knows what that money can do for her and her children." It was hard enough for Mrs. Rosa to understand English when spoken in a full voice, and she made no effort to comprehend the undertone in which the two girls were speaking. " Are they for me to keep ? " she asked eagerly. "Not now," responded Brenda, "but by and by, next week, perhaps you shall have a little money to spend, and some of it we may spend for you to take you to the country, you know." "Come, Brenda," said Nora, "we must not stay too long, if the children are not to be back until five o'clock, we cannot wait to see them. We ought to be watching for Marie now." "I know, I know," retorted Brenda, impatiently, "I shall be ready when you are." .UB he moment ly had on from one lo, you may Mrs. Rosa's »ov woman's ' said Nora, I was right see it. She She knows lildren." It and English I no effort to TO girls were jagerly. by and by, le money to you to take not stay too il five o'clock, 3 be watching ipatiently, " I BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 297 " If I could just have this money in the house for a little while," said Mrs. Rosa, with her quaint accent, " I should be so happy. I think it would make me sleep. I haven't slept for so long," and she sighed and looked paler than ever. " Poor thing," said Brenda, " I wish that I could give it to you now. Indeed I do not know why I should not, it is certainly yours, and I do not care for the re- sponsibility myself,"— this speciously, for Brenda knew perfectly well that her father stood ready to take care of the money. " Nora," she called rather sharply, " I think that we ought to let Mrs. Rosa have this money until we are ready to spend it. It is really hers now, people would not have come to the Bazaar, except to help the Rosas." " Now, Brenda," cried Nora, " don't be foolish. I can- not imagine your doing so crazy a thing. It was bad enough for you to have brought the money down here. It was an awful risk, for suppose you had lost the purse,— oh, my," with a change of tone, " why there is Manuel. I must run out and speak to him," and in her usual heedless way Nora left the room with little thought for the subject which she and Brenda had the moment before been discrssing. Left alone with Mrs. Rosa, Brenda felt an increase of pity for the poor, pale woman, who looked as if she had very little more time to live. As she handled the bills with feverish fingers, Brenda made a quick resolve. " Why should I not give her a pleasure that will cost 298 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB me SO little, and I am sure that no reasonable person can object. " Mrs. Eosa," she said, leaning forward, " if I should let you keep that money for a few days, would you promise not to let the children see it. You must keep it right in this purse, and never let it out of your sight. I mean when any one is here you must keep it under your pillow, though of course when you are alone you can look at it." Mrs. Kosa smiled gratefully, and Brenda taking the bills began to put them back in her portemonnaie. " I think," she said reflectively, " that I will keep one of these bills in case there are special things that Miss South or Julia may have planned for you." She could afford to be liberal in her feelings now that she was get- ting ready to do something that in the bottom of her heart she knew that the others who were interested in Mrs. Eosa would not approve. So she tied up the one hundred dollar bill, that she intended to keep, in a cor- ner of her handkerchief, and placed it carefully in the bottom of her bag. " Eemember," she said, as she handed the little purse to Mrs. Eosa, " remember that you are not to spend this." " 0, I remember, I promise, miss," responded Mrs. Eosa, and just at this moment Nora reopened the door. " Come, Brenda," she said, " Marie is outside waiting, and we ought to start for home at once. Good-bye, Mrs. Eosa, I suppose we shall hardly see you again in LUB able person ' if I should would you I must keep your sight. eep it under ■e alone you I taking the onnaie. " I keep one of ;s that Miss She could she was get- ttom of her nterested in i up the one sep, in a cor- ef ully in the 3 little purse lot to spend ponded Mrs. led the door, side waiting, Good-bye, you again in BRENDA, IIEU SCHOOL AND IIEU CLUB 299 this uncomfortable room. Come on, Brenda, how long it takes you to put your gloves on ! '' Brenda, of course was greatly relieved that Nora asked not another word about the money. But all the same her conscience had begun to trouble her, and after she reached home could she have thought of any way to do it, without betraying herself, she would have sent down to Mrs. Rosa's for the purse and its contents. On Sunday, at least in the morning, she had felt reassured. " What possibility," she tliought, " is there that any- thing could happen to the money. There might be a fire at the North End, but so there might be at the Back Bay. Perhaps she ought to have let her father put it in the bank. Well on Monday morning she would go down, perhaps before school if she could wake early enough. But on Sunday it was out of the ques- tion." So she had reasoned until Sunday afternoon. Then as she heard Julia tell what Miss South had said to her, she became very nervous. " Oh, dear," she thought. " Oh, dear, what shall I do if anything has happened to that money ? " I !: C XXIX AFTER VACATION On Monday morning as might have been expected, Brenda did not awake very early, and though she had a few uneasy minutes as she thought of Mrs. Rosa, on the whole she was too much absorbed by her preparations for sc'^.ool to worry over what had now become a very unpleasant subject to her. At school all was bustle and excitement for the quarter hour preceding the opening. Some of the girls had been in New York, or even as far as Wash- ington during the vacation, and they had much to tell of their doings. Even those girls who had remained in Boston had had very exciting experiences, or at least this seemed to have been the case judging by the eager tones in which they talked, and the effort of each girl to make herself heard above all the others. If there had been nothing else eventful among the girls of the set to which The Four belonged, the Bazaar would have af- forded abundant food for discussion. Even the older girls were interested in this affair, and felt proud