"But do tell me how you knew."

"I will tell you everything, only come in," and Dolly gave her a good-natured push into the room where the others were waiting for them, for Mary and Miss Van Gerder had already returned with permission for Margaret to change rooms, if she desired.

"I sincerely hope that you do desire, for I really want you, Margaret."

"You are very good, Miss Van Gerder."

"Now stop right there, Margaret. Whether you room with me or not, you shall not be formal. My name is Constance, and you know it very well."

"I never called you by it," said Margaret steadily.

"I hope you will now. Please don't spoil the entire year for me. If you will consent to share my rooms, and let me make up for my thoughtlessness in so far as I may, you will be doing me a great favor."

"I do not see why you should not have said what you did; it was the truth, and there was no reason why it should not have been told. You must not feel that you owe me any reparation. That is not true. So far as I am concerned, while the present moment may be a little disagreeable in many respects, I cannot altogether regret what has occurred. Mother, naturally, will feel sorry, but there cannot be further disclosures, for I filled in, for Miss Dunbar's benefit, all the details that you had omitted. She knows that Father was your uncle's coachman, and--"

"And he was a good one, and we all liked him. What a tempest in a teapot this is! Now be sensible. You are going to be my room-mate as a favor to me. I beg it. That is settled. I shall see that Patrick comes and moves your trunks this afternoon, and as soon as we have had some of Miss Newby's tea, we are all going over to your room to help you carry the lighter things. There is no need to bother packing those."

"Of course not," said Beth readily. "We shall be delighted to help you. With five of us at work, we shall have everything moved in half an hour."

Margaret looked only half-satisfied. She had pride, too. If Constance Van Gerder was taking her in a spirit of self-sacrifice, she had no intention of becoming her room-mate. Things would not be pleasant, but she could stand it, even if she _were_ ostracized.

But Constance read her easily, and without referring again to the subject, she soothed her wounded pride and contrived to let her know that she was actually wanted.

A little later they all started for Margaret's room to aid her in the "moving process." The room was still filled with Abby Dunbar's friends, and they were evidently much excited.

Constance included them all in the cool little nod that she gave on entering. "You must not bear malice against me, Miss Dunbar, for stealing your room-mate. I did not know that she was at Westover, so I made arrangements to room alone, but now I must put in my claim. My right is the prior one, for I have known her so much longer."

Constance had been talking against time. She wanted Margaret to leave the room with her load of small articles. There was just one word that she intended saying to these girls on the subject they were discussing; then she intended to have the matter closed forever, so far as she was concerned.

Abby Dunbar herself gave the opportunity for the desired remark, just as Margaret pa.s.sed from the room.

"Are you actually in earnest? I did not believe you could mean it! Have you asked her to room with you? Of course, we understand that you did it in a charitable spirit, and because you are sorry for her position here, since she has been found out, but--"

"Excuse my interrupting you. I have asked Miss Hamilton to room with me because her companionship will be a pleasure. I had to coax rather hard before she would consent. There is just one other thing to be said.

Our sitting-room is common property, and I shall never care to see anyone there who is at all discourteous to Margaret!"

With that she turned away and picked up a pile of Margaret's books.

She had made a telling speech and she knew it. Constance could not be unaware of the influence she exerted socially, by means of her mere name.

The girls would not wish to shut themselves out from all the privileges of her room, and there would be no more open acts of aggression so far as Margaret was concerned. Of that Constance felt a.s.sured. At the same time it was certain that Margaret would be subjected to many petty slights and snubs and wounds. But she would have to endure those, and her nature was too fine to allow of her growing bitter because of them.

There was gossip and much quiet talk, but Constance Van Gerder's determined stand put an end to open insults and recriminations. Two days later, there was another subject for gossip, also, for Margery Ainsworth had been readmitted to college on "probation." Such a thing had rarely been known before, and the stigma of disgrace attaching to such students as were on "probation" was great. It was understood that they were under special surveillance, and the many privileges accorded other students were withheld from them. Of course, Margery had come back as a freshman. The girls had heard that Mr. Ainsworth was intensely angry with Margery, and had declared that she must stay at Westover until she graduated, if it took a hundred years. She was to room with a freshman, and, judging from her expression, she had come back reluctantly and rebelliously. Dolly and Beth talked it over, and wondered what good end Mr. Ainsworth could hope to effect by sending her to college, when she was in such an obstinate frame of mind.

"At least, she has diverted the attention of the girls from Margaret, and, Beth, I like her more than I ever supposed I could. Didn't she preside with dignity at our cla.s.s meeting last evening, though? No one would ever have guessed how some of the girls stormed at her only a few days ago."

"'Tis fortunate that she has Constance Van Gerder as a loyal friend.

To tell the truth, I think that she is relieved now. There is nothing for her to hide or cover up. We must see Constance about the cla.s.s elections, though. They will come in two days, and I am positive that Abby Dunbar will try to prevent Margaret's being elected chairman of the executive committee. That is a position which has always been given to the retiring president, and certainly Margaret has done enough for our cla.s.s to deserve the honor. It would be a shame to slight her."

"Yes, it would. Constance is in her room now, I think, and Margaret will be at the literature lecture. Come, we will see her at once."

