CHAPTER VI
OFF FOR THREE TOWERS HALL
It was just two weeks to the time when the girls were to leave for ThreeTowers Hall.
It seemed to them they would never get done all the things that they hadto do, and they sewed and packed and planned until it seemed they muststop because of sheer exhaustion.
However, their parents sent them to bed early--and not withoutdifficulty was this feat accomplished--on the night before the greatday, and the morning found them refreshed and wildly eager for this newadventure.
As, in her own little room, Billie regarded her flushed reflection inthe mirror it seemed impossible to make herself realize that she wasreally going to Three Towers Hall at last--Three Towers which had beenthe height of her ambition from the time she had entered the grammarschool.
She was beginning to feel quite grown up--which was perhaps the reasonshe regarded her new and very pretty brown hat with a critical eye andsmoothed down her new and very pretty brown dress with hands thattrembled with excitement.
"Well, I think I'm all ready now," she said at last, and gave a little,half-frightened glance around the familiar room. She wondered how itwould seem to sleep in a strange place with no mother or father near by.
Then she shook herself impatiently and picked up her bag--for was shenot grown-up now?
However, she did not feel very grown-up when a moment later she met hermother in the hall and saw traces of tears on her face. For Mother hadno new scenes to go to and the departure of her two noisy children wouldleave the house strangely quiet and subdued.
Billie flung herself upon her mother and hugged her tight.
"Mumsey, you've been crying!" she said to her accusingly. "And you knowyou mustn't."
Then to her great surprise she felt a peculiar lump in her own throat,and two tears forced themselves to her eyes.
She had never dreamt of crying, and for the first time she realized thatleaving one's mother--even for Three Towers--was not easy, after all!
But it was Mrs. Bradley who came to the rescue and prevented a breakdown by asking:
"Isn't that Laura coming down the street? And the boy with her must beTeddy."
With a quick movement, Billie brushed her hand across her eyes, kissedher mother hard, and straightened the new brown hat.
"You're coming to the station, M--mother?" she asked, and Mrs. Bradleynodded.
After that Chet came in, wrestled with the same troublesome lump in histhroat, told his mother, "Not to worry, Mumsey, he'd write every day,and she mustn't forget to write for he was going to miss her awfully,"and then Mr. Bradley joined them and they all started for the station.
Mr. and Mrs. Jordon were with Teddy and Laura. Teddy said that Ferd wason his way, but had told them not to wait for him, he'd catch up to themlater.
A little farther on they picked up Violet and Mr. and Mrs. Farrington,and after that there was no more time to think of being homesick.
There was something in the sunshine, the crisp air, the brilliant,changing colors of the leaves on the trees that went to Billie's headand made her feel as though she were walking on air.
"Do you suppose Ferd will catch up to us?" she asked of Teddy. Teddy waslooking unusually handsome this morning--at least so Billie thought--andshe was surprised to find that he was walking beside her. "It would beawful if he made us miss the train."
"You don't think we'd _wait_ for him do you?" asked Teddy scornfully."If Ferd's late he'll be the only one to miss the train!"
Both Teddy and Billie had always agreed that if you talked of an angelhe or she was sure to turn up, and in this case their faith wasjustified.
For just as they reached the station platform a figure that looked veryfamiliar turned the corner and came rushing down toward them as if benton running a Marathon.
"There's Ferd--and here's the train," announced Teddy, as a shrillwhistle made them jump and look eagerly down the track. "Not much timeto waste at that."
The young folks were so taken up in the leave taking that they failed tonotice two girls who got on the train just after them. Even if they hadnot been able to see the faces of these newcomers, an overheard sentenceor two would have given them the clue to their identity.
"Isn't it just like them, the stuck up things," one of the girls said tothe other, "to bring all their relations to see them off?"
"Never mind," said the other with a malicious grin. "I guess I gave themrather a jolt the other day when I told them I was going to Three Towerstoo. I guess they thought they owned the place and ought to have it allto themselves."
However, the boys and girls were perfectly unaware of this conversationconcerning themselves; although it probably would not have bothered themvery greatly if they had heard it.
They were still leaning out of the window, calling to those left on theplatform and answering injunctions "not to get killed" from theirmothers and to "please be careful and not get into any more scrapes thanthey could help" from their fathers, when the guard shouted a warningand the train started off.
They waved until the station and the people on it were out of sight,then settled back in their seats "to view the prospect o'er," Chet said.
For a moment they all felt a little lost and queer, though nothing inthe world could have made them confess to the feeling. But the littlewave of homesickness soon passed off, swallowed up by the vision of theamazing adventure ahead of them.
Before the little party had stowed away their baggage and taken offtheir wraps, several boys and girls they had known at school came overto greet them and talk things over, and Billie, leaning over to rescue abox of chocolates that had fallen at her feet, suddenly looked up andright into the beaming face of Nellie Bane.
Nellie was a friend of the chums who had rather expected to go to ThreeTowers Hall with them at first. But Mr. and Mrs. Bane had suddenlydecided to go to Europe and take Nellie with them, which had ratherupset Nellie's plans. And now here she was on the train with them.
"Why, Nellie!" Billie cried, almost dropping the chocolates again in hersurprise and delight. "How did you get here----"
"Through the window," mocked Nellie, and dropped into a vacant seatbeside Laura.
"But," stammered the latter, her eyes round and wide with wonder, "thelast we heard of you you were going to England."
"Yes. But an aunt of Daddy's died and he decided we'd better postponethe voyage until next summer."
"Are you glad or sorry?" demanded Billie breathlessly.
"Glad," said Nellie without a moment's hesitation. "I want to go toEurope, of course. But I can go there any old time, and I was simplywild to go to Three Towers with you girls. You'll never know how jealousI was," she ended with a sigh.
"Isn't it funny?" marveled Violet. "And here we were envying you!"
They laughed, and thereupon entered into a spirited conversation thatlasted until Ferd interrupted to inquire what they were keeping thechocolates to themselves for, anyway. Did they think they had a corneron the chocolate market? To this Billie answered by holding out thewhole box, showing that they had been too busy talking even to open it.
This interruption led to others, however, and they found that nearly thewhole car was occupied by girls and boys from North Bend who were goingto Three Towers or the Boxton Military Academy.
At last, wearied with excitement and visiting, Billie sank into her ownseat. A moment later Teddy came and sat down beside her.
"I see we have your friend with us," he said, handing over the candybox.
"My friend?" repeated Billie, bewildered.
"Amanda Peabody," he explained. "She is sitting with another girl wholooks as if she might be a second edition of Amanda. There! Away at theend of the car! You surely missed a lot by not seeing them."
"Another girl," Billie repeated, looking worried. "Then there are two ofthem."
"Yes. But don't let it hurt your appetite. Have some more candy."
"Do you know her name--the other one?" asked Billie, ignoring theoffere
d candy box.
"No, I didn't stop long enough to inquire. In fact," he chuckled and bitinto a chocolate, "I gave them one look and beat it."
Billie dimpled, but the next moment her face was grave again.
"That's all right for you," she said. "But what would you do if youcouldn't 'beat it'?"
It was Teddy's turn to be puzzled.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Only," said Billie, speaking very slowly and distinctly, "that Amandaand most likely that other girl, whoever she is, are both going to ThreeTowers Hall with us."
Teddy emitted a long whistle and looked sympathetic.
"Say, I'm sorry. That's tough luck."
"It's worse than that," wailed Billie. "It's--it's ruinous! I just knowthat Amanda Peabody will do her best to spoil the term for us girls!"