of the success of their schoolmates. This morning, too, was an exciting one at the school, because it marked the beginning of the spring term— the last terra of regular school for several of Miss Crawdon's pupils, ;n expected, sh she had a Rosa, on the preparations come a very ent for the ome of the 'ar as Wash- much to tell remained in I, or at least by the eager f each girl to If there had of the set to )uld have af- en the older elt proud of norning, too, ise it marked last term of don's pupils, BBENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 301 who next year were to take their place in society. Al- ready in their spring gowns, modeled after the styles of their elders, they looked like young women, and their sweeping skirts and elaborate hats seemed to put a gulf between them and their younger companions. Among the girls of intermediate age there was also a special reason for dreading the spring term, for during the few remaining weeks, two or three of them besides Ruth and Julia were to concentrate all their energy on preparation for the preliminary college examinations. Not all of these girls were likely to go to college, but Miss Crawdon had encouraged them to prepare for the examinations, hoping that their success in passing them might lead them eventually to take the college course. Even these girls, the less frivolous in the school, were chattering,— or perhaps I should say talking— as eagerly as the others. They had many little points to talk over regarding the requirements for college, the special tutoring they might need, and similar things. Julia, although she had been conscientious in her work during the winter, really did dread the coming ordeal. Examinations of any kind were new to her, for until the past winter her studies had always been carried on in an individual way. It was still a sore point with Brenda that Julia should think of going to college. She felt certain that teaching was her cousin's ultimate aim, and she did not Uke the idea at all. A few years before this Brenda had been remarkably free from any- 802 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB thing resembling snobbishness. This may have been partly on account of her youth, although a more prob- able reason was that she had not in her earliest days so many snobbish friends to influence her. For in spite of her intimacy with Nora and Edith, Brenda permitted herself to be too greatly influenced by Belle. Frances Pounder, too, was only one of a group of girls much less simple-minded than Brenda, whom the latter had come to associate with rather closely. Any one of them would have indignantly denied a special regard for money. They would have been pained had you said that they made wealth a consideration in choosing their friends. Yet this was what it amounted to,— their way of cavilling at those who did not belong to their set. They said that family was the only consider- ation with them. But I doubt that a very poor girl, however good her family, would have been considered by them as welcome as a richer girl of poorer family. There was Julia, for example, who had in every way as strong a claim to consideration as Brenda — for were not the two cousins ? Yet Frances invariably had some little supercilious thing to say about Julia— except in the presence of Nora and Edith— and the supercilious- ness came largely from the fact that she regarded Julia as a poor relation of the Barlows. " She can never be of any great use," Frances had reasoned, " to us ; " in- cluding in the latter terra all the girls with whom she was intimate, " and therefore what is the good in pre- tending to be fond of a strong-minded girl who may in . * ;b lave been lore prob- st days so :>r in spite permitted Frances jirls much latter had ay one of iial regard I bad you 1 choosing nted to, — belong to r consider- poor girl, considered rer family. }ry way as —for were ^ had some -except in ipercilious- irded Julia n never be 10 us ; " in- whom she ood in pre- rho may in BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 303 a few years be a teacher in a public school? I honestly think that she would just as soon as not teach in a public school, Brenda, for I heard her praising public schools to the sky the other day. I'm sure I wonder that she does not go to a public school instead of to Miss Crawdon's. It would save your father and mother a lot of money," concluded Frances, forgetting that how Mr. and Mrs. Barlow spent their money was really no concern of hers. At times Frances laid aside her good manners. Brenda never knew just hoAv to respond to speeches of this kind, and their chief effect was a little feeling of irritation that a cousin of hers should have put herself in this position of being classed with mere wage-earners. Brenda was no longer jealous of Julia in the ordinary sense. She had begun to lose the childish pettishness of her earlier years. Obser- vation was teaching her that even in the one household there could be room for two girls near the same age, and that any privileges or affection accorded Julia did not interfere with her own rights. Indeed had she been perfectly honest with herself she would have ad- mitted that Julia's companionship during the past winter had really been of great value to her. If any one were to tell her that Julia was not to be in the house with her another year, she would have admitted that she would be lonely. In spite of the childishness which Brenda sometimes showed towards her cousin, the two girls saw a great deal of each other, and Brenda had lately acquired the habit of slipping into her cousin's m- 804 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB room on her way up and downstairs to talk over little happenings of one kind or another. But at school on this bright spring morning, Bi enda felt some irritation at the sight of Julia and Kuth in close consultation with the Greek teacher. " He has such sharp eyes," whispered Frances, as she and Brenda passed him in the hallway. " Don't you feel as if he were always looking right through you, and saying, * you're a little ignoramus ; every one is who does not study Greek with me.' " "Oh, how tiresome you are, Frances," responded Brenda crossly; "I dare say Miss Crawdon will say that, too, in the English class at the close of the next hour unless you have a better composition than I have." " "Why, Brenda Barlow, I had forgotten all about it, and we were expected to have it ready this morning. Have you written yours ? " « No," replied Brenda, " I forgot mine, too. There were so many other things to think of last week." It happened, naturally enough, that Brenda and Frances and several other girls who had neglected their compositions in the same way received a reprimand from Miss Crawdon, who thereupon said, " Since so little English written work has been handed in to-day, I will submit a composition of my own to you for criticism. It is very simple, and consists merely of a brief description of an evening party, supposed to be the work of a girl of about your age. ^ ^ ^.