Constance was very glad to promise her help to the girls, and the work commenced that day in earnest. They soon found that Abby and her particular coterie had been hard at work for some little time, but Margaret's supporters labored with a will, and went to their cla.s.s meeting with hopeful hearts.

"I am anxious about two offices," Dolly confessed to Miss Van Gerder as she walked down the hall toward the room in which the meeting would be held. "I want to see Beth elected president, and I want Margaret made chairman of the executive committee." Some way, rather to their own astonishment, Beth and Dolly found themselves on very intimate terms with Miss Van Gerder. The three, with Margaret, made a very congenial quartette.

Mary Sutherland felt at a disadvantage before this girl, whose father's name was a world-wide synonym for wealth. She was never at her best when Constance was present. She utterly refused to go to her room, and Dolly finally lost all patience with her.

"You must have a very low opinion of yourself, Mary Sutherland, if you think that a few dollars are worth more than you are. Can't you see what kind of a girl Constance Van Gerder is? Of course, she knows that she is immensely rich, but she is not silly. She doesn't dress extravagantly, or load herself with jewelry. In fact, there are a dozen girls here, who spend more on dress in the course of a year than she does. Her gowns fit to perfection, and they are always made in good taste, but she doesn't care for such things. She is forever doing quiet, lovely things for other people. Your aunt told me that she thought Miss Van Gerder would take up college settlement work. Whether she does or not, she will not be a useless b.u.t.terfly of fashion."

"There is no use my trying to know her better. We have nothing in common. I am poor and she is tremendously rich."

"You mean that you are vilely proud, Mary Sutherland. If you were not so proud, you would see how gracious and lovely Constance Van Gerder is.

It is just as much a crime for a poor person to be proud as for a rich one. Why can't you be yourself, and enjoy Constance and her bright ways as Beth and I do?"

But Mary refused to listen to reason, and drew more and more into her sh.e.l.l. College had only been in session a short time now, but it was evident that Mary was going to isolate herself, despite all that Dolly and Beth could say, and despite Dolly's exasperated appeals to Professor Newton. There was a strong vein of stubbornness in Mary, and much as she loved her aunt, she declined to argue this matter with her. "The girls had been good to her last year, because Dolly had been compelled to room with her, but she was not their kind, anyway, and she wasn't going to force herself in where she was not wanted."

Professor Newton and the girls had given up the effort in despair, and Mary was left to gang her ain gait. The soph.o.m.ore elections had been deferred a little for one reason and another, and it was now the end of the third week.

If Margaret's friends had worked hard in her behalf, the opposition had been working hard, also, and before the meeting had advanced far, Dolly began to lose heart.

CHAPTER XIV

When things were fairly under way, Dolly nominated Beth for the presidency. Half a dozen other nominations were made, but the result was very satisfactory to Beth's friends, as she was elected by a large majority.

Constance was made vice-president without opposition, and the rest of the balloting went smoothly enough until the executive committee was reached. Then Constance made her first little speech, nominating Margaret for the chairmanship, and putting forcibly before the cla.s.s, the good work that she had done as president, and "for which," Constance concluded with significant emphasis, "we want, most a.s.suredly, to show our grat.i.tude now, in the only way possible."

Abby Dunbar was immediately nominated by Grace Chisholm, and then, as no other names were mentioned, the balloting proceeded.

Beth felt more nervous over this, than she had when her own name was up for the presidency. Constance had done her best, and there was no doubting her influence; still, the balloting was secret, and might not some of the girls leave Constance under the impression that they would vote for Margaret, and now, when the time had come for the voting, cast their ballots for Abby Dunbar? Constance would not be able to tell what girls had kept faith with her, and what ones had not.

"I would never do for a politician," Beth confided to Dolly in a whisper. "I am too nervous and excitable; see how cool Constance is, and Margaret, too."

"Yet Margaret will feel it bitterly, if she is defeated under these circ.u.mstances; and as a cla.s.s we ought to be ashamed of it if she _be_ defeated, for it will be an open acknowledgment of the fact that we care more for dollars and cents, than we do for genuine worth and ability. I shall be ashamed of the soph.o.m.ores if Margaret is not elected."

The cla.s.s had lost some of its members, and had gained several new ones, so that at this time it numbered an even three hundred. Even Margaret, with all her self-control, began to show the strain before the tellers appeared.

The chairman was an enthusiastic admirer of Margaret, and her voice vibrated triumphantly as she tried to announce in a perfectly calm tone, the result of the voting:

Margaret Hamilton . . . . 153 votes.

Abby Dunbar . . . . . . . 147 votes.

There was a moment of utter silence, then Constance started the applause which grew and grew until it became an actual uproar. Even those who had voted against Margaret, now, with few exceptions, joined in the applause, for Constance's keen eyes were sweeping the room, and not a girl present wished to be ranged in open opposition to her. It was she, and she alone, who had carried the day for Margaret.

Margaret realized the fact, and, while she was grateful, she felt stung and hurt. Constance found her in tears when she went to their room sometime after the meeting had dispersed. Tears, with Margaret, were a rare thing. Constance knew what they meant this time, although she affected not to.

"You see, Margaret, that you were elected, despite your declaration that you would not be. Aren't you ashamed of the little faith you had in your friends?"