CHAPTER VI
A FACE TO FACE TALK
For a week at least Alice Rawle stayed religiously away from Wayne Halland her idol, during which time Kathleen went serenely about herbusiness, apparently undisturbed by the lull in the attentions of herone "crush." Then a certain sharp-eyed sophomore noted the fact and,happening to run across the newspaper girl in the gymnasium oneafternoon, remarked laughingly, "I hear your little friend, Miss Rawle,has transferred her allegiance to Miss Eliot."
"What utter nonsense," declared Kathleen. Yet she frowned herdispleasure at the intimation, and immediately held Patience responsiblefor Miss Rawle's deflection. She decided to look into the matter thatvery afternoon and found time to stop and see Alice on her way home fromher class. She rang the bell at Livingston Hall a little before fiveo'clock, only to find that Miss Rawle had not yet come in. The newspapergirl turned her steps toward Wayne Hall, feeling slightly disappointedand vexed. Arrived at the Hall, she slipped upstairs with the cat-likequiet and ease that always characterized her movements. At the door ofher room she paused for a moment, listening to the sound of voices thatcame from within. Then, with a vehement exclamation, she flung wide thedoor and darted into the room.
"Whatever you have to say of me you can say in my presence," shestormed. "Do you hear? I said, 'In my presence,'" she repeated, hervoice rising.
The two astonished occupants of the room regarded the angry girl insilent astonishment. Then the tension of the moment relaxed, and AliceRawle found her voice. "You are right," she said to Kathleen, with ascornful little gesture. "We were talking of you. Evidently you heardwhat we said. I am glad you did. Until this moment I liked you betterthan any other girl in Overton. If you had come sooner, you would haveheard me say so. But now I think you are unjust and contemptible and Ishall never speak to you again." Turning to Patience, who had stoodimpassive during this outburst, she said with sudden penitence: "I'msorry I lost my temper. I will come again to see you at some other time.Good-bye."
As the door closed on Alice, Kathleen confronted Patience with blazingeyes. "It is all your fault," she accused wildly. "I hate you! You areone of the superior, narrow-minded sort of girls who will excusenothing. You imagine yourself to be perfect, but you can always discoverfaults in others. You don't like me. I know it. I have those dearfriends of yours to thank for it, too. I know that Miss Harlowe hastaken particular pains to strengthen your first impression of me, whichwasn't favorable. It is very unfortunate that we are obliged to roomtogether. I suppose it is useless to ask you to mind your own businessand let me alone."
Kathleen walked moodily to the window and stood looking out, herfavorite attitude when greatly disturbed in spirit. Crossing swiftly towhere the newspaper girl stood, Patience laid two firm hands onKathleen's shoulders. She whirled at the touch, her eyes flashing.
"That's right," commented Patience. "I want you to look at me. The timehas come for you and me to have an understanding. I've been putting offthe evil day, and there have been times when I have even dreamed that wemight dispense with it altogether. But now we must face it. I am goingto tell you exactly what I think of you and why I think it, and you aregoing to perform the same kind office for me. Will you please begin?"
Kathleen's face set in sullen lines. "You know what I think of you," shemuttered. "I just finished telling you. I told you last week, too."
"So you did," smiled Patience, "but surely you must think otheruncomplimentary things of me."
"Will you kindly take your hands off my shoulders and attend to your ownaffairs?" Kathleen's voice choked with renewed anger.
Patience's hands dropped to her sides. "Very well. If you haven'tanything further to say on the subject of my short-comings, I'll proceedto yours," was her brisk declaration.
"I won't listen to you," cried Kathleen passionately. "I won't stay hereand allow you to insult me."
She sprang toward the door, but Patience, divining her intention, turnedthe key in the lock and calmly pocketed it. "Don't be a goose," sheadvised. "You are too clever to be so childish. You are deliberatelytrying to shut yourself out of all the pleasant part of college by goingabout with a grievance on your shoulder. If you weren't so clever Ishouldn't take the trouble to say what I think. Why, you could be one ofthe foremost girls in the sophomore class if you wished."
"I haven't seen any particular indication of admiration on the part ofmy class," sneered Kathleen.
"You haven't given your class cause to admire you, have you?" askedPatience imperturbably.
Sheer inability to reply to this unwelcome assertion held Kathleensilent.