^-■^■^ — j;;r-L--sr^3;rriT-^j^'r-?¥t™^ )ver little ^, Bienda i Euth in «He has id Brenda el as if he id saying, ) does not responded don will lose of the ition than 1 about it, i morning. (0. There eek." renda and Bcted their reprimand len handed )wn to you 1 merely of )osed to be BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 305 " Now listen, ' I have seldom had so nice a time as at Clara Gordon's party. In the first place the house is a particularly nice one, and the room v/here we danced has the nicest floor for waltzing that I ever saw. Then there wore so many nice, people there, all the girls and young men whom I know especially well, and some others from out of town. The orchestra played di- vinely. I never heard nicer music, and John Brent, my partner in the German, was just as nice to me as he could be. I wish that I could describe the nice supper that we had at nice little tables in the dining- room. There was every imaginable kind of nice thing, ices, salads, and cakes. The sherbet was so nice that some persons who sat down late could not get any. It was. all gone. I got along very nicely, for John Brent looked out for me. I have not told you about the dresses, but they were all so nice that it is hard to say which was the nicest. I danced until I could hardly stand, for I was determined not to miss a single dance, but when ray aunt tried to urge me to go home before twelve o'clock so that I wouldn't be tired to death, I wouldn't give in for a moment, but told her that I felt quite nicely.' " There," said Miss Crawdon, " this is a longer com- position than many of you have prepared to-day, and mine is voluntary, while many of you have failed to carry out what was really a command laid up )n you. "What do you think of my composition ? " While she was reading, some of the girls had rubbed 20 ?,or. BRENDA, IIF.U SCHOOL AND HER CLl'B their eyes in amazement. It did not take even the duller very \or\g however to see that Miss Cniwdon had been playing a practical joke upon them. She had always had a great deal to say to them on the necessity of a wide vocabulary, and she had been particularly severe towards those girls who made the adjective "nice" take the place of more expressive words. "You noticed, perhaps," continued Miss Crawdon, "that I have not been extravagant in the matter of adjectives, at least I have been extravagant in the use of only one, for I have been able to make * nice ' serve in almost every instance where an adjective was needed, and in none of these instances was it used in its own propel sense." Those girls who had not previously seen the joke, now glanced at one another in amazement. Yes, it really wjis a practical joke, this little composition by Miss Crawdon, and they had only begui to find it out. Then Miss Crawdon spoke again. " I will not pretend that my composition has cost me much effort. Indeed, I only wrote it here in school in the few minutes at my disposal before the opening hour. I need not say also that it is the result of a few hastily jotted notes, based on scraps of conversation Avhich came to me as I passed various groups of my pupils, at recess or before school. But, seriously," and all eyes were fixed on her, " I do wish that you 'would avoid the word ' nice ' altogether for the present, unless you can resist the temptation to make it do duty on all %-:Trr:r— :^: Ll'B e even the rawdon had . She had le necessity particularly e adjective 51 7e words. C rawdon, ) matter of t in the use nice ' serve was needed, i in its own n the joke, it. Yes, it position by I find it out. has cost me in school in ;he opening ult of a few jonversation 'oups of my iously," and t you 'would esent, unless t duty on all BRKNDA, HER BCIIOOL AND HKR CLm 307 occasions. Now, hoping that you will take this lesson to heart, I will leave you to Miss South, who will talk to you for a quarter of an hour on the subject of letter writing." Thereupon Miss South took Miss Crawdon's place, and the girls had no opportunity to exchange opinions regarding Miss Crawdon's humorous, if brief, essay. Miss Crawdon and Miss South were joint teachers of this class in English. Miss South had charge of it oftener than Miss Crawdon. But the latter had gen- eral supervision of it, and as the first hour of certain mornings was given to it, occasionally Miss South was permitted to arrive at school a little late, while Miss Crawdon took her place. When Miss South was late it was not on account of any dilatoriness of her own ; it was usually business of Miss Crawdon's that detained her— for she was Miss Crawdon's trusted friend— and she often had to go to the bank, or to hold an interview with an anxious parent, or to do some other thing by which Miss Crawdon might be spared care or un- necessary steps. On this special Monday morning, however. Miss South was not only late, but she looked a little worried. Many of the girls had heard of the newly discovered relationship between her and Madame Du Launy, and in the quarter hour before school, the story of the dis- covery, Avith a few slight variations from accuracy, had been talked over very freely. When Miss South did not appear to take charge of the English class, most of -i % \ • J ■ : i ' t '{ '■ t t. ' i i t' 308 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND IIEU CLUB her pitpils assumed that she was no longer to bo a teacher at :Mis8 Crawdon's. They were therefore astonished when she entered the room, as ready to assume her school duties as if she had had no change of fortune. Yet, as I have said, Miss South looked a little worried, and her glance wandered two or three times in the direction of Brenda in a way that caused Brenda's conscience to reassert itself. " Oh, dear," she thought, " what shall I do if Miss South has heard about that money V Of course it is no concern of hers, but still, but still " Now Brenda did not know exactly what she dreaded, for her idea of the value of money was very vague. She only knew that she had not done right in leaving the two hundred dollars with Mrs. Ilosa. Yet she con- soled herself with the reflection, " At any rate I have a third of that money safe at home, and that is a great deal to have saved, if anything has happened to the rest." Nora, too, had come late to school, though Brenda had been too much carried away by the excitement of seeing the other girls again to notice this. Later in the morning Nora slipped into her accustomed place, and her face, too, though Brenda had not observed it, looked a little more serious than usual. It was not until the end of school that the storm burst. At recess Nora, contrary to her usual custom, had remained at her desk studying. But after school ;r to bo a therefore J reatly to no change ed a little three times hat caused do if Miss urse it is no he dreaded, very vague, t in leaving fet she con- ate I have a at is a great ened to the ►ugh Brenda xcitement of is. Later in tomed place, , observed it, at the storm isual custom, \, after school BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUD 309 she ran up to Brenda, with an » Oh, how could you, Brenda? We have lost almost the whole advantage from the Bazaar ! Miss South and I were down iX the Kosas this morning-I promised not to say anything to you, until after scliool-and, well. Miss South will tell you. I can't bear to talk about it." " Brenda," said Miss South, drawing near, " I suppose that you would like me to teU you about Mrs. Rosa's money, yet I do not feel that it is a matter with which I ought to meddle. I had nothing to do with raising the money, only I have been interested in the plan by means of which you all wished to help the poor woman." « We all think that you have been very kind," inter- posed Nora, politely. " Ah, I have been. I am very much interested in Mrs. Kosa and her family— and so I know is Brenda," for she saw a cloud settling on the young girl's face. " But you were not exactly wise, Brenda, in leaving that money with Mrs. Eosa." "Has it been stolen?" gasped Brenda. "Well, not exactly stolen, although Mrs. Eosa no longer has it." "Brenda," interrupted Nora, "I certainly beggca you not to leave it there. Though I never imaf.med that you would do so." "Well, Brenda," continued Miss South, "Nora re- ceived a letter this morning from Angelina, written apparently in great haste last night. What she said I : 1 ; I m - ■"?5tfK-*^i^^1S»»''^ 310 BKENDA, IIEK SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Avas very vague, but she spoke of the loss of two hun- dred dollars in such a way as to recall to Nora your suggestion that you might leave the money with Mrs. Kosa. Kora was so excited that she left her breakfast — so she tells me — almost untasted. She gave her mother a hasty account of what Angelina had told her, and her mother advised her to see me. The up- shot was that we went at once to Mrs. Rosa's, and there we found that the young man who has been ti'oubling her lately to pay a debt which he claimed that she owed his mother had called to see her soon after you and Nora were at the house. He caught sight of the purse that you had left with Mrs. Rosa, and when her head was turned, pulled it from under the pillow and began to examine its contents. Natur- ally he was astonished to find that it contained two hundred dollars, and when Mrs. Rosa saw him with the purse in bis hand he refused to give it up to her. The Ijoor woman was alone and very weak, and so com- pletely in his power that she could not refuse when he comi)elled her to tell him how the money had come into her possession. When he learned that it bad been raised for her at a Bazaar, and that it was to be used lor her benefit be seemed very much pleased. 'It is really your own,' he said, 'or else the young ladies would not have left it with you. If it is to do you any good you had better give it to me to keep you out of prison, for that is where I shall send you for not pay- ing your debts, unless you give me this money.' So by ,UB f two bun- Nora your with Mrs. r breakfast gave her I had told I. The up- iosa's, aud ) has been he claimed le her soon He caught Mrs. Rosa, :rom under ts. Natur- tained two ,m with the ) her. The id so com- se when he had come it had been ) to be used sed. 'It is Dung ladies do you any > you out of lor not pay- ey.' So by BllENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 311 continued threats he finally made her sign a paper say- in"- that she paid the money wiUingly to rid her- sell of a debt owed to his mother. He even made her think that he had done her a great favor in not trying to get the fifty dollars— the balance of the debt which he claimed." Brenda had listened with an almost dazed expression while Miss South told this strange story. "But he did no: really take it, did he?' -..e mur- mured. «He not only took it," said Miss South, "but we have reason to think that he has left the country with it His friends say that he had been getting ready for weeks to go to South America, and that he expected to sail from New York this morning." "Can't he be stopped?" asked Brenda. Her voice sounded very weak, and her face was not at all the face of the usually cheerful young girl. "He cannot be stopped now, Brenda, and I doubt if in any case we couM recover the money. He was very clever in getting Mrs. Rosa to sign that paper. U he were in Boston we might recover the money on the ground that it did not belong to Mrs. Rosa, and that therefore she had no right to give it away. But we can hardly make that a ground for any action now. Besides, I know that she thought that the money be- longed to her, in some way you gave her that impres- sion, and any testimony of hers would not help us very much if you had a case in court against young Silva. i i! ti 312 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB "But she knew," moaned poor Brenda, "that the money was only to help her to go to the country. I am sure that I said so to her." " You cannot expect a woman of her limited intel- ligence, a foreigner, too, who only half understands English, to grasp the meaning of all that is said to