"Please don't misunderstand me," went on Patience. "I know I have noright to criticize you, but as your roommate, I feel a certain interestin your welfare."
"Very kind in you, I am sure," muttered Kathleen sarcastically.
Unmindful of the sarcasm, Patience continued: "I believe your chieftrouble lies in the fact that newspaper standards are so different fromthose of a college. On a newspaper it is a case of get the story and noquestions asked. It isn't honor that counts. It is shrewdness,determination, dogged persistence, hardness of head, and deafness topersonal appeal that wins the day."
A curious light leaped into the other girl's eyes. "How do you happen toknow so much about what counts on a newspaper?" she questioned sharply.
"Because my father edited one for years. All the newspaper folks knowJames Merton Eliot. You must have heard of him," replied Patience withgrim satisfaction.
"You don't mean it! I never dreamed you could be his daughter," gaspedKathleen, regarding her tall roommate with positive awe. Then she said,almost humbly: "Say what you like to me. I'll listen to it, no matterhow much it hurts."
"But I don't wish to hurt you," remonstrated Patience, "nor to preach. Ido wish you to know, however, that I am quite familiar with the insideworkings of a newspaper. I have haunted Father's office since I was alittle girl. I was bitterly resentful of being packed off to apreparatory school when I yearned to be a reporter. Father didn't resignhis editorship of a Boston paper until last year. He overworked and hasbeen very ill since then. That is the reason I was not here when collegeopened. I waited until I was sure he was really convalescent. Had myaffairs shaped themselves differently, you would not now be obliged toendure me as a roommate."
Kathleen continued to survey Patience with wondering eyes. It was simplyincredible that this brusque, matter-of-fact young woman whom she hadheld in secret contempt should be the daughter of a man whose name wasknown and honored throughout the newspaper world. Sheer astonishmenttied her tongue.
"I would have told you in the beginning," continued Patience, "but I didnot wish to travel on my father's passport. When I saw what anunfavorable impression I had made on you I was tempted to tell you. Itwould at least have given me a certain prestige in your eyes. Then Idecided never to tell you. But to-day it seemed the only way. None ofthe girls know it. Miss Sheldon and Miss Wilder know. They are personalfriends of Father's."
"If I had only known when first you came to Wayne Hall," was Kathleen'sregretful cry.
"But I didn't wish you to know," returned Patience. "I wished you tolike me for myself, and you wouldn't. You thought me pedantic andnarrow-minded, and set me down as a typical New England woman of thegrim, uncompromising type, who boasts of her Puritan ancestry, and goesthrough life ungracious and forbidding. I don't believe I am pedantic ornarrow-minded or small-souled, but I have plenty of other faults, asyou'll learn before the year is over. I meant what I said about yourstanding in your own light. You'll have to learn the difference betweencollege and newspaper standards, too."
Kathleen's face reddened. She understood all that the sharp criticismimplied. "I know I haven't lived up to----" she began.
Patience shook her head vigorously. "Don't tell me," she said. "Justdecide that hereafter you are going to cultivate Overton as your AlmaMater for all you're worth. You'll find you can adapt Overton standardsto your paper more successfully than you can adapt newspaper ta
cticshere. At least it will do no harm to try out my suggestion and see howfar it will carry you."
"I will try," responded Kathleen with a suddenness that surprised evenherself. "Only," her eyes grew resentful, "you mustn't expect me to bean angel all in a twinkling, or even like certain girls you and I know.I can't, and that settles it."
"I shall have no expectations in the matter," smiled Patience. "Yourlikes and dislikes concern no one save yourself. Please forgive me forlocking the door and speaking so candidly."
Patience stepped to the door and unlocked it. Kathleen took an uncertainstep forward, wavered, then, advancing almost timidly, held out herhand.
"Will you shake hands?" she asked. "I am glad you did it, and I am goingto be different--if I can," she added moodily.
"Be fair to yourself and give the clever, capable Kathleen West achance," was the New England girl's advice. "This little talk of ourshas served to clear the atmosphere of this room. Let us be friends andkeep it clear."
"I will try," Kathleen repeated, but Patience was obliged to confess toherself that she had very little faith in the newspaper girl's promise.She felt that the fact that James Merton Eliot was her father had madefar more impression upon Kathleen than had her little lecture onstandards.