her. The fact was ch^nr to her that you had brought her soine money, and when her creditor claimed it, she be- lieved that he had a right to it, and that to use it in this way would benefit her more than to spend it in going to the country." " Well, it seems to me that she just deceived me," cried Brenda, angrily. " No," responded Nora, " you must be fair. , Miss South and I both believe that she didn't mean to do anything with the money when she took it from you, but she thought that you had given it her " " And she never has been as an'ti i move from the city as we have been to have hei. ^.ontinued Miss South, " yet it is so much the best thing, and our plans are all carefully made, that I hope we can carry them out." " I have one hundred dollars at home," said Brenda, " but, oh, dear, I do not like to think about it ; how angry Belle and Edith will be. Do they know yet? " " No," said Miss South, " I thought it better to tell you first. Nora and I are the only persons except Mrs. Eosa and her friends Avho know anything about the money. But of course you must teU the other girls ••»♦■ UB "that the ountry. I lited intel- nderstands aid to her, ■ought her it, she be- :o use it in peud it in jived me," fair. Miss nean to do from you, move from inued Miss 1 our plans jarry them id Brenda, lut it ; how 3wyet?" stter to tell ons except bing about other girls BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 313 as well as your father and mother. It might be worth while for them to consult a lawyer, at least they might feel better satisfied. For my own part, I am confident that the money cannot be recovered." " Come, come, Brenda, now do cheer up," cried Nora. « It's no use crying about spilled milk, and perhaps we can think of some way to straighten things out." «I might sell my watch," said Brenda, as they walked away from the school, "and give up my allow- ance for the rest of the year, for it is just as if I had thrown that money away— and we all worked so hard for it." " Well, we all had a good time out of the Bazaar, replied the optimistic Nora, "and perhaps the money has done some good in going to Mrs. Eosa's creditor. I shouldn't wonder if we could get a subscription for all that we need to help the Rosas," and so Nora chattered on, in her efforts to cheer Brenda. For the latter, always at one extreme or the other, was now very low- spirited. t I Br. ij' IB' It XXX brenda's folly It would make a long story to tell what every one said on the subject of Brenda's folly. For this was the name given it, and by this name it was lor remem- bered, much to Brenda's discomfiture, when the subject of Mrs. Rosa and her money was brought up. There were so many persons who had a right to ex- press an opinion, that poor Brenda felt that simply to listen to what they said was punishment enough. There were all the girls who had worked for the Bazaar, and all their parents, and all the girls at school who hadn't worked for the Bazaar, but had done their share of buying. There were the boys from Harvard, whose criticism took the form of mild chafiing, and there wei'e — but the list, it seemed to Brenda, included every one whom she had ever known, and some with whom she was sure that she had no acquaintance. Mr. and Mrs. Barlow were especially severe, and told her that she must gradually reimburse The Four from her allowance. " For the money," said Mr. Bar- low, " did not belong to you, you held it in trust for Edith, and Belle, and Nora, and indeed I wonder how they ever came to entrust it entirely to you. You are too heedless a girl to have any real responsibility, and a . — : 1- every one lis was the r /emem- ,lie subject ight to ex- > simi^ly to gh. There azaar, and .'ho hadn't ;* share of ird, whose ihere wei'e every one whom she jvere, and The Four i Mr. Bar- n trust for jnder how You are bility, and BRENDA, UER SCHOOL AND IlEU CLUB 315 I only hope that your thoughtlessness is not going to deprive Mrs. Eosa of the country home that Miss South and the others have planned for her." Poor Brenda I Before that fatal Saturday two hun- dred dollars had seemed to her very little, but now it seemed an almost infinite amount. Her father, of course, could easily have given her the sum at once, but he preferred to make her realize her heedlessness. Indeed the lesson had already begun to benefit her ; for the first time in her life Brenda realized the value of money. How in the world could she herself ever save the required sum from her allowance. Why, if she should not spend a cent upon her own little wants it would take her more than two years to get together two hundred dollars. For her allowance it should be explained, was large enough only to provide little extra things that she needed, or thought that she needed. She had not to use any of it for clothes, or other useful purposes. Yet when Brenda began to count the things that she must give up for two years, or longer, it seemed as if she could hardly bear the sacrifice. But her sense of justice prevailed, and at last she admitted that she deserved this punish- ment. " Poor Brenda ! » said Mr. Barlow to Mrs. Barlow, as Brenda walked away after this interview with her head bent as if in reflection. "Poor Brenda! This lesson will be a hard one, but if we are ready to help her out of every difficulty, she will never be able to stand t I .1 316 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB alone. I, at least, could not feel justified in coming to the rescue just now." After this conversation with her father, Prenda walked upstairs sadly, at least her head drooped a lit- tle, and any one who had followed her to her rooiii would have found that the first thing she did was to fling herself, face downward on that broad chintz- covered lounge of hers. While she lay there, she did not hear a gentle knock at the door, nor the soft foot- step of some one entering the room. "Why, Brenda Barlow," cried a pleasant voice. " Why, Brenda Barlow, why are you lying in this downcast position ? " At first there was no reply from the prostrate figure. Then Julia— for it was she who had entered the room —ventured a little nearer, and repeated her question in a somewhat different form. Thereupon Brenda sprang to her feet, and though she attempted to smile at Julia, there were very evi- dent traces of tears on her cheek. "Brenda," said Julia, "you know that I am very apt to go straight to the point, if I wish to say anything, and so I will not apologize for what I am going •) say. I am sure that you won't be offended if I tell you that you are thinking too much about the loss of Mrs. Kosa's money. I have been noticing you for several days." (It was now about a week since Miss South had made the discovery of the loss.) As Brenda made no reply, Julia continued, this time UB in coming sr, Prenda »oped a lit- her room did was to ad chintz- re, she did 5 soft foot- ant voice. ig in this •ate figure. 1 the room :][uestion in nd though 3 very evi- m very apt f anything, ling '" say. ill you that Mrs. Kosa's eral days." 1 had made i, this time i i ff ii m i iiif '!■ *■ m i* . .nTTtti.n^-'' " "^' "^" ■ ' ■*" BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 317 a little timidly, "Nora and Edith feel sorry that you y,m not take an interest in the plans for inoving Mrs. Eosa to Shiloh. You know wo have been out to see the cottage, and we missed you dreadfully. Belle wasn't there either, but since the Bazaar she hasn t been as much interested in the Kosas. But we thought that you really had some interest." « Why, yes, I have," replied Brenda. She did not resent Julia's «we" in speaking of the efforts now making for the Eosas, although not so very long before Brenda herself had opposed having Julia considered one of "The Four." « Why yes, I have an interest in Mrs. Eosa," repeated Brenda, then with a return of her old light-heartedness. "Two hundred dollars' worth of interest, and what bothers me is to know how to turn it into capital. (You see from this that Brenda had not altogether for- gotten her arithmetic.) . "There, Brenda, that is just what I have been wish- in- to speak about to you. I have been afraid that you ha^'ve been worrying over this. For Uncle Thomas has told me that he has decided not to help you to pay it. Again the girl to whom she was speaking seemed un- like the old Brenda, for she did not resent the fact that Julia had apparently been taken into Mr. Barlow s con- fidence to so great an extent. . , , « Now Brenda," continued Julia, « as I have said be- fore I always prefer to come straight to the point, and 80 I'must tell you that the two hundred dollars has been • ^ 318 BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB paid to Miss South — the other girls have voted to make her tlie treasurer — for Mrs. Ilosa's benefit." " Where in the world, — " began Brenda, in a most as- tonished tone. Then with a glance at Julia's face, over which an expression of self-consciousness was spreading, " Why, Julia Bourne, had you any — thing, did you, why I really believe that you had something to do with it. Did you get some one to give you the money ? " " No," replied Julia, with a look of relief " oh, no, no, I made no effort to collect money." Brenda's wits were now well at work. *' There, Julia, I begin to see ; it seemed funny when you paid one hundred dollars for that picture, at least I thought very little about it then, but to-day when I was going over everything connected with the Rosas in my mind, it occurred to me that one hundred dollars was a rather large amount for you to pay, and I meant to ask you how it happened — " then stammering a little, as she realized that this was not a very polite way of putting things, " at least, I know that I should never have so much money saved up from my allowance for any one thing. But you are more sensible than I, and of course you can make money go a great deal farther." Julia smiled pleasantly, for she understood in spite of a certain confusion of statement, pretty well what her cousin meant. But still she did not answer immediately, and Brenda, who was now thoroughly herself, exclaimed, " Do tell me, Julia, did you give that two hundred I »i t'llHK LUB ted to make n a most as- 's face, over s spreading, id you, why » do with it. *y?" ef " oh, no, funny when ure, at least day when I ihe Rosas in dred dollars md I meant iramering a Y polite way hould never lowance for than I, and eal farther." id in spite of ell what her and Brenda, i, wo hundred BUENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 319 dollars to Mrs. Rosa, that is, was it a present from you?" , . , For a moment Julia was silent, then she replied with some hesitation, " Yes, yes, although I had not meant to tell you, it is my little contribution to the plan you all have made for helping the Rosas. I have been wishing to do something, and it seemed better to give this now, when the money was so much needed, rather than to wait until later, as at one time I had thought of "oing. Though T am sure," she continued modestly, " tnat there would have been little trouble in raising the money, only I thought that it was better for me to make my contribution promptly now, while you were " "Then it was i"^i iJ help me; so that there would not be so much fault iinding with me. Why you are a perfect an-i-i, iulia," cried I..-^nda. "Hardly," sa^d Julia, laughing. "Hardly an angel, though if "this makes you feel more c > -.u'. ,rtable, I shall be very happy." . Brenda was on the point of asking her cousin how she happe-cd to have all this money, for the more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Before she could ask a question, Julia however had bidden her good-bye, saying that she had an engage- ment with Edith, and Brenda was forced to wait an opportunity for getting the information she wnshed ,om her mother. After all, the explanation was fairly simple. Brenda and Belle without good grounds had HiaaM^ttaJ^ii-w^MiJM' ■ r 820 BKENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB l-r .1 decided at the first that Julia was entirely dependent on Mr. Barlow. Instead of this Julia had a good in- come of her own, which when she came of age would be largely increased. The girls had wrongly assumed that Julia was studying and working diligently simply because she expected at some time to be obliged to earn her living, whereas the real motive behind all her efforts was her genuine love of study. Had circum- stances made it necessary Julia would have enjoyed the teacher's profession, as a means of earning her living. In fact sometimes when she thought about her future she found herself regretting that she could not adopt this profession. But she knew that the ranks were al- ready fairly crowded, and she felt that she would have no right to enter a profession that could barely sup- port those who needed it as a means of livelihood. Brenda and Belle had made many mistakes not only in their estimation of her fortune but in the reading of her character. Brenda was beginning to find out her own mistakes, and when once she was convinced of a fault she was seldom slow to acknowledge it. In the end she would have been fair to Julia even if her cousin had not established a certain claim upon her by her generosity towards the Eosas. For really by giving the money so promptly she had saved Brenda from a continuation of annoying criticism. Two hundred dollars was not an extremely large sum for a rich girl to give to a good cause, but Julia's delicacy and tboughtfulness made >>ilHI CLUB ily dependent id a good in- of age would ngly assumed gently simply bliged to earn ;hind all her Had circum- e enjoyed the ng her living. )ut her future uld not adopt •anks were al- io would have d barely sup- of livelihood, es not only in ;he reading of own mistakes, fault she was snd she would >usin had not ler generosity the money so ontinuatlon of irs was not an afive to a good ;fulness made BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 321 Brenda her firm friend. Belle, naturally enough, was not so ready to change her point of view. When she did permit herself to show greater cordiality towards Julia, it was rather because she had a full apprecia- tion of what it would mean to her to have a girl of Julia's wealth her friend. It was hard for Belle to take an impersonal view of anything, and this, perhaps, was largely the reason why she became of less consequence in the little set which had been called "The Four Club." As the others of the quartette grew older, Belle's selfishness became more and more disagreeable to them. Although there was still a quartette of friends, Julia began to have the fourth place, while Belle gradually withdrew to the more congenial society of Frances Pounder. But in saying this I am anticipating a little, for Belle retained her interest in the Rosas long enough to be one of those who helped move the little family to the little house which had been chosen for them in Shiloh. '-«, ii eWSM itiw i ihi •» 1 ^ XXXI THE SIIILOH PICNIC Miss South and Julia were the leaders in the work of removing the Rosas from the city. Julia showed re- markable ability, and the more she had to do the better she seemed to do it. Nor did her lessons suffer because of this outside interest. The day of removal was con- tinually changing. It was put off from week to week with one feeble excuse or another on the part of Mrs. Eosa, Miss South was more patient with the poor w^oman than were her young helpers. She realized that the poor woman could not be expected to appreciate all the advantages to result from the change, and she sympa- thized with Mrs. Rosa's reluctance to leave her old neighbors to go among strangers. Indeed it was the end of May before they were really off. On the Saturday before their departure The Four, and two or three of the other girls who had been especially interested, went out to Shiloh to see the little cottage which had been fitted up for the Rosas. It had only six rooms, and these were not very large, but what fun the girls had in exploring every nook and corner 1 Floors and walls had all been newly painted, — some in rather bright colors. There were small mats in front of each bed, and one in the centre of the room intended for dining- '4e< asm BRENDA, IIEB SCUOOL AND HER CLUB 323 in the work a showed re- lo the better iffer because v^al was con- eek to week part of Mrs. th the poor realized that ppreciate all 1 she sympa- ive her old was the end he Saturday > or three of irested, went eh had been rooms, and le girls had rs and walls ither bright )f each bed, I for dining- room, but besides these, there were no floor coverings. The bedsteads were iron, painted brown, and all the other furniture was of the simplest possible style. "I am afraid," said Julia, "that Angelina will be disappointed in not finding a piano ; she has an idea that we are considering her education as much as her mother's health in making this change, and as she hap- pens to be very anxious to take music lessons she will expect some kind of a musical instrument if not a piano." « What nonsense ! " cried Belle. " Angelina ought to be thankful that she has not been sent away as a serv- ant. She is certainly old enough to live out." « If it were not for her mother's being so weak, un- doubtedly we should make some effort to put her at service. But with all those younger children, for the present Angelina will have sufficient practice in house- work, and she is to work every day for a boarding- house keeper; if the family stays out here I have a plan that will be of great value not only to Angelina, but to the rest of them. In fact," concluded Miss South, « Angelina, if she takes kindly to the scheme, may serve as a model for a number of other girls at the North End, who stand sadly in need of such training as she will be able to get in this comfortable house." « Oh, do tell us about it now," begged Nora, " I know that you have some plan to carry out— Domestic Science-isn't that what you call it,-but I haven't the least idea what you really intend to do." .^, L»t-ii.i ' VjiJJ...Jiw ' a ' U'**J^*''-''^*'-^->^'"---'--*'*'" *-^^'^'*'''-''''-' 324 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB Miss South smiled at the eagerness which Nora dis- played, smiled indulgently, but in reply, said merely, " I am afraid that there will hardly be time now, but in the early autumn, if there is no opportunity before you go away, I am going to have a special meeting to which you will all be invited, at which I will tell you of a scheme which with your cooperation as well as that of some other interested persons I hope to carry out next season. There really is not time to say much about it now, for Philip and his friends will soon be here and we must all go to work to prepare our tea." Then the girls set to work with a will, and in addi- tion to the delicious things sent out in hampers, they prepared several dainty dishes. Many of these delica- cies were the result of the practice they had had in the cooking class of the past two seasons. Julia set the table with the new dishes that filled Mrs. Kosa's corner closet, — the closet, that is, that was to be Mrs. Rosa's. No one criticised the thickness of the cups, nor the crudeness of the colors with which the cups and plates were dec- orated, for by the time the boys came they were all so hungry that they could have eaten and drunk from plates and cups of tin. It was rather a picnic supper on the whole, as the table was not large enough for the group of merry young people who wished to gather around it. Some of them, therefore, sat out on the steps, and on the tiny little piazza at the corner, and laughed and talked in at the top of their voices in the intervals between courses. tussmmasemmmm LUB h Nora dis- i merelj, ne now, but inity before meeting to rill tell you well as that ;o carry out > say much irill soon be our tea." md in addi- mpers, they ;hese delica- l had in the set the table ^rner closet, ,'s. No one le crudeness 3S were dec- were all so drunk from bole, as the p of merry d it. Some on the tiny talked in at een courses. BRENDA, HEB SCHOOL AND HEP CLUB 325 Though each course consisted of little more than a sandwich, or a stuffed egg, or a salad, those who in turn took the part of waiters and waitresses served them with all the pomp that might have had its proper place at a great feast. It was all in fun, and the fun was of the heartiest kind. Then when the supper was over, boys and girls-the dignified PhUip, the serious Will, as well as fun loving Brenda and Nora, sot to work with energy, and washed and wiped dishes, and put things in order, so that the little house showed not the slightest trace of " invasion of the Goths and Van- dals," as Brenda said, with an unusual correctness of historical allusion. There was a delightful drive, to wind up the evening, around the borders of the lake which forms one of the attractions of Shiloh, and when just at dark they stepped aboard the train they all de- clared that it was the pleasantest expedition that they had known for— well for a long, long time. " If Mrs. Rosa were to take summer boarders, I am sure that I should love to come out here for a month," said Ruth, « I mean if she only hadn't so many chil- dren to fill up the house, so completely." "If you were to come," said Will, in an undertone, « I am sure that I should wish to spend the summer in Shiloh, too. I made friends with the owner of the omnibus that brought us up, and I rather think that I could get him to take me in." Ruth blushed as Will made this speech, for even she could not help noticing the decided preference that he ^T fS " tl III J II' t 326 BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB showed for her society. It had been his actions rather than his words that had attracted the attention of the others, for he seemed in no way afraid of having his preference known. Kuth was neither foolish, nor vain, but she had to admit to herself that "Will's little atten- tive ways were rather gratifying. In the cars on the way home, Philip and Julia happened to sit together. Philip was still somewhat conscious in his manner, for he could not forget that he was a sophomore. Yet with Julia he always got on capitally, and they had really become very good friends. "Do you see much of Madame Du Launy now?" he asked, " I hear that you and she were great friends for a time." " Oh, we are now," answered Julia, " only naturally since she and Miss South have discovered their relation- ship, I do not go there as often as I did earlier in the spring." " Then this story about Miss South is really true, she actually is the old lady's granddaughter ! " said Philip. " I heard a lot about it just after the Bazaar, but in some way I thought that it would prove to be a mistake. You know that things like that do not often happen out of books." " Oh, this is perfectly true," answered Julia, " and the whole thing is just as interesting as it can be. It seems very sad that Madame Du Launy should have lived a lonely life for so long when here was a granddaughter _. i4. .UB ions rather tion of ihe having his li, nor vain, little atten- and Julia somewhat forget that ^ays got on very good ny now?" 'eat friends y naturally iir relation- rlier in the ly true, she said Philip, zaar, but in B a mistake, ten happen a, " and the ). It seems lave lived a nddaughter BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB 327 close at hand, and a grandson not so very far away. She could have been such a help to them, and they to her. « It shows that an old lady can't afford not to know who her grandchildren are, and where they live," re- sponded Philip, "especially if one of them is as pretty and clever as Miss South." ^^ "Oh, well, there were special reasons in this case, answered Julia. j t>i r "Then doesn't it seem queer," continued Philip, "that you yourself should have had the credit all win- ter of being a poor dependent-isn't that what they say in novels ? How do you feel now when you know that every one knows that you are an heiress? he concluded, mischievously. , t r "Oh pretty well, I thank you," answered Julia, adopting his tone. "You see I never imagined for a moment that people attached any importance to my having or not having money. Indeed, to be perfectly fair, I cannot see any change in any one since the dis- covery was made." . t. ,i « >. « Whew ! " whistled Philip, " not even m Belle f After a moment of silence, Julia replied, "I do not suppose that under any circumstances Belle and I could ever have been great friends. Our tastes are so unlike In the early winter many little things troubled me. 1 often felt neglected when The Four left me out of their plans, especially while they were working for the Bazaar. But at length I decided that I ought not to expect Brenda to treat me at once like an intimate 4 i< aji ir# ju5j?5V i ri>«'f 'v'l'aHi' ii a-i i tV jn . - , : . \\ » | 'n . 1 1 ■ i' i mru' i "rVrii:r«iV > 'Tj « ' 'i ij - 32S BRENDA, HER SCHOOL AND HER CLUB friend. I knew that in time she would understand me better, and this is what has really happened. But Nora and Edith were always so kind to me that I had a de- lightful winter." " Then pity," said Philip, with a smile, " would be utterly wasted on Brenda's cousin ? " " It would be utterly wasted on her," replied Julia, cheerfully, '' especially since she has been permitted to make a fifth in Brenda's Four Club." THE END ^ * , * ■ y i m i i. i .ijmui *.. Drstancl me But Nora I had a de- would be >lied Julia, irmitted to